Transition Team/Cabinet Thread

[Kingpoleon]

Here's the speculated short list for every Cabinet position, as compiled by the NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/politics/donald-trump-administration.html

Anyone want to try predicting who'll be chosen for each job?

Khalilzad, Pawlenty, Hadley, and Giuliani are the ones I like most of the top four. Brewer, Grady, Hamm, Chuck Conner, Sid Miller, Eisenberg, DiMicco, Lipnic, Connaughton, Evers, Miller, Clarke, McCaul, Holmstead, Grenell, Hoekstra, Rogers, Townsend, and Flynn all seem okay.

[Kingpoleon]

Richard Grenell and Zalmay Khalilzad are two of the most important foreign policy figures. I would be very, very, very impressed if they were picked for State, Nationals Security Advisor, or U. N. Ambassador.

[Kingpoleon]

What is so wrong with sitting down with Putin? I think we need Putin more than ever right now. I want good relations with the world's other major nuclear superpower. I don't see how that is so controversial.

there is nothing wrong in general with that wish, which is why i have supported obama in 2012 regarding this question and approved of his snarky answer to romney....in hindsight a severe miscalculation.

unfortunately it is my sincere belief, that ...since mister putin's return as president in 2012.... russia became a kind of neo-imperial empire, trying to dominate the states of the former soviet union directly and and - at the same time - topple goverments (through means of money/media/proxy fringe parties) which disapprove of that goal.

One of the biggest foreign policy lies on the left is that when Obama said that, Putin was not in charge. Putin has been in charge, unofficially or officially, since December 31, 1999. I know the Facebook left wingers have tried to doublespeak past this. Medvedev is not a pro-American/pro-West, despite left-wing revisionism. Medvedev is a dangerous, Putinist puppet. It is an indisputable fact that Russia has been on the rise since 2000. Romney was absolutely, 100% right on this in 2012.

[Kingpoleon]

I could understand if this was a Kasich administration but any Dem wanting to serve with people like Giulani, Sessions, and Bannon is hard to grasp.  Tulsi is pro-choice, pro-LGBT, pro-immigration it just seems bizarre she would want any part of this.

Gabbard and her Dad are not pro-LGBT.  Also she's always been disgusting, hyper-ambitious, opportunist with pretty much no real principles.  I don't see why folks are surprised by this; then again, I never understood her appeal to begin with.

I really don't get Gabbard. Ed Case seems a lot better than her to me, and yet Case is considered on the state party's right wing while Gabbard appears to be stuck right in the middle for the state party. I really wish I had a better understanding of Hawaii's politics, because I really don't get it.

[Kingpoleon]

Chao is probably being considered for Treasury, Labor, and Transportation.

Education:
B.A. in Economics from Mount Holyoke College(1975); student representative for the economics department at Mount Holyoke College
MBA from Harvard Business School(1979)
36 honorary doctorates, most recently a Doctor of Humane Letters from Georgetown University

Career:
(Pre-Politics):
Vice president for syndications at Bank of America Capital Markets Group in San Francisco
International banker at Citicorp in New York(four years)

(In-Politics):
White House Fellowship(1983)
Deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation(1986-1988)
Chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission(1988-1989)
Deputy Secretary of Transportation(1989-1991)
Director of the Peace Corps(1991-1992)
President and CEO of United Way of America(1993-1997)
Distinguished Fellow with the Heritage Foundation(1996-2001, 2009-PRESENT)
Board member of the Independent Women's Forum(1996-?2001?)
Secretary of Labor(2001-2009)

Boards she is on:
- Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
- Wells Fargo
- NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital
- News Corp
- Dole Food Company
- Protective Life Corporation


In short, she is most certainly qualified for any of the three above mentioned jobs and may even be qualified for other economy-related jobs.

[Kingpoleon]

Can someone show me a list of all the confirmed nominees the Senate will vote on?

[Kingpoleon]

Nikki Haley reportedly picked to be UN Ambassador.

https://twitter.com/postandcourier/status/801289992647614464

How in God's name is she qualified for that position?

She's led 7 overseas trade missions during her time as Governor, IIRC.

[Kingpoleon]

Ironic Trump picked Betsy Voss to run the Education department considering she's for Common Core

On top of that, she runs charter schools that rely on vouchers, is heir to the Amway fortune, and her brother owns Blackwater

Jesus Christ

Forgot to mention she's a Creationist....think about it...a creationist is going to run the Education Department

Source on the creationist claim? Don't see it mentioned on any of the articles about this pick.

Either way, I'm opposed to a pro-common core rick santorum supporter as education secretary: http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2016/3/1/school-choice-but-much-more-making-sense-of-devos-family-phi.html

She wants CommonCore state by state, not federally. It is completely different to modify it state by state.

[Kingpoleon]

Multiple sources say Jared Kushner favors Romney for State, according to journalist Laura Goldman.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-goldman/trumps-son-in-law-favors_b_13292216.html?

This should test the push of Kushner.

Apparently Dan Quayle waltzed into Trump Tower and nobody in the press pool recognized him

I wouldn't:

[Kingpoleon]

Politics1.com ‏@Politics1com  2h2 hours ago
“If Scott Brown is nom for Vets Aff [Secy], I have no doubt he would put his heart & soul into trying to help veterans" - Elizabeth Warren

... I'm surprised. I would hope Brown would pass confirmation very easily. I could imagine Markey, Hassan, and Shaheen trying to stop it, but if Warren won't, they won't.

[Kingpoleon]

Stavridis praised Mattis:

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http://freebeacon.com/national-security/adm-stavridis-praises-gen-mattis-superb/


In another article, Stavridis criticized Flynn and praised Mitt Romney and Stephen Hadley.

[Kingpoleon]

I do not much care for Huntsman personally, but as a realist he is one of Trump's better options for Secretary of State.

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... Infowars isn't too reliable.


I agree that Huntsman and Townsend are the best choices for State and Intelligence. For State, I think Richard Grenell and Zalmay Khalilzad would be bettered, but they haven't been reported on in a while. James Stavridis, Nick Burns, Condoleeza Rice, or similarly qualified people would all be just as good, but only Stavridis has met with Trump.

[Kingpoleon]

Stavridis, Huntsman, and Bolton are the only three on the list with actual foreign policy experience.

[Kingpoleon]

Is Stavridis now officially being considered for State?

[Kingpoleon]

Ben Jacobs ‏@Bencjacobs  34m34 minutes ago
48 hours after conceding his re-election for governor, Pat McCrory will be in New York to meet with Trump

Senate Dems urge Manchin and Heitkamp to turn down potential Trump cabinet offers:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/05/politics/joe-manchin-heidi-heitkamp-donald-trump-senate-democrats/index.html

One can only hope!  Does anyone know what position he would be considered for?

I have to imagine that, after 28 years with Duke Energy, McCrory would take a position at Energy.

[Kingpoleon]

Just saw this on CNN and can't find the direct article, but the NYT is reporting that Trump plans to remain the owner The Trump Organization, but will put his sons in charge of the day to day operations while he serves out his presidency.

Also, Ivanka will be leaving The Trump Organization in order to serve a role in Trump's administration.

I'm guessing she's going to take on the role of first lady?

The business thing won't end well.

OTOH, we should want Ivanka in Trump's ear as much as possible

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump seem to be very capable advisors.

In other news:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/12/08/james-stavridis-dean-tufts-fletcher-school-arrives-trump-tower/CbTpz3uBf3STDTdUGwnG7H/story.html

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[Kingpoleon]

That joke is Greek to me.

[Kingpoleon]

When Trump has an agricultural disagreement with her, or when he becomes very unpopular, she can resign. It gives her bipartisan credentials in future ND elections and allows her some experience.

[Kingpoleon]

Before anyone gets too excited by the Gates, Rice, and Baker endorsements of Tillerson, they all have business ties to Exxon

Rice and Gates don't really. They have ties to Stephen Hadley, who has very, very weak ties to Exxon. Hadley may very well be the person who advised Trump about Tillerson.

[Kingpoleon]

Good. McMorris Rodgers should be the next Speaker.

[Kingpoleon]

Frances Townsend for DNI? Huntsman for Ambassador to Japan?

These are some surprising roles.

[Kingpoleon]

The Daily Caller says Bob Corker's chances of becoming Secretary of State were lowered by both allegations of insider trading, and Corker's relatively "short" stature at 5'7".

http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/22/exclusive-sen-corkers-height-business-dealings-hurt-his-secretary-of-state-chances/

Jeff Sessions is no more than 5'7"... I'd say these rumors aren't true except in the shady Democratic grapevine and gossiping corners. This kind of whisper campaign is standard material for both parties.

[Kingpoleon]

The Daily Caller says Bob Corker's chances of becoming Secretary of State were lowered by both allegations of insider trading, and Corker's relatively "short" stature at 5'7".

http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/22/exclusive-sen-corkers-height-business-dealings-hurt-his-secretary-of-state-chances/

Jeff Sessions is no more than 5'7"... I'd say these rumors aren't true except in the shady Democratic grapevine and gossiping corners. This kind of whisper campaign is standard material for both parties.

LOL, Tillerson isn't much taller. He seems only a little taller than Putin, and the Russian is only around 5'7 as well.

It seems like Tillerson is leaning to his right, or Putin is leaning to his right, or the camera angle just makes it look like that.

[Kingpoleon]

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https://twitter.com/katherinemiller/status/817397624579964928

Interesting. I wonder if Hadley, Stavridis, Woolsey, or Townsend has been suggested to him.

[Kingpoleon]

Interesting tidbit about the infighting in the Trump camp. Apparently, Mattis and Flynn do not like each other:

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http://thehill.com/policy/defense/313138-rivalry-brewing-on-trump-team

This sounds like a Rumsfeld-Powell or Rumsfeld-Rice fight, but I don't recall anything that explicit.

Mattie needs to be confirmed if Flynn is really this concerned about him.