Joe Biden's Cabinet Speculation/News

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Eh I’ve seen Yang floated for a cabinet spot, and if anyone has to be in commerce he’s far from the worst. It’d be a decent fit for him

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I thought he was running for Mayor of NYC?

I haven’t seen much indication he would other than people trying to will it into existence

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Marsha Blackburn and Tom Cotton were both on the Hugh Hewitt Show yesterday, and both said they don't expect that a Republican Senate would be very likely to confirm Susan Rice to any job requiring Senate confirmation:

https://www.theblaze.com/news/republican-senators-block-susan-rice-cabinet

https://twitter.com/hughhewitt/status/1328698852594118656

*sigh* not surprised just disappointed

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Republicans: We don’t want any extremists in the cabinet
Also Republicans: Judy Shelton should be in the Fed Board

When you get to the point people like her are acceptable all democrats seem like radicals

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There were a couple Republicans who were blocked (mostly) by Democrats for consideration as Veterans Affairs Secretary who are now both members of the House:  Mark Rose in Tennessee and Ronny Jackson in Texas.  I don't know if they saw being V.A Secretary as a political stepping stone, but I agree with the general sentiment here that it's more like a millstone.

I mean Ronny Jackson wasn’t confirmed because he was basically a candy man of pills while White House doctor, was drunk all the time, and had no obviously qualifications

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I’m starting to wonder what’s wrong with Doug Jones? Why do so many other people who seem a lot more controversial (Yates, Perez, and now Garland) keep being brought up as potential replacements?

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Doug Jones is the best pick, but I feel so bad for Merrick. What a sweet looking guy.

Why everybody want Jones? Just wonder

I know for me he has a great record as distinct attorney of Northern Alabama, served well in the senate, and also he has been a longtime Biden supporter.

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Would be a really, really wonderful move for Biden to appoint Rahm to something.  He will earn my approval for at least Day 1 of his Presidency.

What world are you living in? Progressives and half of Chicago would crucify him and make his admin a living hell. (Rightfully so) He should be anywhere near the administration.

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Would be a really, really wonderful move for Biden to appoint Rahm to something.  He will earn my approval for at least Day 1 of his Presidency.

What world are you living in? Progressives and half of Chicago would crucify him and make his admin a living hell. (Rightfully so) He should be anywhere near the administration.

Why should he be worried about what they think?  Anyway, most Chicagoans would applaud it.  They're already having buyers remorse here to begin with.

Well he does need their support to confirm his nominees, advance his agenda, and win re-election...

But nah they’re useless and who cares about them. AOC Bad amirite?

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I am very interested in seeing how a lot of these minor posts like district attorneys and ambassadors are filled out, especially DAs in swing states. Especially to see who could be potential recruits later on for competitive offices

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Where do we think Buttigieg will land since VA, Defense, State, and UN are out?

One of the key ambassador roles, perhaps to Russia?

Is Housing and Urban Development still available? That's where I'd put Buttigeig, given he's an ex-Mayor...

Most of the people up for that are African-Americans and Clyburn is already starting to ruffle feathers trying to get more blacks in the cabinet, so not there. Maybe transportation? He’d be better than Garicetti or Emmanuel. But I’ve also seen Blumenauer brought up for that role do he’d be my pick. Maybe he could be Commerce after that?

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God the more Biden picks his cabinet the lest in enthusiastic for it. I bet he’s gonna give Bernie Labor and stack the rest with unqualified neoliberals (bad) or moderate bureaucrats (not bad) and think that’ll fool progressives

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God the more Biden picks his cabinet the lest in enthusiastic for it. I bet he’s gonna give Bernie Labor and stack the rest with unqualified neoliberals (bad) or moderate bureaucrats (not bad) and think that’ll fool progressives

Progressives are probably more likely to get social spending departments than economic policy departments.  However, it could also be the case that Biden will put up a progressive in an economic department, have it rejected by the Senate, and say "I tried."

I would look to HUD or Health and Human Services then.  However, progressives have been saying that they have the policies and the credibility with rural voters to win them over, so I could also see a progressive get the Department of Agriculture.

I believe Henry Wallace was a very popular Secretary of Agriculture.

I keep promoting Jess King as Secretary of Agriculture.  I'm sure there are many other progressives who would be good though.

The problem is that a lot of those departments have high profiled African-Americans already in the running and with Clyburn lobbying hard for them, but none of those are progressives really. (Al Brown, Keisha Lance Bottoms, etc.)

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Tanden, like Buttigieg, attracted an over-the-top hatred from the worst of the Berners. Picking her is a great way to goad a few terrible people into ending their careers.

Ah yes that classic democratic unity

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i think John Edwards(D-NC) should make a comeback or maybe Bill Richardson(D-NM)

One cheated on his wife while she had cancer and the other might be connected to Epstein so I don’t think they will

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What's the appeal of Sally Yates other than being part of the first class of #ResistanceKweens? Genuine question; did she distinguish herself as Deputy AG otherwise?

I’ve read that she gets along well with Biden, which seems to be how he’s picked just about everyone so far

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What's the appeal of Sally Yates other than being part of the first class of #ResistanceKweens? Genuine question; did she distinguish herself as Deputy AG otherwise?

I’ve read that she gets along well with Biden, which seems to be how he’s picked just about everyone so far

Yeah but Biden has been friends with Doug Jones since the '70s.

True, I like Jones and would love to see him as AG, but I’ve read some people (Clyburn) want for POC in the big four, and others are pushing for women. So with only two spots that’s putting a squeeze of Jones. With Yates specifically she has more obvious and recent qualifications than Jones, whose last relevant qualification was being US Attorney for Middle Alabama in the 90s. Honestly if he hadn’t won his senate seat he likely wouldn’t even be considered and Yates would be the obvious front runner. If Biden had chosen Rice for State I think Jones would be in a better position. I imagine many in Biden’s world are hesitant to have a plurality white male big four.

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What's the appeal of Sally Yates other than being part of the first class of #ResistanceKweens? Genuine question; did she distinguish herself as Deputy AG otherwise?

I’ve read that she gets along well with Biden, which seems to be how he’s picked just about everyone so far

Yeah but Biden has been friends with Doug Jones since the '70s.

True, I like Jones and would love to see him as AG, but I’ve read some people (Clyburn) want for POC in the big four, and others are pushing for women. So with only two spots that’s putting a squeeze of Jones. With Yates specifically she has more obvious and recent qualifications than Jones, whose last relevant qualification was being US Attorney for Middle Alabama in the 90s. Honestly if he hadn’t won his senate seat he likely wouldn’t even be considered and Yates would be the obvious front runner. If Biden had chosen Rice for State I think Jones would be in a better position. I imagine many in Biden’s world are hesitant to have a plurality white male big four.

Clyburn needs to get over it. He already got Harris for VP. I'm hesitant to want any of Clyburn's and the CBC's picks anywhere near the administration as most of the "POC" they've bene pushing have been Wall Street execs (i.e. Roger Ferguson). I don't want Deval Patrick anywhere near the admin just because he looks like me.

Now if he picks someone like CA AG Xavier Becerra I could get behind that. But if not, Doug Jones deserves the spot.

No yea, I 100% don’t like that Clyburn is pushing a lot of neoliberals and executives that just happen to be black and almost no progressive African-Americans. He’s using his position as the man who won Biden the primary to push a very conservative (by Democrat standards) agenda under the guise of supporting African-Americans. It’s annoying at best.

If Jones get AG women’s groups and Clyburn are maybe gonna clash trying to their nominee in, especially as Michèle Flournoy and Jeh Johnson/Lloyd Austin are the front runners. They might have find a compromise that’ll leave progressives annoyed either way.

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https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/1333873840263491593

The contract for Emanuel to be Secretary of Transportation is now collapsing on PredictIt.

Good

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I get Emanuel but what's wrong with Vilsack? Pretty sure he's probably the most inoffensive guy to have served in Washington over the last 2+ decades.

Might be them trying to cull Fudge’s competition

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I feel like there are plenty of people in public life who are solid on nutrition policy but also have constituencies that aren't literally 100% urban. Why is Fudge so much better for USDA than some other such person?

I prefer Fudge in part because she doesn't have that sort of constituency, which usually produces candidates who are captured by agribusiness and disinclined to regulate them (see: Heitkamp, Heidi).

That's a good point, but a Secretary of Agriculture from downtown Cleveland still seems like a symbolic spurning of rural America in much the same way that a Secretary of Education who had never been a teacher was a symbolic spurning of educators. (Not that Fudge would be anywhere close to Amway Betsy in terms of actually being able to do the job well, of course; if Biden does pick her I'll support her confirmation wholeheartedly.)

This so much. I get she’s on the Nutrition subcommittee, and that that’s important to a lot of people, but so is the agriculture side of the department. They really need to deprecate them out, cause it ends up with two departments under one competing for dominance.

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Bless your heart

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Yeah, Fudge shouldn’t be picked with the House being so close.

That, plus why pick someone who represents a district that is completely urban and doesn't have any ag. experience?

Heitkamp is a no brainer here.

The "Department of Agriculture" is a misnomer. By far the largest function of the department (in terms of number of employees working on it, dollars dedicated to it, etc.) is the food stamp program (SNAP). Fudge is the longtime chair of the House Ag Subcommittee on Nutrition, which oversees SNAP, and has made food security her signature issue in Congress. She's a perfect pick for the role, and a far better fit than someone who will use the job to increase soybean subsidies or whatever.

The Department of Agriculture is also the single most important part of the federal government in several states because of the actual Ag part. It really really needs to be split into like the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Nutrition, or transfer the nutrition and SNAP programs to the HHS

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Yeah, Fudge shouldn’t be picked with the House being so close.

That, plus why pick someone who represents a district that is completely urban and doesn't have any ag. experience?

Heitkamp is a no brainer here.

The "Department of Agriculture" is a misnomer. By far the largest function of the department (in terms of number of employees working on it, dollars dedicated to it, etc.) is the food stamp program (SNAP). Fudge is the longtime chair of the House Ag Subcommittee on Nutrition, which oversees SNAP, and has made food security her signature issue in Congress. She's a perfect pick for the role, and a far better fit than someone who will use the job to increase soybean subsidies or whatever.

The Department of Agriculture is also the single most important part of the federal government in several states because of the actual Ag part. It really really needs to be split into like the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Nutrition, or transfer the nutrition and SNAP programs to the HHS

At this point you could transfer a lot of what USDA currently does into a Department of Rural Affairs. It probably wouldn't be that hard to create that as a new Cabinet department

Would you suggest combining that with the Interior Department?

No, interior mostly focuses on land owned and operated directly by the federal government (and Native American land). If anything I’d say move things like SNAP to HHS or create a Department of Nutrition or something

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Yea can some one explain why Becerra was picked for HHS? He doesn’t to seem to have any obvious qualifications for the job