Joe Biden cabinet speculation megathread

[politics_king]

Mods, can this formally be made a Cabinet tea leaves (or something along those lines?) megathread? Or would that belong in U.S. General Discussion?

In any event, Politico has a new write-up on the potential Biden Cabinet: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/21/joe-biden-cabinet-picks-397905

Notable names mentioned include:

- Susan Rice at State
- Elizabeth Warren at Treasury
- Eric Garcetti at Transportation or HUD
- Karen Bass at HUD or HHS
- Pete Buttigieg as UN Ambassador or at the VA

Please keep Garcetti away from Government by any means. I'll take him though as Transportation if he has to have something and keeps him out of the Senate. But he would be a disaster for HUD, much rather have Karen Bass.

[GeneralMacArthur]

I really don't think treasury is the right place for Warren.  I'd much rather see some sort of specialized administration carved out for her, or just CFPB like she always should have had in the first place (but got torpedoed by Republicans).

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Would Susan Rice make it through a Republican senate? I have a hard time seeing her get the nomination if the Democrats don't retake the chamber.

[Roronoa D. Law]

Would Susan Rice make it through a Republican senate? I have a hard time seeing her get the nomination if the Democrats don't retake the chamber.

Other than Maine most battleground Democrats are outpolling Biden. If he wins the presidency odd are he wins the Senate.

[Roronoa D. Law]

God, I hope Biden doesn't choose some from Wall Street like Dimon or Finucane for Treasury secretary. He needs to pick someone like Cordray or Chiang.

[brucejoel99]

Would Susan Rice make it through a Republican senate? I have a hard time seeing her get the nomination if the Democrats don't retake the chamber.

If it's still a Republican Senate & they're not confident in Rice being confirmable, I'd imagine Kerry (as alluded to in the original Axios article) is a go-to backup, given his Senate relationships & previous experience in the job.

[GeneralMacArthur]

God, I hope Biden doesn't choose some from Wall Street like Dimon or Finucane for Treasury secretary. He needs to pick someone like Cordray or Chiang.

Treasury secretary needs to be someone who is good at growing and managing the economy.

It really isn't an oversight position.  We have other agencies to handle that.

[Ferguson97]

Would Susan Rice make it through a Republican senate? I have a hard time seeing her get the nomination if the Democrats don't retake the chamber.

Literally nobody will be confirmed if there's a Republican Senate

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

There is no universe where Karen Bass gets a cabinet post.

[brucejoel99]

Would Susan Rice make it through a Republican senate? I have a hard time seeing her get the nomination if the Democrats don't retake the chamber.

Literally nobody will be confirmed if there's a Republican Senate

If it's a 51-49 R Senate, Romney & Murkowski (& even Collins, if she's still there) wouldn't stand for no Cabinet confirmations.

[politics_king]

There is no universe where Karen Bass gets a cabinet post.

I disagree.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

There is no universe where Karen Bass gets a cabinet post.

I disagree.

That is certainly your right

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

God, I hope Biden doesn't choose some from Wall Street like Dimon or Finucane for Treasury secretary. He needs to pick someone like Cordray or Chiang.

Cordray is the obvious pick for the CFPB. Chiang is irrelevant.

[Roronoa D. Law]

God, I hope Biden doesn't choose some from Wall Street like Dimon or Finucane for Treasury secretary. He needs to pick someone like Cordray or Chiang.

Cordray is the obvious pick for the CFPB. Chiang is irrelevant.

I don't know. I think Cordray deserves a higher position, not the job he already had. I think Biden gives CFPB to Jared Bernstein

[brucejoel99]

God, I hope Biden doesn't choose some from Wall Street like Dimon or Finucane for Treasury secretary. He needs to pick someone like Cordray or Chiang.

Cordray is the obvious pick for the CFPB. Chiang is irrelevant.

I don't know. I think Cordray deserves a higher position, not the job he already had. I think Biden gives CFPB to Jared Bernstein

Bernstein is slated for Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, according to the Politico article.

[KaiserDave]

I like Cordray for Treasury, don’t send him back to CFPB. Let Liz stay in the Senate.

[Roronoa D. Law]

God, I hope Biden doesn't choose some from Wall Street like Dimon or Finucane for Treasury secretary. He needs to pick someone like Cordray or Chiang.

Cordray is the obvious pick for the CFPB. Chiang is irrelevant.

I don't know. I think Cordray deserves a higher position, not the job he already had. I think Biden gives CFPB to Jared Bernstein

Bernstein is slated for Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, according to the Politico article.

Strange I thought it would have been Ben Harris that gets that job given how involved he was in the Biden campaign.

[ShadowRocket]

I'm all for Warren for Treasury if she wants it. Otherwise I'm for Cordray.

[Indy Texas]

Would Susan Rice make it through a Republican senate? I have a hard time seeing her get the nomination if the Democrats don't retake the chamber.

Literally nobody will be confirmed if there's a Republican Senate

Republicans are nihilistic wreckers and they will absolutely just refuse to confirm anybody to Biden's administration. And that could put Biden in the weird position of having a bunch of "acting" secretaries in legal limbo.

And the last time a president came into office without his party holding the Senate was like the 1890s so there's really no modern comparison to this situation.

[MichaelRbn]

Richard Nixon came to office in 1969 with Democrats controlling the Senate by a wide margin.  It would never have occurred to any member of that majority to not vote in favor of confirmation of all his initial cabinet nominees.

[YE]

Richard Nixon came to office in 1969 with Democrats controlling the Senate by a wide margin.  It would never have occurred to any member of that majority to not vote in favor of confirmation of all his initial cabinet nominees.

1969 was a very different time. If the Senate stays R, get ready for a clusterf**k when it comes to confirmations. Even Warren as Treasury Secretary might not be confirmable unless Dems get 52-53 seats in the upper chamber.

[WD]

Richard Nixon came to office in 1969 with Democrats controlling the Senate by a wide margin.  It would never have occurred to any member of that majority to not vote in favor of confirmation of all his initial cabinet nominees.

1969 was a completely different era. Bipartisanship and polarization was non existent, not to mention both parties had much wider tents. Back then you had conservative Democrats and Liberal Republicans. You didn’t really need majority to get things done.

[President Johnson]

I might add that we could see a number of Deputy Secretaries under Obama to take over an agency. On Treasury, Sarah Bloom Raskin is an option. If Susan Rice gets trouble with senate confirmation, I could see her return to her old post of National Security Adviser, which doesn't require senate approval, and have Tony Blinken as reserve pick for State. He's advising the Biden campaign already and was number two to John Kerry in the Obama years. He seems close with Bidenworld and with Kerry.

Richard Nixon came to office in 1969 with Democrats controlling the Senate by a wide margin.  It would never have occurred to any member of that majority to not vote in favor of confirmation of all his initial cabinet nominees.

1969 was a completely different era. Bipartisanship and polarization was non existent, not to mention both parties had much wider tents. Back then you had conservative Democrats and Liberal Republicans. You didn’t really need majority to get things done.

Yeah, this even applies to Poppy Bush, who came in in 1989 with a Democratic senate. It's notworthy though that his preferred Defense Secretary, former Texas senator John Tower, was rejected by a 47-53 vote. Bush then chose Dick Cheney to head the Pentagon.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Rice is connected with Benghazi,  that why she wasnt Veepz so she isnt gonna be in running for anything

[Blair]

I expect a republican senate with a majority of above 1 would allow non-controversial nominees to go through to allow the whole caucus to block either Rice or Warren; they're the two issues (foreign policy & economics) where I just can't see who the swing senators would be who'd support them.