The Biden Cabinet and Transition Thread (2 Viewers)

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    GrandAdmiral

    GrandAdmiral

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    Ok the rules:
    • Your post can only contain one department and guess.
    • You may post more than once for different departments.
    • Post can contain comments about previous guesses.
    • Guesses for one department can be used for other departments.
    • Minds can, of course, be changed.
    I will kick things off first...

    Secretary of State: Susan Rice

    Susan_Rice_official_photo.jpg


    This is as clear a choice as there can be. She has all of the credentials and rep to begin healing as relationships with our allies.
     
    wardorican said:
    Sources? Not sure what you're talking about and I can't find anything. But, I don't have a ton of time to look.
    Click to expand...

    www.yahoo.com

    Pete Buttigieg reportedly really wants a Cabinet spot — but not just any Cabinet spot

    Pete Buttigieg is reportedly ready to make his political return — if President-elect Joe Biden can find a suitable place for him.The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor proved a strong contender in the crowded 2020 Democratic primaries before dropping out and endorsing Biden. He's now seeking a...
    www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com

    AFAIK it's common knowledge he turned down OMB, and VA.
     
    J-DONK said:
    www.yahoo.com

    Pete Buttigieg reportedly really wants a Cabinet spot — but not just any Cabinet spot

    Pete Buttigieg is reportedly ready to make his political return — if President-elect Joe Biden can find a suitable place for him.The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor proved a strong contender in the crowded 2020 Democratic primaries before dropping out and endorsing Biden. He's now seeking a...
    www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com

    AFAIK it's common knowledge he turned down OMB, and VA.
    Click to expand...
    I must have missed the stories.

    Not surprised that some of these folks jockey for spots. And he did raise a ton of money for his own presidential bid. I do think criticism is a bit much though, but that's me.

    Reading the original Axios piece, I'm not sure how much of that is Pete being picky or Axios being very interested in where he could end up (a lot of people were curious and have thrown his name in many positions), and this is the normal back and forth. You have a guy with talent and intellect, but not a lot of experience. Where can you put him, because you recognize a rising star.

    www.axios.com

    Biden eyeing Buttigieg for China ambassador

    Letting him deepen his foreign policy chops could boost Buttigieg's future.
    www.axios.com www.axios.com

    I think the headline from The Week / Yahoo is a bit misleading, because it assumes intent that Axios doesn't seem to mention.

    The Washington Blade is where the 'quote' came from, but even that stated it was a discussion about jobs and Pete may have never used those words, it's someone else relaying their thoughts on it.

    www.washingtonblade.com

    Frustration builds as Biden’s Cabinet includes no LGBTQ picks

    Buttigieg has rejected roles at OMB, Va, per insiders
    www.washingtonblade.com

    In talks with the Biden transition team, one Democratic insider said the idea of Buttigieg becoming White House OMB director came up, but he rejected it and said he wanted a “real Cabinet” position, not a “staff-level” job. Buttigieg wasn’t formally offered the role because the idea was more a discussion with senior members of the transition team, the insider said.

    Additionally, Buttigieg in separate talks on Monday signaled to Annise Parker, CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Institute, that he won’t pursue the position of secretary of Veterans Affairs, according to two senior Democratic sources, despite media reports he was in consideration for the job.

    Buttigieg didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor did his political action committee, Win the Era.

    Biden has never explicitly made a promise to appoint an openly LGBTQ Cabinet member, notably declining to make that commitment when asked during the presidential campaign in an interview with the Philadelphia Gay News. In an interview last week with CNN, Biden generally recognized the importance of including marginalized communities in his administration, including LGBTQ people.

    ..................


    Many observers thought Buttigieg, who made history as a gay presidential candidate in the Democratic primary, would be a shoo-in for a Cabinet role. After all, Buttigieg gave Biden a boost in the primary by dropping out after the South Carolina contest and endorsing his fellow moderate, then campaigned hard for Biden in the weeks leading up to the general election.

    But finding the right role for Buttigieg — who’s talented, but lacks government experience other than serving as mayor of the small city of South Bend, Ind. — isn’t easy.

    The multilingual Buttigieg emerged as a possible pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as many media outlets reported. It’s a not a Cabinet position, but is a prominent role and would have burnished Buttigieg’s foreign policy credentials for a subsequent run for public office.

    But with Biden promising to conduct foreign policy with seasoned professionals, in contrast to the Trump administration’s reliance on dilettantes like Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the job ended up going to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who as a Foreign Service officer had multiple postings in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia and served as assistant secretary of state for African Affairs in the Obama administration.

    As noted, both the idea of director of OMB and secretary of VA have come up in talks with Buttigieg, but he rejected them, according to knowledgable sources. The nod for OMB ended up going to Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, although she may face a difficult Senate confirmation fight.

    It should be noted the VA has a long history and reputation for institutional problems in delivering care to veterans. Anyone running the VA would face criticism for its inefficiencies and the job is widely considered more appropriate for an elder statesman as opposed to a young politician eager to make another run for office.
    Click to expand...

    I think the Blade actually put out a very thorough and thoughtful look at the issue, because they have a vested interested in a LGBTQ+ person being in a position of power.
     
    Well, this sure doesn't stink to high heaven...

    Pentagon abruptly halts Biden transition cooperation: report - Business Insider

    President Donald Trump's newest Pentagon chief has ordered the Department of Defense to halt efforts to cooperate with President-elect Joe Biden's team on the transition, Axios reported Friday, citing senior administration officials.

    Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller sent the order instructing staff to cancel scheduled transition meetings Thursday night, stunning department officials, Axios reporter Jonathan Swan reported.

    The Trump administration delayed the start of the transition as the president disputed the results of the presidential election, forcing officials in federal departments and agencies involved in the transition process to scramble to hold all of the necessary meetings before Biden officially takes office on January 20.

    A senior Pentagon official told Axios that Miller's order was issued because the Pentagon staff involved in the transition are "overwhelmed" by everything needed to be completed.
    Click to expand...

    I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at work. I declare all of next week a vacation week.
     
    So, the staff is "overwhelmed" with everything that needs to get done (because of the delay in getting it started), and the reaction is to stop working on the transition. Brilliant!

    We all know the real reason is that Trump yelled, "I won! Stop dealing with them!" We need people of character to stand up to insane ravings, not sacrifice the good of all to satisfy the nonsense of one.
     
    wardorican said:
    I must have missed the stories.

    Not surprised that some of these folks jockey for spots. And he did raise a ton of money for his own presidential bid. I do think criticism is a bit much though, but that's me.

    Reading the original Axios piece, I'm not sure how much of that is Pete being picky or Axios being very interested in where he could end up (a lot of people were curious and have thrown his name in many positions), and this is the normal back and forth. You have a guy with talent and intellect, but not a lot of experience. Where can you put him, because you recognize a rising star.

    www.axios.com

    Biden eyeing Buttigieg for China ambassador

    Letting him deepen his foreign policy chops could boost Buttigieg's future.
    www.axios.com www.axios.com

    I think the headline from The Week / Yahoo is a bit misleading, because it assumes intent that Axios doesn't seem to mention.

    The Washington Blade is where the 'quote' came from, but even that stated it was a discussion about jobs and Pete may have never used those words, it's someone else relaying their thoughts on it.

    www.washingtonblade.com

    Frustration builds as Biden’s Cabinet includes no LGBTQ picks

    Buttigieg has rejected roles at OMB, Va, per insiders
    www.washingtonblade.com



    I think the Blade actually put out a very thorough and thoughtful look at the issue, because they have a vested interested in a LGBTQ+ person being in a position of power.
    Click to expand...

    My understanding is it's common knowledge he turned down these other spots. I think the points about him not wanting to potentially make enemies, and wanting a higher profile position were the reasons for turning down other offers. I'll admit he was my least favorite candidate in the 2020 race.
     
    insidejob said:
    I guess this is transition related.



    People are all mad about this but I think twitter is doing Biden a favor. This way he won't have thousands upon thousands of Trump supporters following his POTUS twitter account.
    Click to expand...


    Cleans out a bunch of bots and dead accounts too. This should be low on the hand wringing list imo.
     
    Now this is a scary thought. The article says that this is a normal thing. The idea, however, that some in the transition have concern about political loyalty in the Secret Service being a threat is downright scary.

    The staffing changes, first reported by The Washington Post, also come amid concern from Biden allies about the political loyalty of some current agents to Trump, two people familiar with the situation told the newspaper. Some presidential detail members even encouraged other agents not to wear face masks this year, the Post reported, out of loyalty to the President, who didn't like the way they looked.
    Click to expand...

    www.cnn.com

    Secret Service adding former Biden agents to new presidential detail | CNN Politics

    The US Secret Service has been planning to bring back to the White House a group of agents that previously worked with President-elect Joe Biden when he was vice president to fill out his security detail, a law enforcement source confirmed to CNN.
    www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
     
    zztop said:
    According to this article Bernie is a possible pick for labor sectary

    www.nytimes.com

    Republican Resistance Looms in the Senate for Biden’s Nominees (Published 2020)

    The polarization of the confirmation process, once a matter of giving the president the team he chooses, will present the new administration with a challenge in filling out its upper echelons.
    www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

    but the article is really about (R) opposition to certain people that Biden might want to choose
    Click to expand...

    Looks like this isn't going to happen.

    • President-elect Joe Biden said on Friday that he strongly considered Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to be his labor secretary, but both men decided against the move after the dual Georgia runoff election wins gave Democrats control of the upper chamber.
    • "I did give serious consideration on nominating my friend Bernie Sanders to this position," Biden said. "I'm confident he could have done a fantastic job. I can think of no more passionate, devoted ally to working people in this country."
    • Biden ultimately tapped Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a close ally with strong ties to unions, to become his labor secretary.
     
    SaulGoodmanEsq said:
    Mentioned it before, there is no guarantee Vermont's Republican governor would have picked a Democrat to replace Bernie on a temporary basis so this was always unlikely.
    Click to expand...
    Yea I think what they’re saying though is if the senate hadn’t picked up both seats and had control, Biden was considering it, since they wouldn’t have had control anyway.
     
    I really think Biden needs to create a ‘department of kicking *** and chewing bubblegum and we’re all out of bubblegum’
    I appreciate the moderate + liberal impulse to accommodate and cooperate, but like any philosophy, it’s not universally applicable; and this is certainly a time to remove the poison from the system and not just hope the body politic can tolerate the poison
     

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