I'm not into speculating on the primaries. I'm already guessing the next cabinet.

[DFW]

Of course, this is assuming Joe Biden is the next president, which is admittedly a ridiculous thing to presume at this point, but no more ridiculous than half the stuff I see posted on the "primaries" board (and there won't even be any primaries for over six months!). Biden's not my first choice, but he's the darling of the news cycle this week (next week, it will be John P. Wintergreen), so here's my first cabinet speculation for the Biden administration (not complete, just the major posts):

State: either Adam Schiff or Al Franken
Justice: either Al Franken or Adam Schiff
Agriculture: Rob Sand (a stretch, I know, but why not?)
Interior: either Jay Inslee or John Hickenlooper
Defense: Wes Clark
Health/Human Services: Howard Dean (is it about time, or what?)
Housing/Urban Development: either Pete Buttigieg or Stacey Abrams
Education: Rachel Maddow (another stretch, but again, why not?)
Energy: either Jay Inslee or Beto O'Rourke
UN Ambassador: either Pete Buttigieg or Beto O'Rourke
Treasury: Russ Feingold
Commerce: Eric Swalwell
Labor: Stacey Abrams
Transportation: Claire McCaskill
EPA: either Jay Inslee or Beto O'Rourke
Homeland Security: abolish it.

I figured why not? The primaries have been discussed to death already, and the thought of a second Trump administration is enough to make me nauseous, so time for some fun speculation for once. This can always be redone a hundred times as the "front runner's" name shifts with the changing wind.

[Ohiogal]

1. Good choices, DFW

I myself would like to see Liz Warren as AG.

And .... too bad LeBron James is otherwise busy, because I'd like to see him as Secretary of Education! (another stretch!)

[DFW]

20. Stretches are allowed!

Especially since the whole idea of second guessing a Biden Administration at this point is a stretch. Who the hell knows whose administration it will be? I have a pretty good idea whose it will NOT be, but I don't want to start that war here.

[djg21]

2. If Biden becomes President

I think that Andrew Cuomo will be appointed Secretary of State or AG. He’s close with Biden and needs a perch from which to himself run for President down the road.

[DFW]

21. That is an interesting speculation

I wasn't aware that Cuomo and Biden were close That could change things for sure. I only wish that Rahm Emmanuel and Obama hadn't been so tight in 2008. Then we would already have had Howard Dean as HHS Secretary!

[CTyankee]

3. All these MEN.

Think hard and come up with more women than the few you've allotted. nothing against the men who are fine, but your list is lopsided with men. I think you can come up with some more women.

[DFW]

13. I figure if it's Biden, the VP's name will be Klobuchar anyway

And I did include Claire and Rachel Maddow in there. I figure that if Trump can choose idiots from Fox, Biden can choose a Rhodes Scholar from MSNBC.

I hope not to see any of the Senators running for President, male or female, who trashed Al Franken publicly, so they are automatically out for me. I just don't want to see Booker, Sanders, Warren, Harris or Gillibrand going anywhere near the executive branch. After the Nevada thing, I can see Biden thinking the same way. Again, that is pure speculation on my part, but this whole thread is speculation anyway. I'll freely admit that I took heavily from candidates running who are not members of the Senate, so as not to cause disruptions. Schiff is too brilliant to stay in the House for the rest of his life, and Jerry is too valuable to lose as Judiciary Chairman. Anyone who thinks Nancy Pelosi would give up the Speaker's gavel for a Cabinet position is out of their minds.

I almost included Jennifer Granholm as HUD Secretary or Trade Representative, but I'm not sure she'd want either. I'd also love to see Cecile Richards get a post, too, but if it's not HUD, I don't know what she'd want. She's brilliant and has more energy than a nuclear power plant, but I don't know if she'd be OK with the restrictions of a Cabinet post.

[RussellCattle]

4. What, no cabinet post for John P. Wintergreen! I've read his policy...

...positions and he would be perfect for Homeland Security.
Seriously, this would be a great list. These agencies would be
rejuvenated and energized to go do their jobs as the law intended.
I remember when JFK was naming his cabinet over a few weeks
after the election. They called them "the best and the brightest" at
the time because they were new fresh faces with new ideas. How about
ambassadors? It would be nice to see professional diplomats in these
positions, rather than big donors. At least people who speak the
local language.

[DFW]

14. Someone should ask if Joe Biden likes corn muffins!

And I do SO agree about the diplomatic corps, in essence so devastated by the Trumpanzees as to have neutered our foreign policy worse than fifty Russian cruise missiles extinguishing the State Department.

I would imagine that less than ten per cent of all countries' ambassadors to the USA do not speak English. I would also imagine that not more than ten per cent of all American ambassadors to other countries are even conversational in the languages of the countries where they are posted.


As a matter of fact, I was casually asked if I was at all interested in Ambassador to Germany under a Hillary Clinton administration, but that never got beyond the "casual inquiry" stage--unfortunately! I'm not sure I would have gotten the chance to contemplate it anyway, but my German is fluent. My wife and I speak German at home (she is German), but it would have involved moving from Düsseldorf to Berlin, and she probably would have nixed that. If Catalunya ever breaks from Spain during a Democratic administration, I WOULD consider moving to Barcelona, since I also speak Catalan, and adore that city!

[panader0]

5. The Democrats certainly have an abundance of good choices.

I too have been contemplating the cabinet. I like your choices, although I didn't see Warren's name in there and thought she might fit the Treasury Department well.
My only concern is that the Democrats would be losing many seats if we put
so many current congress critters ( or Governor in Inslee's case).

[DFW]

15. I have several reasons for not including Warren

First of all, the governor of Massachusetts is currently a Republican. We can't upset the balance of the Senate worse than it is, and we can't count on a Republican governor to appoint an interim Democrat. Second, she was one of the Democratic Senators who fell for the Republican scam that felled Al Franken, and I refuse to include any presidential candidates who were part of that crowd (see my comments on that on my post #13).

I would hope, on the other hand, that Jay Inslee (e.g.) would be replaced by another Democrat with at least as much in the way of liberal and environmental credentials as Jay has.

[guillaumeb]

6. AOC for Energy. eom

[Fresh_Start]

7. Yates for AG

Sanders for Labor
UN Ambassador HR Clinton

[jmowreader]

8. I'll try that

Justice: Patrick Fitzgerald
Defense: Wes Clark would work, but I’d prefer either Peter Schoomaker or Paul Menoher
UN Ambassador: Hillary Clinton
Agriculture: the dean of the School of Agriculture at Texas A&M
Labor: the president of AFL-CIO
Transportation: split this into the Department of Aviation and the Department of Surface Transportation. Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, can be aviation secretary. Deborah A.P. Hersman can run the surface agency.
HHS: Jen Gunter
Treasury: Paul Krugman
State: the governor of California, whoever that may be
Energy: how about the head of GE’s wind turbine unit?
Commerce: Mary Barra

[DFW]

16. Actually, the notion of Krugman at Treasury is very appealing

Not only someone who knows the subject inside and out, but is benevolent as well! Good choice!

[Sneederbunk]

9. Counting chickens.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. I guess I'll bookmark your post just to see how things play out!

Good list, though. More women would be good. I'm sure you'll revise it as time passes.......

[DFW]

17. Revisions are a given, you're right

I was careful to say that it was only THIS week's list!

[FakeNoose]

11. I have a different suggestion for Secretary of State

Barack Obama

[DFW]

18. I considered that. UN ambassador, too.

I just don't think he'd be in the slightest bit interested. That is the ONLY reason I didn't include him in my speculative cabinet.

On the other hand, he and Biden WERE quite close, and if Biden made it to the Oval Office, and the call came, Obama might find himself hard put to refuse..........

[Hekate]

12. Great list -- more women! The talent pool is deep.

[DFW]

19. I hear you.

Actually, I was gender neutral when thinking up my first list. Jennifer Granholm was an afterthought, but she is extremely talented. So is Cecile, but she is a personal acquaintance, too, and I didn't want to let myself be too swayed by that. It's difficult enough to exclude Booker, Harris, Sanders and Warren (Gillibrand was easier, as I don't think she brings anything to the table). But I remain steadfast there--if they were gullible enough to fall for the Republican scam that led them to publicly call for AlFranken's resignation, and not big enough to publicly apologize afterward, then I am just not interested in giving them cabinet positions in a Democratic government. In Warren's case, that goes double, as the current governor of Massachusetts is a Republican.