Biden's cabinet picks.

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Little Raven
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Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by Little Raven »

Surprised we don't have a thread on this yet. Here's a handy list.

It's a list pretty much designed to make any Progressive cry - full to bursting with well-connected technocrats. On the plus side, we should all be able to go back to brunch for 4 years, if their resumes are anything to go off of.

The most controversial of the bunch is probably Lloyd Austin, although it's mostly centrists that I've seen unhappy with his selection. He definitely signals a pullback on civilian control of the military, which I'm not sure I entirely approve of. But I can't imagine that significant numbers of Democrats are willing to go against Biden on this, and I certainly can't see many Republicans voting against him, so I assume he'll get his waiver without much difficulty.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by El Guapo »

Little Raven wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:13 pm Surprised we don't have a thread on this yet. Here's a handy list.

It's a list pretty much designed to make any Progressive cry - full to bursting with well-connected technocrats. On the plus side, we should all be able to go back to brunch for 4 years, if their resumes are anything to go off of.

The most controversial of the bunch is probably Lloyd Austin, although it's mostly centrists that I've seen unhappy with his selection. He definitely signals a pullback on civilian control of the military, which I'm not sure I entirely approve of. But I can't imagine that significant numbers of Democrats are willing to go against Biden on this, and I certainly can't see many Republicans voting against him, so I assume he'll get his waiver without much difficulty.
I have one far left Bernie / Tulsi relative on my FB feed, and he was posting approvingly of Austin, based upon a Youtube clip where he sparred with McCain about not recommending a no-fly zone or a military buffer zone for refugees in Syria. I thought that was interesting, since he's a firm pacifist seemingly happy with the pick of a general.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by Kraken »

Although I consider myself progressive -- sometimes a little left of Karl Marx -- I am just delighted to see well-educated, expert professionals taking control. There is so much damage that needs immediate repair, and we are still so deeply in crisis, that just getting back to normal will count as progress. We can work on making a new, better normalcy after the fires are out.

The reality is that we're going to be facing either a hostile Senate or one that's effectively tied. Bold ideas aren't going anywhere in that environment. So yeah...bring on the technocrats.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by RunningMn9 »

Austin won’t be the SecDef. They would have to suspend the law again in order for him to serve, and the Senate isn’t going to do that, nor should they. The SecDef shouldn’t be a recently retired general.

Mattis shouldn’t have been SecDef and neither should Austin (and Kelly and McMaster shouldn’t have been in their roles either). It all undermines the principle of civilian control of the military.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by malchior »

I think this is a great pick and hope this is one of those areas that the Biden administration can try to pick inroads into comity with the GOP.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by Defiant »

IIUC, he's got some experience in logistics, so I would think it's a good pick (or at least reasonable). Plus I like the guy.

He won't, however, be the first openly gay cabinet member - there was an openly gay acting Director of National Intelligence for a few months earlier this year.
Last edited by Defiant on Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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If you listen to some super liberal people I know, this is a terrible pick. But they hate everything Biden is doing so far so....
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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pr0ner wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:44 pm If you listen to some super liberal populist left people I know, this is a terrible pick. But they hate everything Biden is doing so far so....
Yeah - he worked for McKinsey...blah blah blah. The horror. McKinsey did do some shady stuff but its a big firm and all the big firms have skeletons. It is inevitable in today's business climate.

More important was he was one of the few candidates with a tangible infrastructure plan. Putting him in commerce or transportation makes perfect sense for that reason.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by Holman »

Pete seems precisely the wonky, detail-oriented type you'd want in a role like Transportation.

I think he ultimately belongs in the Senate, so this could be a stepping stone to that. He can plausibly move anywhere and run for its seat after holding a cabinet post.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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malchior wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:56 pm
pr0ner wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:44 pm If you listen to some super liberal populist left people I know, this is a terrible pick. But they hate everything Biden is doing so far so....
Yeah - he worked for McKinsey...blah blah blah. The horror. McKinsey did do some shady stuff but its a big firm and all the big firms have skeletons. It is inevitable in today's business climate.

More important was he was one of the few candidates with a tangible infrastructure plan. Putting him in commerce or transportation makes perfect sense for that reason.
Oh, I have no issues at all with Pete being Transportation Secretary. But if you listen to those anti-Biden people, they think anything he does is bad, and the Republicans are going to rout Democrats in 2022 because of it. There may be no placating them.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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pr0ner wrote: Wed Dec 16, 2020 12:31 am
malchior wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:56 pm
pr0ner wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:44 pm If you listen to some super liberal populist left people I know, this is a terrible pick. But they hate everything Biden is doing so far so....
Yeah - he worked for McKinsey...blah blah blah. The horror. McKinsey did do some shady stuff but its a big firm and all the big firms have skeletons. It is inevitable in today's business climate.

More important was he was one of the few candidates with a tangible infrastructure plan. Putting him in commerce or transportation makes perfect sense for that reason.
Oh, I have no issues at all with Pete being Transportation Secretary. But if you listen to those anti-Biden people, they think anything he does is bad, and the Republicans are going to rout Democrats in 2022 because of it. There may be no placating them.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by malchior »

pr0ner wrote: Wed Dec 16, 2020 12:31 am
malchior wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:56 pm
pr0ner wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:44 pm If you listen to some super liberal populist left people I know, this is a terrible pick. But they hate everything Biden is doing so far so....
Yeah - he worked for McKinsey...blah blah blah. The horror. McKinsey did do some shady stuff but its a big firm and all the big firms have skeletons. It is inevitable in today's business climate.

More important was he was one of the few candidates with a tangible infrastructure plan. Putting him in commerce or transportation makes perfect sense for that reason.
Oh, I have no issues at all with Pete being Transportation Secretary. But if you listen to those anti-Biden people, they think anything he does is bad, and the Republicans are going to rout Democrats in 2022 because of it. There may be no placating them.
That has been my suspicion and is a long-term risk for our Democracy. Biden needs them and so far the Democratic party leadership hasn't figured out how to treat with them. I just spent about an hour dipping into their feeds and from what I am seeing they are already pretty angry about all the cabinet picks. However, what is more telling is that they are watching the COVID aid talks closely and that might end up being a major fracture point for the progressives. We shall see tomorrow/Thursday most likely as a deal is hammered out. The signs sound like it will be grossly insufficient on the fundamentals but also leave out things the progressives are agitating for such as direct payments.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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malchior wrote: Wed Dec 16, 2020 2:29 am
pr0ner wrote: Wed Dec 16, 2020 12:31 am
malchior wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:56 pm
pr0ner wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:44 pm If you listen to some super liberal populist left people I know, this is a terrible pick. But they hate everything Biden is doing so far so....
Yeah - he worked for McKinsey...blah blah blah. The horror. McKinsey did do some shady stuff but its a big firm and all the big firms have skeletons. It is inevitable in today's business climate.

More important was he was one of the few candidates with a tangible infrastructure plan. Putting him in commerce or transportation makes perfect sense for that reason.
Oh, I have no issues at all with Pete being Transportation Secretary. But if you listen to those anti-Biden people, they think anything he does is bad, and the Republicans are going to rout Democrats in 2022 because of it. There may be no placating them.
That has been my suspicion and is a long-term risk for our Democracy. Biden needs them and so far the Democratic party leadership hasn't figured out how to treat with them. I just spent about an hour dipping into their feeds and from what I am seeing they are already pretty angry about all the cabinet picks. However, what is more telling is that they are watching the COVID aid talks closely and that might end up being a major fracture point for the progressives. We shall see tomorrow/Thursday most likely as a deal is hammered out. The signs sound like it will be grossly insufficient on the fundamentals but also leave out things the progressives are agitating for such as direct payments.
FWIW the one far left Bernie / Tulsi person on my Facebook feed, that I use as a bellweather for all progressive opinion, likes the Buttigieg pick, along with Granholm for Energy Secretary, for supporting good climate change policies.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by LordMortis »

While not in the same class as Snyder, Granholm was a terrible governor. I would not put her in charge of anything. Ironically, Whitmer isn't terrible, and while she's made a few really bad decisions that will haunt her tenure (see her relationship with road taxes vs road funding), to date she's been the best governor of my politically aware lifetime (beginning with Blanchard), and she's been so in tumultuous times.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by Holman »

Bloomberg is reporting that Biden plans to appoint Merrick Garland as Attorney General.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by ImLawBoy »

That's probably less of a concern with the Ds controlling the Senate.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by El Guapo »

Holman wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:25 pm Bloomberg is reporting that Biden plans to appoint Merrick Garland as Attorney General.
Yeah, what I read, which is based on the assumption that Warnock and Ossoff win, is that Garland becomes AG, then Biden appoints Judge Jackson (can't remember her first name, but is a D.C. federal district judge) to replace Garland on the DC Circuit. Then Jackson will get appointed to replace Breyer when he retires, presumably in 2022.

Seems like a lot of moves, but otherwise seems fine.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by malchior »

ImLawBoy wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:29 pm That's probably less of a concern with the Ds controlling the Senate.
Hence the wait until this morning. It is a more than welcome sign there is some strategic thinking going on. :)
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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Austin confirmed as Sec of Def. What's up next?
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

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Relocated from Political Randomness, to the correct location.

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Vocals and Lyrics by Dessa
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Now let’s let her settle in
And lift up your mojitos —
'Cause she manages the mint
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by Jaymann »

I like the cut of this Austin fellow's jib:
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He just nuked them all and is starting from scratch.

They played games appointing completely unqualified hacks like Lewandowski and got wiped out.
Quote Tweet
Dave Brown
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NEW: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has removed all members from the Pentagon's advisory boards in a sweeping effort to oust a series of last-minute appointees by former President Donald Trump.
This is how the Democrats should act.
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Re: Biden's cabinet picks.

Post by El Guapo »

Jaymann wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 4:43 pm I like the cut of this Austin fellow's jib:
Fred Wellman
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He just nuked them all and is starting from scratch.

They played games appointing completely unqualified hacks like Lewandowski and got wiped out.
Quote Tweet
Dave Brown
@dave_brown24

NEW: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has removed all members from the Pentagon's advisory boards in a sweeping effort to oust a series of last-minute appointees by former President Donald Trump.
This is how the Democrats should act.
It's consistent with Biden's approach in general. They've been aggressive about pushing out the folks that Trump tried to embed.
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