Jump to content
THE BROWNS BOARD

Obama staff and Cabinet - POLITICO

OconRecon

By OconRecon
in POLITICAL DISCUSSION

Recommended Posts

OconRecon Newbie

OconRecon

Posted
Posted

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/15142.html

 

White House chief of staff: Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.); Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.); or dark horse candidate Bill Daley, commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton and now an executive with JPMorgan Chase & Co.

 

Deputy chief of staff: Pete Rouse, chief of staff in Obama's Senate office; Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore; longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett; Jim Messina, campaign chief of staff

 

Senior adviser: David Plouffe, David Axelrod, Steve Hildebrand

 

Outside adviser: Abner Mikva

 

Ambassador at large on climate change: former Vice President Al Gore

 

National security adviser: Jim Steinberg, the deputy under Clinton; Gregory Craig, special counsel to Clinton; Susan Rice; retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni; Samantha Power of Harvard’s Kennedy School

 

White House counsel: Bob Bauer, campaign counsel; Chris Lu, Obama legislative director and member of transition staff; Heather Higginbottom, campaign senior policy strategist and longtime aide to Sen. John F. Kerry; Mike Strautmanis, congressional affairs for campaign and former chief counsel in Senate office

 

Chief of staff to the vice president: Tony Blinken, chief of staff, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Biden is chairman) and senior campaign adviser for Biden; Stephanie Cutter; former Biden aides Mark Gittenstein, Alan Hoffman and Ted Kaufman

 

Chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama: Alyssa Mastromonaco, campaign director of scheduling and advance; Melissa Winter; Linda Douglass, senior spokeswoman for campaign

 

Counselor: Robert Gibbs, Anita Dunn, Valerie Jarrett, Jon Favreau

 

Communications director: Robert Gibbs; Dan Pfeiffer, who has that post in the campaign

 

Deputy communications director: Josh Earnest

 

Press secretary: Robert Gibbs, Linda Douglass, Bill Burton, Stephanie Cutter

 

Director of media affairs (regional and specialty media): Blake Zeff

 

Speechwriting director: Jon Favreau, Jeff Nussbaum

 

Deputy press secretary: Karen Dunn, currently Axelrod’s deputy

 

Press staff morale chief: Tommy Vietor

 

Assistant press secretary: Isaac Baker, Reid Cherlin, Ben LaBolt, Moira Mack, Hari Sevugan, Nick Shapiro

 

Press secretary to the first lady: Katie McCormick Lelyveld

 

White House economic adviser: Austan Goolsbee, senior policy adviser to campaign and University of Chicago economics professor; Jason Furman, director of economic policy for the campaign; Michael Froman, former Treasury chief of staff, Citigroup executive and Harvard Law classmate of Obama

 

Domestic policy adviser: Heather Higginbottom, Jason Furman, Neera Tanden

 

Director of scheduling: Marvin Nicholson

 

Personal aide: Reggie Love

 

Cabinet secretary: Christine Varney, who held that post under Clinton

 

White House staff secretary: Cassandra Butts

 

Director of legislative affairs: Chris Lu, Mike Strautmanis

 

Political director: Erik Smith

 

Defense secretary : Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.); Richard Danzig, Navy secretary under Clinton; John Hamre, president and CEO of CSIS and former deputy secretary of defense; President Bush’s incumbent, Robert Gates — would be for at least a year so he wasn’t a lame duck

 

Attorney general: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine; Eric Holder, who was deputy AG under Clinton and is now with Covington & Burling and led Obama’s vice presidential search; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano

 

Supreme Court nominee: Washington superlawyer Robert Barnett; legal scholar Cass Sunstein; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York; Elena Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School. Consensus is it would most likely be a woman.

 

Secretary of State: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.); Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)

 

Deputy secretary of State: Gregory Craig

 

Director of State Department policy planning (internal think tank): Samantha Power

 

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice, senior campaign national security adviser and State Department and National Security Council official under Clinton; Caroline Kennedy

 

Treasury secretary: Former Clinton treasury secretaries Larry Summers and Robert Rubin; FDIC Chairwoman Sheila C. Blair; New York Fed President Timothy Geithner, former Treasury under secretary and assistant secretary; former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker

 

Deputy Treasury secretary: Jake Siewert

 

Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle; Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a physician; John Kitzhaber, doctor and former Oregon governor

 

Health care czar in White House: Tom Daschle

 

Education secretary: David Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma and former U.S. senator and former Sooner State governor; Former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean ®, who was chairman of the 9/11 Commission; Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.)

 

Environmental Protection Agency administrator: Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.); Kathleen McGinty, former head of the Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Agency

 

Commerce secretary: Penny Pritzker, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

 

Homeland Security secretary: Former Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.); William Bratton, Los Angeles police chief and former New York police commissioner; former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), a member of the 9/11 Commission; Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.); Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)

 

CIA director: Former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)

 

Director of national intelligence: Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)

 

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.)

 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.); Tammy Duckworth, the director of Illinois Veterans’ Affairs, Iraq veteran and former Democratic House candidate; Bush’s incumbent, James Peake

 

Secretary of the Interior: Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

 

Secretary of Energy: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ®, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.)

 

Secretary of Transportation: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.)

 

Secretary of Labor: Former Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.); Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union; Kay Hagan of North Carolina (if she loses her challenge to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole); Jeanne Shaheen, former New Hampshire governor (if she loses her challenge to U.S. Sen. John Sununu)

 

Secretary of Agriculture: Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.)

 

Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy: William Bratton

 

Director, Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (Obama's renamed faith-based office): Josh DuBois, campaign's director of religious affairs

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted

Lots of interesting stuff here.

 

One thing I noticed is that Dennis Ross's name doesn't appear anywhere. From what I've heard, he could end up becoming National Security Advisor. Obama likes his presentation skills, and his background as a negotiator between the Israelis & the Palestinians provides him with the MidEast knowledge our next NSA should have.

 

Also, Ross is not a Democratic partisan - he got his start working for James Baker, and the think thank he's affiliated with (The Washington Institute for Near East Policy) is relatively hawkish. So it'd be a good step for a president who claims he wants to establish a bipartisan consensus on foreign policy to name Dennis Ross as his NSA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OconRecon Newbie

OconRecon

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I like Arnold for Energy Secretary as well as any other moderate choice.

 

I've heard one of Obama's favorite books is "Team of Rivals" about how Lincoln chose campaign adversaries to be on his cabinet. Historically, widely reguarded as a brilliant move and would be the fist step of showing true bipartisanship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted
I like Arnold for Energy Secretary as well as any other moderate choice.
After this, I'm not too sure that'll happen.

 

But I agree that Obama should bring some moderate Republicans into his cabinet. Personally, I'm hoping that he asks Robert Gates to stay on as SecDef. It'd be great if Obama got the one competent member of the Bush Administration to continue to serve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted

John Judis has a good piece about who Obama should bring into his cabinet.

 

Here's a list of the names he mentions:

 

  • Robert Gates

[/*:m:23r209cp]

[*] Secretary of State: Richard Holbrooke (too hawkish for my tastes...)

[/*:m:23r209cp]

[*] UN Ambassador: Chuck Hagel

[/*:m:23r209cp]

[*] Attorney General: Hillary Clinton, Janet Napolitano (Both of these seem far-fetched to me)

[/*:m:23r209cp]

[*] Treasury Secretary: Larry Summers

[/*:m:23r209cp]

[*] EPA/Global Warming Czar: Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Susan Collins[/*:m:23r209cp]

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted

Fighting global warming should be a big part of Obama's agenda. There's a lot of talk about making the chairman of the EPA a cabinet-level official.

 

I like the idea of giving a Republican that position. There are rumors that Obama is considering naming members of the Kennedy family to key positions in his administration (RFK Jr. at EPA, Caroline Kennedy as UN Ambassador); I'd much prefer that Ahnold be the member of the Kennedy/Shriver family to get a job in the new administration.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
We need Tom Tupa Newbie

We need Tom Tupa

Posted
Posted
Fighting global warming should be a big part of Obama's agenda. There's a lot of talk about making the chairman of the EPA a cabinet-level official.

 

I like the idea of giving a Republican that position. There are rumors that Obama is considering naming members of the Kennedy family to key positions in his administration (RFK Jr. at EPA, Caroline Kennedy as UN Ambassador); I'd much prefer that Ahnold be the member of the Kennedy/Shriver family to get a job in the new administration.

Maybe he's hoping to avoid a showdown over health care with BigTed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ballpeen Experienced

ballpeen

Posted
Posted
Some good names and many I don't know....so who knows at this point...But Kerry for Secretary of State??

 

I don't know about that.

 

 

 

Also, why not Colin Powell?

 

Did I mention Powell??

 

I don't think Kerry is nearly sharp enough in that regard..

 

He was a shrimp....err... swift boat pilot in Vietnam

and then in state and national politics....I think you are a bit better off with someone who has been in international studies or has a fairly extensive military background. Simply being a Senator doesn't make you sharp in international studies...I would rather have the Harvard think tank type

 

Don't get me wrong...I am not saying Kerry is dumb...and don't get defensive over the shrimp boat comment...it is a joke that does apply...we can have some fun with this....no??...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ballpeen Experienced

ballpeen

Posted
Posted
>>EPA/Global Warming Czar:Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Susan Collins>>

 

Sorry, Al, but don't you think this is a Cabinet that need not exist?

 

 

Let's hope not...just another layer of phooey.

 

I am not against taking steps.....but you don't need another layer of government...what the hell does EPA do??

 

They can't call people together once a quarter at some swank hotel to discuss the matter??

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted

I'm also not too high on Kerry, though I'd definitely prefer him to Bill Richardson.

 

The reports of Kerry lobbying for the job surprised me a little. With Ted battling brain cancer, I assumed that Kerry wouldn't be willing to leave the senate without a senior voice from Massachusetts. Guess not.

 

If he does get the job, it'll be interesting to see if Barney Frank can get himself appointed to replace Kerry. I think not - the whole Fannie/Freddie mess really damaged his rep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted

Obama's cabinet is probably the most important political story right now, yet this thread keeps getting pushed back to the second page of the board...

 

Anyway, here's a great article on Obama's top two candidates for Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest mz.

Guest mz.

Posted
Posted
Anyway, here's a great article on Obama's top two candidates for Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner.

 

Not that I know Tim Geithner from Jim Gantner, but quiet confidence/intelligence seems to be the refreshing change we might need, government- and country-wise. Who isn't sick of brash, loud, blowhards?

 

He would do this thing: 'I'm not that good at math, I don't know anything about this but ...' and whack you with these awesome questions that made clear he understood the issue better than anyone in the room.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted
Not that I know Tim Geithner from Jim Gantner, but quiet confidence/intelligence seems to be the refreshing change we might need, government- and country-wise. Who isn't sick of brash, loud, blowhards?
I agree. The comparison Scheiber makes of Geithner to Obama was really interesting; it seems like they'd be a good team.
He would do this thing: 'I'm not that good at math, I don't know anything about this but ...' and whack you with these awesome questions that made clear he understood the issue better than anyone in the room.
I love that.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Aloysius

Guest Aloysius

Posted
Posted
Obama Leans Toward Asking Gates To Remain at Pentagon for a Year

 

By YOCHI J. DREAZEN

 

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Barack Obama is leaning toward asking Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain in his position for at least a year, according to two Obama advisers. A senior Pentagon official said Mr. Gates would likely accept the offer if it is made.

 

No final decision has been made, and Obama aides said other people are also under serious consideration for the defense post, one of the most highly coveted in any new cabinet. Several prominent Democrats, including former Clinton Navy Secretary Richard Danzig and former Clinton Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre, are also being considered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...