Biden Cabinet pick thread

Looks good to me:

• Secretary of State: Tony Blinken
• National Security adviser: Jake Sullivan
• Director of National Intelligence: Avril Haines
• Department of Homeland Security Secretary: Alejandro Mayorkas
• U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Linda Thomas-Greenfield
• Special presidential envoy on climate: John Kerry

 

Blinken is a former Deputy Secretary of State, the number two job which required senate confirmation. I really like this choice. He has the experience at State to repair some of enormous damage done by Pompeo and his wife Marie Antoinette, and Tillerson before that. He is also well known and respected abroad.

Yellen will go into the job with extraordinary experience.

 

Seems to me that his main criteria is background and experience.

Tony Blinken (SoS): NSC Staff under Clinton; Senate Foreign Relations staffer during the 2000s; VP NSA and then Deputy Secretary of State under Obama.
Jake Sullivan (NSA): VP NSA under Obama (replaced Blinken), Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Public Policy at State Department
Avril Haines (DNI): Former CIA Deputy Director
Alejandro Mayorkas (Secretary of DHS): US Attorney, Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Deputy Director of DHS.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield (Ambassador to UN): Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration; Ambassador to Liberia; Director General of the Foreign Service; Director of Human Resources at the State Department
John Kerry (Climate Change Envoy): Negotiated Paris Accord for the US as Secretary of State.
Janet Yellen (Treasury): Top academic positions in Economics; Council of Economic Advisors under Clinton; President of Fed Reserve Board of San Francisco; Vice Chair of the Fed; Fed Chair.

 

What a concept.

 

Amazing that Rex Tillerson is possibly the “best” of that whole four years.

 

What happened to Susan Rice for Secretary of State? Did she not want it or was Biden not prepared to fight for her confirmation?

 

At State Department. Some of Trumps initial national security picks weren’t terrible, if only because they were conventional Republican picks. Once those type people left, almost invariably the crazies moved in.

Tillerson was unaccomplished as SoS and likely out of his element, even though in theory he had great international business experience. But I guess in the end he meant well. Pompeo was a straight up political crook, like his boss pretty much every move was for personal political leverage over the national interest (or perhaps became deluded into thinking they were one in the same). I would have actually had pegged him as having some integrity and been a stable upgrade over Tillerson. Nope. Pure Trump lackey.

 

Ha.

In fairness, experience is only one of many factors that may be indicative of efficacy in such a position. I mean, at this point, Will Muschamp has a lot of experience as a college football head coach.

 

Pretty sure highly partisan people won’t be in the cabinet. Biden seems to be a very good administrator so far. Maybe not the crowd raiser but he is making good decisions from how he responds to Trumps nuttiness to his picks. I’m impressed.

 

Funny stuff and you are correct, it is just one factor. But it is a good starting point. It’s better than just putting relatives, sycophants and dog breeders into key positions.

 

I’m impressed so far. The only thing that scares me a bit is former Clinton foreign policy aids. As long as they aren’t interventionists like their former boss I could really get into these govern from the center picks.

 

Well I’m certainly not going to defend his actual choices. I’m just saying that their lack of experience was among the least egregious of their red flags.

 

Probably wanted to avoid a confirmation fight. Also I don't think that Tony Blinken should be considered a backup considering that Biden has had a very long personal relationship with him. He could have selected Susan Rice as his National Security Advisor since that position doesn't require Senate confirmation.

 

Markets like her too... more free money

 

She had Benghazi noose on her neck and would have been a huge nomination distraction, especially if Republicans hold Senate.

 

Biden Chooses Antony Blinken, Defender of Global Alliances, as Secretary of State

A. Blinken

 

biden is picking his VP team from the Obama years. And pros.