The Way Too Early Biden Cabinet Picks
Could Joe Biden be accused of over-confidence in picking his cabinet now? Maybe. That’s why I’m doing it for him. He’s busy with other things. But if I’m right-or nearly right, maybe there’s a position for me in a Biden administration? Director of Plausible Scenarios sounds nice. Give me a West Wing office and $180K a year and I’m there. This post will serve as my William Barr-inspired job audition!
Secretary of Treasury-Elizabeth Warren
She’s whip smart and will focus on the consumer instead of enabling the big banks. Wall Street won’t be on board but they’ll get over it because this is about Main Street. Warren is passionate, some say to a fault, but a nice change from the mechanically weird Trumpist, Steve Mnuchin. Plus, Warren is a name Americans can spell.
Secretary of State-Dr. Susan Rice
Biden needs someone at State that he knows and trusts and Rice fits the bill and then some. A foreign policy (and defense and intelligence) expert, Rice will IMMEDIATELY serve notice to Putin that any more fucking around globally or in American politics will not be tolerated.
She’ll also right the ship with our allies as the world breathes a sigh of relief. This is a pick Wall Street will love. The Russians and Saudis-not so much. No love letters will be exchanged with the almost dead leader of North Korea either.
Secretary of Defense-Admiral William McRaven
You can’t get much more solid than this. McRaven is a former Navy Seal and commanded the Bin Laden raid. He knows Biden and will not be afraid to tell him what’s up when he needs to hear what’s up. I imagine the Admiral has some thoughts on how to handle Russian bounties on our troops in Afghanistan too.
CIA Director-Jeremy Bash
The former chief of staff at both CIA and the Pentagon as well as chief counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, he knows his way around Washington and understands the global threats the US faces now and likely in the future
An eloquent and savvy presence on the cable networks Bash would continue the theme of instilling confidence in our most important institutions. He’ll also have an open door to relay critical information to the president and with Biden he’ll have someone who will actually listen.
FBI Director -Preet Bharara
Bharara served 8 years as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York before he was fired two days after Trump asked him to stay on. This would be a nice fuck you to Trump and while Chris Wray has done an admirable job it is time for a change. Bharara brings credibility and confidence to a shell-shocked organization.
Attorney General-Sally Yates
As a former Deputy Attorney General, Yates stuck her neck out and warned the White House about Flynn and the Russians and was fired for it. Again, another pick that will INSTANTLY restore confidence and morale at a bedrock institution of American democracy.
Director of National Intelligence-Tony Blinken
Who? Don’t worry. I’ve done my homework so you don’t have to. Blinken served as deputy DNI in the Obama administration. Another comfort pick for Biden in a set it and forget it position. Blinken knows his stuff and will give Biden the unvarnished truth. He’ll even be allowed to talk about Russia. Yes, really.
National Security Advisor-Dr.Fiona Hill
She warned us of the Ukrainian “drug deal” that Mick Mulvaney and Rudy Giuliani were cooking up and unlike her cowardly boss, John Bolton, she put herself on the line and forcefully defended American interests when she testified before the House.
Bolton refused to testify, choosing to release a book that nobody bought. Hill is a Russian expert and solid as the day is long and she’ll have a West Wing office just steps away from the Oval.
Despite the fact that China is also a threat, they don’t have 30 divisions poised on the Fulda gap ready to overrun Europe. Putin needs to be dealt with now and “bigly”. Hill doesn’t take any shit from the Russians, or anyone else.
Director of Housing and Urban Development-Pete Buttigieg
Do we really need a piano-playing Harvard grad and former Navy combat veteran who speaks 7 languages, worked as an analyst for McKinsey and is the current mayor of South Bend, Indiana heading up HUD? Short answer: Yes.
Mayor Pete may be young but he’s a quick study and a strategic thinker with a global perspective. Plus, does he really want to stay in South Bend and fix potholes for four more years?
Taking over for the somnambulant Ben Carson will be literally a wake up call for a department that has been sleepwalking the past 3 years.
EPA Director-Heather McTeer Toney
Biden goes with sanity and science in choosing HMT to lead the EPA. A former regional EPA director under President Obama she is a strong advocate for the environment and for some reason has no ties to special interests. Amazing.
A grassroots organizer with a law degree from Tulane, she was the first female, first African/American and youngest mayor of Greenville, Mississippi.
In an odd twist we’ll have an EPA director in Toney who’s mission is to protect the environment instead of taking bribes to destroy it.
Director of Health and Human Services-William “Bill” Gates
This is the first of my out of left field picks but hear me out before you tell me how much you hate Windows 10 (I agree by the way). If ever existed an agency that people didn’t know existed or even cared about if they did know it existed it’s HHS. Not anymore.
Covid19 has changed everything and now health and human services is on everyone’s mind. It’s also an agency that is in critical need of a technology upgrade.
Gates has managed a complex, global organization, is one of the world’s leading thinkers and a visionary who’s main purpose now is giving away billions of his own dollars to good causes.
He predicted this pandemic 5 years before it hit and this would be a home run choice to run an agency that needs an across the board upgrade. Put great minds to work solving big problems. He could work from home in Seattle with help from his dog. Done deal.
Chief of Staff-Ron Klain
This is the second most important position in Washington and Klain has been there and done it well. He was chief of staff for two veeps, Al Gore and Biden, as well as the chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He also served as President Clinton’s judicial nominee advisor for Supreme Court picks and to top it off was the Ebola Czar under Obama.
Klain will make sure the administration runs smoothly and Biden stays on track. This sounds strange but that’s how it’s supposed to work. Look for him to be heavily involved in crafting a national coronavirus strategy too.
On the other hand….
Trump’s current chief of staff, Mark Meadows lied about graduating from college, traffics in conspiracy theories and was the 27th choice for a job no one else wanted, and about the only thing he coordinates is making sure his tie doesn’t look better than Trump’s. That could get you fired.
Press Secretary-Heather McGhee
Heather McGee graduated from Yale and Berkley law, has a background in creative writing and is the former president of Demos, a non-profit think tank. A frequent and articulate panelist on cable news and the Sunday talk shows McGhee would make daily news briefings and press conferences informative. I know that Sean Spicer and The Huckabee are tough acts to follow but I think McGee will be fine.
United Nations Ambassador-Nicolle Wallace
Here’s the second of the left field picks but this one is from shallow left field.
For the UN post I’m going with MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, a reformed Republican. She is smart, telegenic, passionate about American ideals and would be a strong advocate for policies such as reduction in global warming, income inequality, Chinese intellectual property theft and she’s a Russia hawk from back in her days in the Bush administration. She also had to manage Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign so dealing with difficult personalities is nothing new.
She just signed a new contract with MSNBC but my guess is she might be a little burned out doing two hours a day psychoanalyzing Trump.
The UN post keeps her in New York and she could always return to cable afterward. UN Ambassador looks good on a resume too. I’ll call her and see if I can make it happen.
Disclaimer: I fell in love with Nicolle when she encouraged Jeb Bush to punch Donald Trump in the face during the 2016 primary debates.
Summary
You might not agree with these picks but you have to admit it is a plausible scenario and if Biden were presented with these options who’s to say he wouldn’t just sign off and be done with it? Who would you like to see in a Biden administration?
