Biden could create a Cabinet of qualified men and women. What a concept. (Jennifer Rubin, WaPo)

[highplainsdem]

Rubin column about Biden saying during a virtual fundraiser last night that he might name some Cabinet secretaries during the race:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/17/cabinet-qualified-men-women/

-snip-

There is a lot to unpack there. Let’s start with naming Cabinet positions during the campaign. It’s a dicey proposition because you do not want to wind up with an unfavorable assessment, let alone a scandal, involving someone who doesn’t need to be named for months. Moreover, events and issues can shift over time, thereby favoring someone different in the role than you initially had in mind.

That said, in some instances the contrast with President Trump’s crew of third-rate, ethically challenged cronies would be great enough to provide incentive for unveiling them before the election. Imagine saying, for example, that instead of Attorney General William P. Barr — who has misled the public on the Mueller report, refused to recuse himself from the Ukraine investigation, propagated a dangerous view of executive power and acted like Trump’s personal lawyer — Biden named former U.S. attorney for the Southern District Preet Bharara or former acting attorney general Sally Yates.

-snip-

Biden could, however, make news and make a point in other ways without naming specific individuals to Cabinet posts. Some would be no-brainers designed to critique Trump’s egregiously compromised and conflicted appointees in top positions: The head of the Environmental Protection Agency must understand climate change science; no oil, coal, gas or lumber executives heading up the Interior Department; and no relatives working in the White House. Biden also could pledge that all Cabinet officials will sell or put stocks and other financial holdings in a blind trust.

-snip-


Biden would show he will bring competent, ethical people into government. If he does not want to name particular individuals, he surely could make a list of the egregious personnel traits and backgrounds that would be unwelcome in his administration. Best of all, he could promise never to go around the table at a Cabinet meeting to receive praise as if he were some tin-pot dictator. That might be reason enough to vote for him.

[beachbumbob]

1. Biden would have a great start by drawing from the former democratic candidate pool

If Harris isn't his VP she be a great AG,

[gibraltar72]

2. he needs to name his core group right now.

[gratuitous]

4. I disagree

Biden has a respite during this national time out. The good qualities of anyone he names will quickly fade from the public eye, and the opposition machine will get a lot of open field to yammer about anyone he names. The yammering won't be aimed at the likes of you and me, but it will penetrate deep into the skulls of the True Believers, and eventually leach into the more respectable corners of the media. Then we get to spend weeks and months explaining why so-and-so isn't a socialist or a foreign agent or whatever other wild stories can be concocted.

I think the slow roll is a better strategy right now, and just reiterating that Biden is putting together his transition team is a good start. Let it percolate into the public consciousness that Biden is preparing to win in November. Get the public used to that idea between now and, say, the middle of May.

[gibraltar72]

6. Ok that's what we do here.

I personally think the contrast to what we've got now would be helpful. Especially in key positions. I'm not sure any part of what we're doing is anywhere near normal.

[roamer65]

3. Smart idea.

I would ask Timothy Geithner to come back as Treasury Sec.

He has experience since he was in the job from 2009-2012.

He’s a nice person, too. I sent him a dollar bill to be autographed and he actually did it and sent it back.

[NewJeffCT]

5. I posted on this the other day...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213285350

[judeling]

7. Biden was a bit more subtle

He said he would may name candidates for the cabinet.

What that would probably mean is that he would have more them one surrogate out for broad policy areas. This is particularly important with serving politicians.

So you will see people like Goolsbee and Furman out with Warren and maybe Porter and a couple of others commenting on economics, Harris and Yates out with justice, etc.

Once the VP pick is over this will allow him to keep the party together by having a chorus of voices across the range of the party with even some singing counterpoint.

[Talitha]

8. Joe should keep that list under his hat till he's in office.

Because the fucking orange lunatic in the White House has a base that just might put them on a hit list. IMO it's better to wait - so they can be given security protection.