I have thought with interest who would be strong nominees for an Obama cabinet. Here’s a few that I feel would be best:
Attorney General – Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
Secretary of State – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
Secretary of Interior – Soon to be Former Utah Congressman Chris Cannon, Arizona Congressman Trent Franks (another open seat in Dem hands), or Sen. Gordon Smith (if he is defeated)
Secretary of Agriculture – Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsak
Secretary of Transportation – Port Authority of NY/NJ Vice-Chairman Henry Silverman.
Secretary of Health and Human Services – Minnesota Dept. of Health Commissioner Dr. Sanne Magnan
Secretary of Education – Montgomery County (MD) Supt. of Schools Jerry Weast or Prince George’s County (MD) Supt. of Schools Dr. John Deasy (both are large school districts and consistently have the highest graduation rates for African-American and Latino students in the nation).
Secretary of Defense – Senator Chuck Hagel
Secretary of the Treasury – New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine
Secretary of Commerce – Congresswoman Jane Harman or Former US Senator John Breaux
Secretary of Labor – Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Svcs. Director Helen Jones-Kelley or Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Secretary Roberta Gassman.
Secretary of HUD – Boston mayor Thomas Menino
Secretary of Energy – California Energy Vice-Chair Commissioner James Boyd or Commissioner Arthur Rosenfeld.
Secretary of Homeland Security – Former NYPD & Boston Police Commissioner/Current LAPD Chief of Police William Bratton or Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs – Congressman John Murtha or Illinois Dept. of VA Director/Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth.
**Note that all of these individuals come from the Northeast, Midwest, or West. Unfortunately, the South continues to be last in Education and Health (therefore it would be ridiculous to choose someone from there as has been done in the past two administrations).
Also, for Housing it should be a nominee from an area where housing costs are fairly high. Transportation should be based on where there is infrastructure of all aspects (ports, bridges, airports, etc). Interior has traditionally come from the West and Energy also makes more sense for the West.
In the end however, I believe that qualifications, not diversity should be the determining factor in creating a sensible cabinet.
Which individuals would you nominate for these positions or which one’s do you not agree with?