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Predicting Obama's Next Cabinet

Posted at 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2012

President Obama’s victory “means he will pivot almost immediately to shoring up the team of top aides and cabinet secretaries who will help him tackle the looming fiscal cliff negotiations with Republicans and the full legislative agenda to follow,” ABC News reports.

“While the president’s staffers have undergone some serious changes during his first term, his cabinet secretaries have remained remarkably stable. Several high-profile members are expected to step down from their roles in early 2013.”

The San Jose Mercury News looks at potential candidates for Obama’s next Cabinet, Supreme Court nomination, and top White House positions:

Secretary of State: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice

Treasury Secretary: Chief of Staff Jacob Lew, former Chief of Staff to President Clinton Erskine Bowles

Supreme Court: Federal Circuit Court judges Diane Wood, Merrick Garland, and Sidney Thomas, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano

Chief of Staff: Valerie Jarrett, Ron Klain

Attorney General: Janet Napolitano, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D)

56comments
Economy, Judiciary

Headlines

  • SanoSK

    Perhaps a strategic Republican or two from the House or Senate could open the way for a special election. Christie as head of FEMA? :)

    • Dave

      Head of FEMA is too low for a sitting governor. Homeland Secretary, yes, not not an agency head.

    • Anonymous

      I actually wonder if he’s gonna put Dick Lugar in at the state department.

      Susan Rice may’ve been set back by taking the lead on the Benghazi media response. But with democrats in the senate, she may pull it out.

  • http://www.facebook.com/leslie.k.thom Leslie Kofi Thom

    After Benghazi I think Senate Republicans would make it a point of emphasis to black any nomination of Susan Rice.

    • E_Grise

      If Harry has any sense he’ll oversee a change in the filibuster and anonymous hold rules so that Rs cannot indefinitely block presidential appointments.

      • Andy M.

        As much as I would like that, MUCH easier said than done! But, if he can snag Coburn, Corker, Collins, Alexander, Murkowski, and one other Republican, it is possible. Coburn might be the easiest, since he has pledged not to run again, and Collins next because of her natural bent, but no matter what, difficult no matter how you look at it.

        • E_Grise

          Nope. At the start of any new Congress the rules can be changed by a simple majority. Usually someobdy moves that the new Congress is an extension of the old. If that motion passes, the old rules apply. If it fails, a committee establishes new rules (which include filibusters and holds) and the new rules are passed by a simple majority.
          The thought would be not to eliminate the filibuster but to change it by (a) requiring actually speaking from the floor for its entire length, (b) reducing the threshold for cloture, and (c) for each failed cloture vote, reducing the threshold for cloture on the same issue after a delay of a few days.

  • NorthboroughDan

    Is the White House willing to give Kerry’s seat to Republican Scott Brown? Because that most likely would happen, if he leaves the senate. I think Kerry is stuck in his current job.

    • JR C

      If Kerry stays in the senate, Scott Brown is likely to run for governor. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the last of him.

      • NorthboroughDan

        I’m OK with Scott running for Governor. I think we could use more Massachusetts Republicans like Scott in our state government. Scott did not get my vote for one simple reason; he caucuses with Mitch McConnell. The Massachusetts Democratic Party has a problem…stale, hack leadership that make many nauseous. No one but Warren would have beat Brown.

        • TheDuke88

          As a Massachusetts Democrat, I could not agree more about the current makeup of the state party. My god is it gross.

        • Andy M.

          No, Vicky Kennedy could have beat Brown too.

      • Andy M.

        Did MA put in term limits after Dukakis, or is Patrick eligible to run again?

        • TheDuke88

          He is eligible but has already made clear he is not running.

  • refudiate

    Kerry will have to take a swift boat back to the Senate after Warren’s election. Rice, I agree, is not nominatable, fair or not. Need a fresh list there. That SCOTUS list is pretty bleak if it includes Napolitano: you can compromise on fiscal policy, but don’t be so “centrist” with the supreme frickin court, please!

    • dectra

      Hey, here’s an idea….let that hatred go, man. Just let it go…..

  • FreedomFries

    Susan Rice is qualified, but will be unfairly vilified over Libya/Benghazi.

    Erskine Bowles is doomed for many of his absurd deficit reductions recommendations during the the Simples Bowles debacle.

    Defense – Chuck Hagel ?

    Homeland – Bill Richardson

    I hope Obama doesn’t remove current senators/house members from congress to fill his cabinet. It is better to use retirees .

    • jwallace79

      Bowles is a complete non-starter. He wasn’t able to forge a fiscal consensus even with incredibly low expectations for the BS commission. I’m really curious who’s tossing his name into the ring – it will never happen.

    • Andy M.

      Bowles is far from doomed, he is universally respected, yes, even by Republicans. Hagel would be great for Defense, except that Leon Panetta is not likely going anywhere in the next year, after that, maybe. Richardson would be suitable for just about any cabinet agency, especially State, and in my mind, he is probably a better bet than Kerry, since Brown running for the other Senate seat is not terribly attractive for a whole bunch of reasons.

    • dectra

      Complementary disagree on Bowles. His plan will be the framework of the upcoming “Grand Bargain”

      And for what it’s worth, it’s Simpson Bowles, not Simples Bowles

    • Carney3

      Unfairly? She lied, or repeated lies. So she’s a liar or a dupe.

  • http://www.facebook.com/thomas.threlkeld.3 Thomas Threlkeld

    Could offer State to Dick Lugar. He’s out of a job, worked well with Obama on national security and no longer has any love for the GOP.

    • Starquest

      Let me think for a minute…umm, no. How about a Democrat.

      • Trivwhiz

        Stop and think about it, the level of critical comments by elected Republicans would go way down if Lugar was installed at State, and Lugar’s foreign policy views are quite similar to Obama’s views. It would be a firm repudiation of Republican extreme electorate.

        • dectra

          The smart republicans would agree with you, but the teabaggers already label him a RINO, so they’d probably have their heads explode if he was confirmed.

          • Carney3

            Using an obscene epithet to describe your political opponent says a lot about you.

          • dectra

            Sorry, sweetie. Nothing “obscene” in my post.

            The phrase “teabagger” is widely accepted as a directive of those who ascribe themselves as part of the “Tea Party” movement.

            Get your mind out of the gutter.

          • Carney3

            Liar.

    • cwlidz

      great idea. A way of showing collaboration and co-opting the center of the GOP

    • jwallace79

      If the political environment were different – maybe. But unlike 2008, the GOP did not earn a place at the table this time around. They just ran a disgusting, disgraceful national campaign, and I truly believe they have broadly disqualified themselves for executive appointments.

      • Lou McErlean

        That’s true, but Obama still has to point to things he’s doing/has done to refute the imminent BaggernutJob charges of failing to “reach across the aisle”.

        Not sure if Lugar’s right for SOS, but I think Obama needs to have a few GOPers in his cabinet, whether the party deserves it or not.

        • jwallace79

          I think in terms of bringing on loyal supporters, those who were willing to work with him even in the midst of this campaign, I’m willing to remain open-minded. Ray LaHood has been great at DOT. But elections absolutely must have consequences. Anyone associated with that freak show surrounding the Benghazi-obsessed fanatics are out. Unfortunately for Republicans, there weren’t many brave enough to stand up during Romney’s despicable pandering. Acceptable Republicans for executive appointments are among a thin herd, at best.

          • devil’s advocate

            Elections already have consequences..there is no need to be petty…Obama is very shrewd and will choose republicans if he feels it is best for his agenda/the nation….

          • jwallace79

            LOL.

          • Carney3

            Freak show? Fanatics? al Qaeda sacked our embassy, tore down our flag, and raised its own. Murdered our ambassador. Our men begged for help only an hour or so away, for hours and hours, rebuffed. Those who did go violated direct orders not to, and died. The White House knew almost immediately it was a terrorist attack but lied about it systematically for weeks, blaming an irrelevant video. The media downplayed and whitewashed the story. They’d have CRUCIFIED Bush over this, especially jetting off to a Vegas fundraiser the next day. But since it’s a D, we’re all too cool to care, right?

          • jwallace79

            Reading the above, I reiterate my prior comments.

      • dectra

        All I have to say is

        Hey, Mitt: How’s that “no releasing your tax returns” plan work out for you?

    • devil’s advocate

      Richardson is the best choice (if Clinton decides to leave)…good experience, respected world wide…Republicans such as Lugar have a spot in the administration but in more of a national role to see if it is indeed possible to break the logjam …

  • KingSolomon1

    Bob Zoellick for State.

  • Mario

    How about Mitt Romney as Commerce Secretary?

    • Dave

      I just had a flash-forward to an Al Haig moment. Obama has anesthesia for a minor sports injury and Willard is suddenly running for a microphone, “I’m in charge here!”

  • Anonymous

    What we really need to be talking about is replacing Bernanke with Roger Ferguson.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1349740457 Rich Jones

    If Hillary is serious about not running for President, I’d love to see her on the Supreme Court.

    • dectra

      If she made it, every GOP head would explode

    • mark wexler

      She’s too old. I want a candidate who’ll be on the bench for the next 40 years…..not 3.

  • dectra

    Merrick Garland is an excellent, level headed jurist.

    I find it interesting that five of the current Supreme Court Justices have staffed their chambers using Judge Garland’s old clerks.

    • Cedric

      He would be good to replace say Anthony Kennedy is he were to leave the Court. But if Breyer or Ginsburg leave, Obama should nominate a more liberal candidate in my view.

      I think Obama will try for more diversity in pics and I suspect an Asian judge will make the cut if he geta a few nominations. I know they were setting up Goodwin Lui for a future potential pic and that is a big reason the GOPblocked him getting on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

      • mark wexler

        Not to mention a younger justice. We should learn something from Bush II.

  • tomwest

    What about Secretary of Transportation? We know LaHood will step down.

  • http://twitter.com/meekerfc Randy Meeker

    I have a suggestion for Attorney General. How about Bill Clinton?

  • Tokopol

    Diane Wood and Merrick Garland are gonna be too old to be considered for SCOTUS. I don’t know why people keep putting them on lists becasue they were on lists a few years back. It shows a lack of critical thinking skills. There are plenty of young candidates that will be on the list. Put a little effort into it and name them, maybe?

    • dectra

      Garland is not too old, not by a long shot. He has a solid record as a well reasoned, centrist jurist.

  • sibbie

    No Republicans in the cabinet period. We’ve gone down this road before. Learn from history.

  • wolfndeer

    I don’t think Obama will risk a seat in the Senate by taking Kerry. Not after what happened with Scott Brown.

  • mark wexler

    Treasury Secretary: Robert Reich or Paul Krugman.

    Secretary of State:

    Supreme Court : Jennifer Granholm

    Chief of Staff:

    Attorney General: Ed Rendell

  • http://www.facebook.com/harrison.konigstein Harrison Konigstein

    State Dick Lugar, John Kerry or Bill Richardson

    Treasury: ???

    Supreme Court: Stephanie Thacker (ninth circuit) Hillary Clinton
    Chief Of Staff:???
    Attorney General: Chris Christie, Andrew Cuomo, Micheal Bloomberg, Jerry Brown.

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