Posted on 11/11/2008 11:02:45 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Three names have emerged in the first round of speculation about who will be the secretary of agriculture in an Obama administration: National Farmers Union President Tom Buis, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson.
Before joining the NFU, Buis was the senior agricultural aide to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and worked as legislative director for Rep. Jim Jontz, D-Ind. In the 1980s, he was a grain and livestock farmer in Indiana with brothers Mike and Jeff, who continue to operate the family farm.
Vilsack served two terms as governor of Iowa before launching a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2007. He ended his campaign in February after failing to win any major primaries.
Peterson, a CPA and native of Minnesota, led the fight for passage of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 and has been a staunch defender of maintaining the farm program safety net for all farmers.
Some have speculated Obama will attempt to have all of his nominees for cabinet positions selected by Dec. 1, but veteran Washington observers say that will be a tall order given the large number of candidates for positions in the new administration.
BUIS...Back-Up Iron Sights.
This is a extreme leftist group.
Vilsack is our former governor, I never thought he had much of a grasp of agriculture.
But with Obama, we are going to get a big government proponent in the office no matter what.
PJ! Where’s your Vilsack photo when we need it?...
I hope it isn’t Peterson. He’s one of the last remaining sane Dems in Congress. Strongly pro-life and pro-gun. We need him in Congress.
Tom Vilsack: the Governor who couldn’t keep his hometown’s school bus factory alive, despite its location in the state most obsessed with public edumacation.
I agree. My brother knows Peterson (same business)and says for a demonrat that he is pretty decent.
And, I think he hitched his wagon to Hillary anyway.
I hope Obama picks Congressman Collin Peterson for Ag Sec because (i) Peterson is a reasonable guy, not a moonbat, and (ii) it would open up a House seat in which the GOP candidate would be favored (President Bush got 54% in 2000 and 55% in 2004, and McCain couldn’t have done much worse in 2008).
Which is why I’d bet that Obama will pick one of the other guys.
It’ll be curious to see what kind of steward of his party’s congressional majorities Obama will be.
Charlie Stenholm is a possibility for this job, but his lobbying for horse meat may cause bad press.
I’d guess he’ll go with the farm union hack.
You are wrong in the extreme gentleman. We need a Republican in Peterson’s house seat which is why should hope Obama taps him.
NObama and the DNC have to provide the Supreme Court with answers to Berg’s lawsuit on Dec 1.
One would think they would be working on vaulting that hurdle first......
It’ll be Nutsack, he can barely carry a tune. All three are losers of the first order.
If Peterson is chosen, that’ll be the second time a Congressman from that district is chosen to be AG Secretary. Carter plucked Bob Bergland in 1977 and Republican Arlan Stangeland won the special election that year. Peterson ran for the seat 4 times, becoming the nominee in 1984, 1986 (losing the nomination in 1988) and won on the 4th try in 1990 in knocking off Stangeland. That seat really should be ours, as it nearly reverted back to us in 1994. That was the last year we seriously challenged it.
John Kline won on his third try although the seat had been altered. Interesting coincidence, usually you only get 2 trys.
I’d really like Lou Barletta to try one more time.
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