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Dems sketch Obama staff, Cabinet
Politico ^ | 10/31/08 | MIKE ALLEN

Posted on 11/01/2008 9:07:39 PM PDT by angelcindy

The list is heavy on campaign heavyweights and Washington insiders, many of them from the administration of President Bill Clinton. So while surprises can be expected to crop up — especially on any Republican members of the Cabinet — many of the selections would likely be proven hands who would provoke little controversy.

White House chief of staff: Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.); Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.); or dark horse candidate Bill Daley, commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton and now an executive with JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Deputy chief of staff: Pete Rouse, chief of staff in Obama's Senate office; Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore; longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett; Jim Messina, campaign chief of staff

Senior adviser: David Plouffe, David Axelrod, Steve Hildebrand

Outside adviser: Abner Mikva

Ambassador at large on climate change: former Vice President Al Gore

National security adviser: Jim Steinberg, the deputy under Clinton; Gregory Craig, special counsel to Clinton; Susan Rice; retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni; Samantha Power of Harvard’s Kennedy School

White House counsel: Bob Bauer, campaign counsel; Chris Lu, Obama legislative director and member of transition staff; Heather Higginbottom, campaign senior policy strategist and longtime aide to Sen. John F. Kerry; Mike Strautmanis, congressional affairs for campaign and former chief counsel in Senate office

Chief of staff to the vice president: Tony Blinken, chief of staff, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Biden is chairman) and senior campaign adviser for Biden; Stephanie Cutter; former Biden aides Mark Gittenstein, Alan Hoffman and Ted Kaufman

Chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama: Alyssa Mastromonaco, campaign director of scheduling and advance; Melissa Winter; Linda Douglass, senior spokeswoman for campaign

Counselor: Robert Gibbs, Anita Dunn, Valerie Jarrett, Jon Favreau

Communications director: Robert Gibbs; Dan Pfeiffer, who has that post in the campaign

Deputy communications director: Josh Earnest

Press secretary: Robert Gibbs, Linda Douglass, Bill Burton, Stephanie Cutter

Director of media affairs (regional and specialty media): Blake Zeff

Speechwriting director: Jon Favreau, Jeff Nussbaum

Deputy press secretary: Karen Dunn, currently Axelrod’s deputy

Press staff morale chief: Tommy Vietor

Assistant press secretary: Isaac Baker, Reid Cherlin, Ben LaBolt, Moira Mack, Hari Sevugan, Nick Shapiro

Press secretary to the first lady: Katie McCormick Lelyveld

White House economic adviser: Austan Goolsbee, senior policy adviser to campaign and University of Chicago economics professor; Jason Furman, director of economic policy for the campaign; Michael Froman, former Treasury chief of staff, Citigroup executive and Harvard Law classmate of Obama

Domestic policy adviser: Heather Higginbottom, Jason Furman, Neera Tanden

Director of scheduling: Marvin Nicholson

Personal aide: Reggie Love

Cabinet secretary: Christine Varney, who held that post under Clinton

White House staff secretary: Cassandra Butts

Director of legislative affairs: Chris Lu, Mike Strautmanis

Political director: Erik Smith

Defense secretary : Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.); Richard Danzig, Navy secretary under Clinton; John Hamre, president and CEO of CSIS and former deputy secretary of defense; President Bush’s incumbent, Robert Gates — would be for at least a year so he wasn’t a lame duck

Attorney general: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine; Eric Holder, who was deputy AG under Clinton and is now with Covington & Burling and led Obama’s vice presidential search; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano

Supreme Court nominee: Washington superlawyer Robert Barnett; legal scholar Cass Sunstein; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York; Elena Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School. Consensus is it would most likely be a woman.

Secretary of State: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.); Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)

Deputy secretary of State: Gregory Craig

Director of State Department policy planning (internal think tank): Samantha Power

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice, senior campaign national security adviser and State Department and National Security Council official under Clinton; Caroline Kennedy

Treasury secretary: Former Clinton treasury secretaries Larry Summers and Robert Rubin; FDIC Chairwoman Sheila C. Blair; New York Fed President Timothy Geithner, former Treasury under secretary and assistant secretary; former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker

Deputy Treasury secretary: Jake Siewert

Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle; Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a physician; John Kitzhaber, doctor and former Oregon governor

Health care czar in White House: Tom Daschle

Education secretary: David Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma and former U.S. senator and former Sooner State governor; Former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean (R), who was chairman of the 9/11 Commission; Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.)

Environmental Protection Agency administrator: Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.); Kathleen McGinty, former head of the Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Agency

Commerce secretary: Penny Pritzker, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

Homeland Security secretary: Former Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.); William Bratton, Los Angeles police chief and former New York police commissioner; former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), a member of the 9/11 Commission; Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.); Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)

CIA director: Former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)

Director of national intelligence: Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.)

Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.); Tammy Duckworth, the director of Illinois Veterans’ Affairs, Iraq veteran and former Democratic House candidate; Bush’s incumbent, James Peake

Secretary of the Interior: Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Secretary of Energy: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.)

Secretary of Transportation: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.)

Secretary of Labor: Former Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.); Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union; Kay Hagan of North Carolina (if she loses her challenge to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole); Jeanne Shaheen, former New Hampshire governor (if she loses her challenge to U.S. Sen. John Sununu)

Secretary of Agriculture: Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.)

Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy: William Bratton

Director, Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (Obama's renamed faith-based office): Josh DuBois, campaign's director of religious affairs


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: 2008; arrogance; cabinet; daschle; obama; rahmemanuel
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To: angelcindy
Ambassador at large : former Vice President Al Gore

Well, Gore is a LOCK for that position, no one is as LARGE as him! LOL

21 posted on 11/01/2008 9:32:56 PM PDT by blondee123 (Sarah Palin is the cement holding McCains campaign together!!!)
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To: snarkytart

Actually, I suspect Obama will have a formal cabinet and staff, and a secret set of real advisors. These tired re-tread white guys will be there to make things look “normal and respectable.” Behind the scenes, Obama will have his circle. And, why not? He’s always had his special advisors and mentors: Wright, Ayers, Flaeger, Michelle, Kahlidi, etc.


22 posted on 11/01/2008 9:32:59 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: blondee123

lololololol too funny


23 posted on 11/01/2008 9:34:49 PM PDT by angelcindy ("If you follow the crowd,you get no further than the crowd")
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To: blondee123

It should read Nutcase at large....


24 posted on 11/01/2008 9:35:53 PM PDT by angelcindy ("If you follow the crowd,you get no further than the crowd")
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To: angelcindy
ambassador at large on climate change Al Gore

Yes, Al has been looking very large for a while.


25 posted on 11/01/2008 9:37:02 PM PDT by hellbender
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To: angelcindy
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) (Illinois Corruption at its' BEST!
 
 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (good luck trying to understand him, what is wrong with his speech? Was he dropped on his head at birth?)
 
Tammy Duckworth, the director of Illinois Veterans’ Affairs (more Illinois Corruption)
 
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)( I know she was involved in some kind of scandal too, can't remember, was it about an aide stealing some info)
 
Howard Dean (SCREAM!!!)
 
Sen. John F. Kerry (Seriously???)
 
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb) (PUKE)
 
Cassandra Butts (Is she one of the BUTT sisters? LOL)

26 posted on 11/01/2008 9:40:09 PM PDT by blondee123 (Sarah Palin is the cement holding McCains campaign together!!!)
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To: hellbender

Did you notice when people get as large as him, they can’t put their arms down at their sides & their hands turn in at an odd angle?


27 posted on 11/01/2008 9:42:21 PM PDT by blondee123 (Sarah Palin is the cement holding McCains campaign together!!!)
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To: hellbender

Is it me or do all these loonie libs look like botox zombies??


28 posted on 11/01/2008 9:47:39 PM PDT by angelcindy ("If you follow the crowd,you get no further than the crowd")
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To: angelcindy
Photobucket

It will be amazing if the likes of these people control all three branches of government. VOTE like your life depends on it. We can win!

29 posted on 11/01/2008 9:59:12 PM PDT by missnry (The truth will set you free ... and drive liberals Crazy!)
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To: GnL

Beyond, what in the world does Arnie now about energy? Or is he just hoping to bring his unique style of incompetence to another sector of government?


30 posted on 11/01/2008 10:00:31 PM PDT by eclecticEel (men who believe deeply in something, even wrong, usually triumph over men who believe in nothing)
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To: angelcindy
White House staff secretary: Cassandra Butts

Never heard of her before, but I did know about Bertha Butt:

"Bertha had three sisters, Betty Butt, Bella Butt and Bathsheba Butt"

31 posted on 11/01/2008 10:13:54 PM PDT by hellbender
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To: hellbender
Never heard of her before, but I did know about Bertha Butt: "Bertha had three sisters, Betty Butt, Bella Butt and Bathsheba Butt

Maybe BERTHA is her mom! LOL

32 posted on 11/01/2008 10:40:14 PM PDT by blondee123 (Sarah Palin is the cement holding McCains campaign together!!!)
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To: angelcindy
Hypothetically, could Obama bring some republican senators on to his team as a show of bipartisanship, making sure that he selects those senators from states with democrat governors who will appoint the replacements, thereby stealing a filibuster proof democrat majority if they don't win it in the election?
33 posted on 11/01/2008 10:42:58 PM PDT by milemark (The Dead: Republicans keep trying to cut their taxes, yet they continue to vote for Democrats.)
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To: angelcindy

Real change there isn’t it? The same retreads from the Clinton administration is the “change we can believe in”? Why did the Clintons even bother to help this fraud, he not only insulted the both of them, he’s basically stolen every person that ever worked for them and wants to put them in God forbid his own adminstration. He should just come out and say “I’m running as a liberal Bill Clinton”. Of course, now that he all of a sudden idolizes Slick Willy....we know his “Gennifer Flowers” and Lewinskys are out there waiting for their opportunities to potentially disgrace the oval office w/him ROFLMAO.


34 posted on 11/02/2008 4:52:41 AM PST by ObamaandAyersaTerroristsBFFL
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To: missnry

I read where dick durbin’s daughter died..


35 posted on 11/02/2008 10:08:23 AM PST by angelcindy ("If you follow the crowd,you get no further than the crowd")
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To: angelcindy
I read where dick durbin’s daughter died..

Yes that is true. Though politically I very much disagree with the Dick Durbin's position it is very sad to see the loss of his daughter. Prayers go out to his family.

36 posted on 11/02/2008 10:29:55 AM PST by missnry (The truth will set you free ... and drive liberals Crazy!)
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