I saw a comment (but unfortunately can’t recall whose so that I could credit them) suggesting that it would be an interesting thought exercise to look at what cabinet role might “fit” for each of the Democratic candidates, only one of whom will end up as our Presidential nominee. So just for fun, here’s my take on where our lineup of talented candidates might apply their talents for the next Administration, other than in the Oval Office (NOT including VP or Chief of Staff though those also are cabinet roles). I’m especially looking forward to comments on where others see a good cabinet role for some of our candidates — so weigh in with your thoughts! Without further ado — and in alphabetic order:
Michael Bennet — Secretary of Education — this is clearly an area for which he has real passion, and relevant experience having run Denver’s school district at a challenging time. He’s more a proponent of charters/school choice than some Democrats will like, but bear in mind that Colorado doesn’t have the real scourge of for-profit charter schools.
Joe Biden — Secretary of State. Of course I don’t expect he’d take any role short of being President at this point in his career, but given his history and relationships with global leaders he would be the ideal choice for beginning to rebuild the alliances and relationships that Trump has been tearing apart for the past 2+ years.
Cory Booker — Secretary of Commerce. I could see him contributing in any number of roles, but being the business-friendly face of the new administration in promoting smart economic development programs would be a natural fit (and it allows me to plug others into other roles for which Booker could also work).
Steve Bullock — Secretary of the Interior. With a track record of commitment to our public lands, appreciation for the need to improve our government-to-government relationships with Native American tribes, and a strong grounding in the western states where a disproportionate part of Interior’s landholdings are found, he would be a strong fit for Interior.
Pete Buttigieg — Secretary of Defense. Maybe I’m being intellectually lazy, but I would trust Mayor Pete as a recent veteran in this role to understand both what needs we have for the department and to stand up for the interests of the men and women serving in our armed forces - and to challenge the MIC where needed.
Julian Castro — Secretary of Homeland Security. Whether you agree or disagree with the politics of decriminalizing border crossing, Castro has clearly been on the cutting edge of thinking about solutions for immigration reform. Who better to oversee the kind of fundamental changes that we need with CBP and ICE? Beyond policy change, the past two years have made it clear that we need a serious house cleaning in those agencies — and I would trust Castro to tackle that challenge.
Bill De Blasio — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. I’m not sure this is a great fit, but it is less of a poor fit than other cabinet roles I could envision him in. He certainly will have a familiarity with the housing and urban challenges facing American cities, even if he’s been lackluster in solving his own city’s problems.
John Delaney — Secretary of Transportation. Here’s another candidate that I wouldn’t really want in a cabinet — and most especially not anywhere even CLOSE to Health and Human Services. Then I remembered Obama putting a Republican cabinet member (LaHood) at Transportation — so let’s follow suit with Delaney since he might as well be a (pre-Trump) Republican.
Tulsi Gabbard — Secretary of Veterans Affairs. There aren’t many roles in an Administration where I’d really trust Gabbard, but I think her passion and commitment toward her fellow veterans is very real and that she would work to ensure the Department honored our nation’s commitments to those who have served.
Kirsten Gillibrand — Secretary of Health and Human Services. She’d be a strong advocate and implementer for whatever version of universal health care emerges (Medicare for All — Medicare for America — or some other variant), and would bring a real appreciation for and commitment to improving equity in healthcare for women and for minority communities.
Kamala Harris — Attorney General. This is a no-brainer. As she mentioned on the second debate stage, she ran the nation’s second largest Department of Justice and she’d be up to the challenge of running the largest. And I’d love to have her leading the charge to investigate — and prosecute where the evidence supports it — the many criminals from the current Trump Administration. We can’t have “look forward, not back” this time — we need real accountability for their criminality so that we create a deterrent to even worse future corruption.
John Hickenooper — Administrator of the Small Business Administration. His focus on business and his experience as a small businessman himself (with the Wynkoop Brewery prior to his political career) make this the best fit for him — and it is a fine place for a more conservative Democrat to contribute.
Jay Inslee — Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Addressing the climate crisis will require action across all parts of Government, but the nerve center from which our response needs to be directed will be the EPA. Nobody has shown more passion and commitment for this issue than Inslee and at EPA he can spearhead the kind of national response we need to the crisis.
Amy Klobuchar — Secretary of Agriculture. Again this may be a bit lazy, but she is grounded in midwestern agriculture issues, has served on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and would bring a steady hand in supporting American farming as it deals with the aftermath of disastrous Trump policies.
Beto O’Rourke — Secretary of Energy. Beto has put a real focus on the climate crisis as well and would be a solid choice to oversee an agency that will be instrumental in the scientific and technical advancements that will help transition our energy systems away from fossil fuel — and his roots in a region that has been a major part of fossil fuel development will also give him sympathy and understanding for those workers who we should help as that transition takes place, helping him speak with credibility yet sensitivity to the issues.
Tim Ryan — “Chief Manufacturing Officer” — or Chair Council of Economic Advisors. Reviving manufacturing in 21st Century industries as a way of helping restore vitality to rust belt manufacturing areas is his passion; he suggested this role — perhaps he would be the one to fill it.
Bernie Sanders — United State Trade Representative. Coming out of the disastrous Trump trade wars and tariffs, Bernie would be a voice we could trust to negotiate on trade issues with a sincere concern for American workers and the environment. If there is going to be NAFTA 2.0 — then who better to negotiate with an eye toward fixing the shortcomings of our past agreements in those areas? He’d put the American people first — not the big multinational corporations.
Elizabeth Warren — Secretary of the Treasury. This too is a no-brainer for me. Who better to advise on economic policy and to oversee our nation’s finances than the Senator who has been ready to take on the moneyed interests and Wall Street banksters that have too long set our policies to their advantage at the expense of the rest of America? She’d “have a plan” for what is needed with our financial policies and the gumption to carry it out.
Marianne Williamson — Ambassador to the United Nations. OK, this is a stretch — but I’m trying to figure out what role she could possibly play and there aren’t many left on the table. Where would YOU put her if you had to find a cabinet-level role into which she would fit?
Andrew Yang — Secretary of Labor. He recognizes the enormous challenges that will soon be facing American workers as automation and AI fundamentally change the role of labor in our economy. He can bring some of his insight and creativity to this department and begin preparing the way for that transition to expand (it has already begun) without leaving behind America’s workers.
So there you have it — a cut at how our talented slate of Presidential candidates could fill 20 cabinet roles, covering all but the White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Vice President. What do you think? And which of the candidates do you really see as serious prospects for these potential cabinet positions, should they not get the presidential (or VP) nomination?