Disappointed with the offer of Transportation to Pete Buttigieg.

[My Pet Orangutan]

It is a waste of his stellar communication skills.

If it had to be a domestic appointment, Pete would have been better as Senior Counsellor to the President, a cabinet-level position up until 1993.

[Karadeniz]

1. I read that it will be important to infrastructure rebuilding.

[bluedigger]

2. I thought maybe he'd go to VA where there is some opportunity for public exposure.

He will do well and be needed many places, but Transportation seems a little quiet.

[Rice4VP]

9. VA is a mess, a more senior person needs to take that on

[bluedigger]

15. Well, if he's not ready for the VA now, when will he be ready to be President?

Big men (and women) rise to big challenges. In any case, it's a moot point now, isn't it?

[tblue37]

35. The administration can make him frequently available to be interviewed on TV and radio.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. Pete will be front and center as a cabinet secretary!

[panader0]

4. I have to disagree.

Transportation will be at the front of infrastructure work, which is very needed and will be a
bonus for both parties. Pete will excel and add to his stature. What did Chao accomplish?
Pete will have a positive impact, should he accept, and everyone will be a beneficiary.

[LuvNewcastle]

5. Joe likes trains, partially because he rode one from

Wilmington to Washington all those years. He might want to push through a high speed rail or something else that would solve our transportation issues, because we have some breakdown there. Could be high profile for this administration.

[greenjar_01]

33. Imagine a real high speed train infrastructure like Europe or Asia

We can do this. We need a communicator like Pete to make it real.

[LuvNewcastle]

44. I agree.

That's what we need. If we can get the Senate we want, maybe we can make it a reality. Also, it would be nice, if possible to get some Republicans to go along and make it a bipartisan effort. Now is the time to work on some of the Republican Senators and Representatives and see if we can break some of them off and start to heal some of the division. Joe can do it; I think he's still got it in him.

[cire41]

6. FDR was Secretary of Navy

FDR’s experience running a major federal government department helped him become such a successful administrator 15 years later as president.

This experience will help Mayor Pete in the long run. That’s why he wants it...

[JanMichael]

20. Flawed example. He was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy not Secretary.

FDR
New York state senator (1910–1913)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1913–1919)
Campaign for Vice President (1920)
Paralytic illness and political comeback (1921–1928)
Governor of New York (1929–1932)
1932 presidential election

I guess Mayor Pete can run for a state office first after DOT. Although he reversed FDR who did the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for 6 years before throwing his hat in for President. Mayor Pete went from mayor to running for President. Big leap for sure.

I think FDR's experience as a Governor of NY probably helped more.

[cire41]

27. True, that Assistant Secretary position did help though

Wilson notoriously expanded the power of the federal government and some presidential historians think that working as a cogwheel in the machinery of this expansion helped FDR develop his views on just how effective a powerful federal government can be at solving the nation’s problems...

[Rice4VP]

7. What counsel can Pete give Biden who has worked in Washington

for like 50 years? I’m just happy that he’s in the cabinet

[xmas74]

8. From what I understand

He was tagged because there are plans for a huge infrastructure project, possibly along the lines of a CCC style project. Something that big but usually dry could use an intelligent,lively frontman to sell its virtues to the public.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. It's an extremely important position that oversees some 11 federal agencies,

including the FAA, with a $75 billion budget and more than 55,000 employees. It's a much more substantial position than some vaguely-defined WH aide position and it will give him excellent creds for another run for president again someday, especially if there are major infrastructure projects (for real) down the road.

[StarfishSaver]

38. Do you EVER get tired of being right?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

42. LOL! I am often wrong; I just try not to do it on DU

where people will point it out.

[Lucinda]

41. ❤️✿❧🌿❧✿❤️

[BannonsLiver]

11. I wonder how Pete sees it?

I’d be surprised if he views it as a disappointment.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. I'm sure he sees it as the opportunity that it is. n/t

[BannonsLiver]

18. Exactly.

I don’t know why the OP sees it as a disappointment.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

32. I can sort of see why: it's not showy or flashy or a big-name job...

Like Sec'y of State or some such. I know Pete will take it and make it into something important that will help the country, and himself. Which is as it should be.

[Mr.Bill]

48. Not yet, but it will be. n/t

[DrToast]

49. Not a bad gig for a 38-year-old!

[treestar]

26. Yes, really!

This level of pickiness is too much.

[LizBeth]

13. I think his smart, generation, is just the one to look forward. I think it is very clever and strong

I have a son getting his degree in urban planning. It is a whole new world for what we need our new world to look like.

[Pobeka]

14. Transportation re-invention/renovation is critical for the green new deal.

Some may say *the* most critical component. I'm delighted to have Mayor Pete's communication skills sitting right there.

[greenjar_01]

31. 100% correct

It's a signal that infrastructural change is top of the agenda. Anyone with less face recognition would signal that it's lower on the agenda. This is a big pick, and maybe the biggest for our day to day lives and real approaches to climate change.

[Hekate]

16. Two words: Elaine Chao. It's an important post.

[bdamomma]

54. Hekate

maybe ole Mitch will lose his Majority seat, and he and his wife can move to China!!!

[DFW]

17. Look at it as the first rung on a tall ladder. n/t

[elleng]

19. I hope he's not disappointed.

'If confirmed, Mr. Buttigieg would be the first openly gay person to serve in a presidential cabinet, and at age 38 he would represent youth in a cabinet that has so far skewed closer to Mr. Biden’s generation.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/us/politics/biden-democrats.html?

He will be busy, lots happening, AND if I hadn't retired, he'd be my 'boss!' (Many positions removed.)

[AmericanCanuck]

21. I agree

He would have made a phenomenal UN ambassador or Chief of Staff

[StevieM]

22. It makes him a cabinet secretary. That could help lay the groundwork for more down the line.

It adds to his resume when being considered for president or vice-president in the future.

If nothing else it might lead to a higher cabinet post after a few years, like Secretary of Defense or Secretary of State.

[CatMor]

23. I think he will be good for transportation ...

I would love to see high speed rail in the US. and think he would be great for pushing that. Also, our roads and bridges are in dire need of repair and rebuild. Not much was done during the trump administration and Pete will oversee it with enthusiasm.

[treestar]

24. Why wait to be disappointed?

Why is everything looked at like this?

We are never going to learn here. Always the down side.

[scrabblequeen40]

25. Wonder if he asked for this position

We don't know what conversations are happening behind the scenes. It's possible Pete asked for this (for reasons we aren't privvy to).

[Iggo]

28. LOL ... He'll be fine.

[cwydro]

29. Buttigieg is going to be a success wherever he is.

I’m sure he sees this as the huge opportunity it is, and Joe has put that department in good hands.

I keep seeing people disparaging Cabinet posts here “Agriculture is nothing.” “Ugh, Transportation.”

This is the President’s Cabinet people! Just because the buffoon put know-nothing, do -nothings in these positions means fuckall.

Joe is doing a great job. Pete will too.

[greenjar_01]

30. An ambitious guy like Buttigieg doesn't entertain Transportation Secretary UNLESS

Transportation infrastructure is gong to be a front and center priority and radical point of transformation in US society in the Prez's agenda. Pete's going to be on TV weekly.

[montanacowboy]

34. I worked at Transportation when Norman Mineta

was the secretary. It is a HUGE agency and we had over 10,000 federal employees. There are many agencies under transportation. I worked in Research and Special Programs Administration and you would be surprised what that covered!! like oil spills, etc. Pete will have a very important job and a good place to springboard upwards.

[StarfishSaver]

39. Cool job!

Transportation is also part of the national security apparatus. It's not a fluffy agency.

This is a huge job.

[montanacowboy]

51. Right!

on 9/11 the main security information center was set up at Transportation. What a day that was. I can still remember every moment.

[nuxvomica]

36. I don't think we pay enough attention to that department

It's incredibly important to our way of life. Seems to me a fellow like Buttigieg is just the right choice to make us pay more attention.

[Alex4Martinez]

37. Transportation is a critical post. 28% of GHG emissions, 20% of household budgets.

YMMV, but the lower the income the greater the share going to transportation.

Put Pete together with Jen Granholm, Secty of Energy, and build infrastructure for electrified public transit everywhere.

[Totally Tunsie]

40. He'll be in a pretty exclusive club...only 15 members

in the U.S. Nothing disappointing in that!

With Joe's "Build Back Better", Transportation and Infrastructure will be pretty *HOT* items. Elaine Chao may not have done anything in the position, but Pete can elevate it exponentially. He'll be a terrific Cabinet member.

[JI7]

43. Why can't he use his communication skills for this job ?

[denbot]

45. OFFS, It's a cabinet position.

Last edited Tue Dec 15, 2020, 10:16 PM - Edit history (1)

Mayor Pete will not only burnish his political stature on a national stage, it will prove invaluable experience for higher office.

[quickesst]

46. he should have done this....

.... he should have done that. I think I'll wait and see what Mayor Pete has to say about it. Who is being offered the position, and whose decision is it to accept or not? It ain't none of us.

[SharonClark]

47. A cabinet position to a person who has never held a

job of that magnitude at the state, federal, or corporate level is a high honor and a huge responsibility.

This will be Pete’s chance to prove his talent and I can’t imagine he’s anything other than thrilled and grateful.

[LanternWaste]

50. I'm guessing you're simply not fully aware of what the job entails.

It may not be sexy, but that's really the last thing I want to see in leadership.

You should do some digging into the full breadth of the department's responsibilities. You may be surprised.

[GoCubsGo]

52. It's HARDLY a waste of his communication skills.

You understand that the Aviation and Martimes & Waterways are both part of the department, right? Both entail international relationships, and not just Canada and Mexico, either. We have ships and airplanes coming into the country from nearly everywhere in the world. Communication skills are every bit as important here as they are in the State Department. Pipelines and Hazmat are also under its jurisdiction. As in the tar sands pipelines that run through this country from Canada, along with more of them that they keep trying to shove down our throats. Thank goodness we'll have someone like Pete in that job soon.

[Wounded Bear]

53. Former mayor of a mid-sized city....

Hmmm, I think it could work. Joe is big on infrastructure, Pete sounds like a good candidate to handle that.

[StarfishSaver]

55. I think Mayor Pete is a pretty good judge of what is best for him.

[Generic Brad]

56. If Pete is happy, why the disappointment?

He got what he wanted. Great for him!