Biden's cabinet shortlists: another reason for Bernie to stay in the race.

[DanTex]

Bernie's not going to be the nominee. For progressives, the priorities are now (A) to ensure that Biden beats Trump and (B) to try to get Biden to govern as progressively as possible.

Part of that means trying to avoid Wall Street people in the cabinet. According to Axios, the three people under consideration for Treasury are Elizabeth Warren and two Wall Street execs (Dimon from JPM and Finucane from BofA). Also, Axios reports that a Morgan Stanley exec is being considered for Commerce, and Mike Bloomberg for World Bank.

This is not unexpected, if we nominate a centrist, we will get centrist policies, and centrist appointments, including Wall Street execs. Obviously I would have preferred a progressive candidate, but the Democratic electorate has spoken.

Still, keeping up pressure from the left is important. Choosing a Wall Street exec for Treasury would not only make for bad policy, it would also be a bad political choice for the future, because Wall Street execs are not popular with much of the electorate.

It's encouraging that Warren is on the short list for Treasury. Hopefully she will end up being the choice.

https://www.axios.com/joe-biden-cabinet-vice-president-picks-b17882ac-3953-450f-8afb-38a3c8dcda57.html

[Moderateguy]

1. What a stupid article

A man who's campaign was left for dead two scant weeks ago, has not had time to think about his cabinet. He's still trying to win a primary

[NurseJackie]

12. Stand by...

Joe Biden will be our party's nominee.





Joe/Kamala or Biden/Harris 2020!!
Jump on the Biden Bandwagon & abandon the revolution!!

[Moderateguy]

14. No doubt about it

[NurseJackie]

19. Besides... "half the fun" is trying to predict who he'll pick...

... the other half is hearing who he picks. I'm very much looking forward to this process playing out.







Joe/Kamala or Biden/Harris 2020!!
Jump on the Biden Bandwagon & abandon the revolution!!

[Moderateguy]

20. Not when people are made to falsely fear his picks so that they consider the other candidate

[NurseJackie]

26. Ah... I suppose weak-minded low-information voters could be swayed by such things.

Ah... I suppose weak-minded low-information voters could be swayed by such things. At this point, I doubt there are enough of those lightweight voters who, if so influenced by fear, could manage to tip the scale. It's very clear how this will end up. I see no harm in speculation (even if fanciful) but I take your point.

[still_one]

34. +++

[True Blue American]

42. Axios

Was created by Mike Allen. As far right wing as you get. Oh, he tries now to be more moderate but Mike is as bad, or worse than Drudge.

[Poeraria]

2. Better idea. Why don't we return to a policy of selecting qualified individuals.

That should be the only determining factor.

[squirecam]

5. Yes it should.

Nt

[Demsrule86]

3. Pure supposition...no one knows who Biden will pick...but it looks like a blowout and Sanders

should get out on Tuesday if that is the case...come together and begin the most important task of winning a general...if the numbers hold, Sanders is finished and you know that Dan.

[BlueIdaho]

4. Making Shit Up

Yeah... That’s the ticket!

[Demsrule86]

6. I am sorry but no...after her senate is over...then she can get that job but we aren't going months

the most important early months...first 100 days down one Senator.

[DanTex]

8. So you'd prefer Jamie Dimon? Really?

[Moderateguy]

18. At this point Jamie Dimon is so damaged

That only Trump would consider him for anything. He's not expected to last as CED till the end of the year

[Celerity]

55. literally damaged, he almost died several days ago

Why Jamie Dimon needed emergency surgery

Aortic dissection involves a tear in the large blood vessel off of the heart. In some cases, time is of the essence to prevent death

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/why-jamie-dimon-needed-emergency-surgery

[brush]

77. Didn't he also just have an emergency heart procedure?

[True Blue American]

44. Biden never mentioned Jamie! That Axios article did

Out of thin air.

[Demsrule86]

46. I prefer a voting majority in the Senate...and Biden will pick someone...won't be Diamond.

[StClone]

64. Is Biden Progressive?

I don't really see anyone labeling him that. He will pick a few Progressives for his cabinet maybe to placate. But if you look for big new shifts (other then away from Fascist Trumpism) I have my doubts. This is not about the best candidate to Govern for the future from among the Dems, this election only goal is to defeat Trump. Biden is that horse.

Why can't Dems practice "Catastrophe Progressiveness"? If we wipe out the R's why don't we plan on ramming through everything like Obama did in those first months when we had full government control? I am hoping for the best but Bernie and Warren have the ideas in my opinion.

[Laelth]

81. Biden is flexible, in my opinion, and that is good enough.

Joe has demonstrated a willingness to move left with the party (which is far more liberal now than it was when I first started following politics). If we can give Joe the right Senate, and if that Senate is willing to eliminate the filibuster, I have every reason to believe that Joe can and will be a transformative, liberal President.

He might even be able to deliver THE WHOLE CHICKEN!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287643537



-Laelth

[SharonClark]

70. No, and I doubt Biden doesn't either.

[Indykatie]

39. Warren Will Be Stuck As a Senator for Same Reason Sherrod Brown Is Stuck in Ohio

We're not going to cede a Senate seat to a GOP governor to name a republican replacement. It's unfair but it is what it is. Brown would make an excellent VP candidate but he just be on the short list out of respect if at all. Same with Warren.

[Demsrule86]

49. That is correct...that is what I said.

Great minds etc etc....

[oasis]

7. ZERO concessions to Bernie folk. Re:Cornel West, 2016 Dem Convention. nt

[highplainsdem]

9. One of the stupidest articles ever from Axios. Pure clickbait with nothing to back it up. And I

saw Sanders supporters all over Twitter absolutely hysterical and outraged about it as soon as it was published.

And you can bet the people at Axios were gleeful about the overreaction and all the clicks.

[SharonClark]

71. But DanTex called it the "shortlist" so it must be so.

[Sloumeau]

10. Warren would be great, but let's suppose she's not interested in the job.

If I were President, I'd look at people who work at the FEC or anyone who handles financial fraud cases at the highest levels. These people know how all of the financial vehicles work, and they hate people in the financial markets who cheat the system.

[redstateblues]

11. We need Warren in the Senate especially in a state with a Republican Governor

Who would appoint a Republican to her seat. She would be great in the cabinet if it weren't for that.

[still_one]

40. Thank-you. I don't understand why some folks don't seem to grasp that point

[StClone]

66. So if she would have won the Presidency wouldn't that also occur.

She didn't seem worried about that.

[still_one]

75. No. The presidency trumps the Senate. We have a real chance to get a majority in the Senate with

her, and a VP isn’t worth taking that risk. A presidency is, because of the power of veto and executive privilege. Also a majority in the senate enables us to get judicial appointments through

[MineralMan]

13. Already holding Biden's "feet to the fire?"

Joe Biden has made zero announcements about who might or might not be part of his cabinet. I don't expect him to make any such announcements until after the convention.

I doubt that Bernie Sanders will be solicited for advice on cabinet selections, either. Joe knows what he wants to do as President. He'll be making his own decisions, without Bernie's help, I'm sure.

[DanTex]

17. Never too early. Unless we want Jamie Dimon to be Treasury Secretary.

I'm sure some people would be thrilled with that choice. Progressives wouldn't.

[MineralMan]

21. Frankly, I'm not competent to guess who Joe Biden will choose

for any cabinet post. I lack any relevant information to make such a guess.

I suspect you're in the same position, actually.

[DanTex]

23. No, but his close advisors probably have some insight into it...

[MineralMan]

29. Well, I don't know any of those.

Mostly, we're hearing from people who are "talking out of school," really.

At this point, "short lists" of cabinet members are sheer speculation. For example, Dimon. He just had heart surgery, and probably will not be interested. Yet, he's on your "short list."

Never mind. Carry on.

[DanTex]

33. Not my short list, the short list that Biden's advisors have come up with.

There's also a BofA exec on it.

And yes, progressives like me are going to carry on. Letting people know that Biden is considering multiple Wall Street execs for cabinet positions is essential. It's not like progressives are just going to disappear and shut up once Biden gets the nomination.

[MineralMan]

38. According to two Axios writers, anyhow...

As for carrying on, I'm sure you will. And I'll be right here, too.

[TwilightZone]

30. The article is supposition.

As it clearly notes, very little of the supposition is based on anything from the campaign. If you think the info is coming from "close advisors", you didn't read your own source.

[DanTex]

37. It's reporting based on what Biden advisors have said.

I don't know why everyone is acting so dismissive of this. Biden is a centrist, and it would be totally in line with his ideology to have people like Dimon in his cabinet. The question is whether the left can exert influence to get him to choose someone like Elizabeth Warren instead.

[TwilightZone]

45. No, it's not.

Read it again.

Here, I'll help:

"Behind the curtain: Campaign officials say the name game isn't where Biden's head is — he knows he has major primary and general-election fights ahead.

Officials point out they don't yet have a transition — and haven't run a process that would surface new talent, like Dr. Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize physicist who was Obama's first secretary of energy."

The author was very clear to indicate what information came from the campaign and what didn't. The only names that are sourced to the campaign "sources" as possibilities are Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris. The rest of it is on the author, as he clearly notes.

Read between the lines. In this case, the lines were even drawn for you. You're just ignoring that they're there.

[DanTex]

47. Uhh, yes, it is.

Joe Biden confidants are privately discussing potential leaders and Cabinet members for his White House, including the need to name a woman or African American — perhaps both — as vice president, top sources tell "Axios on HBO."

[beastie boy]

59. Let's see... the reporting is based onprivate discussion between Joe's confidants.

And, without naming the aforementioned confidants or the details of the aforementioned discussions, you conclude... Dimon??? Is this what informed your decision to fear Biden?

[DanTex]

60. Private discussions form the basis of a lot of reporting.

And, yes, I would much prefer Warren to Dimon.

I don't "fear" Biden, but he's a centrist, and I'm a progressive. And I'd rather see him make progressive appointments like Warren, than centrist appointments like Dimon.

[beastie boy]

61. It's the content of private discussions that form the basis for reporting.

References to private discussions without awareness of what was discussed and by whom form the basis for rumor and innuendo. That's gossip, not reporting.

Linking private discussions whose participants and content are unknown to speculations of Dimon being a prospective VP pick to having this as a reason not to vote for Biden takes too many logical (or illogical) steps for me to follow.

[LanternWaste]

65. Looks as though we're picking the 'flavor of ice cream most people would be happy with.'

"Math counts. And the math all points in the same direction..."

"I gotta say, it's just strange that people will simply ignore all the data, and there's a lot of it..."




I get it... we can't really walk back our own words, but we can certainly forget we ever made them when they no longer serve our purposes.

[TwilightZone]

69. Bullshit.

It's all speculation.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=650021

[Demsrule86]

53. I don't believe it...Axios shit stirring.

[ahoysrcsm]

80. Jamie who?

Jamie Dimon, never heard of them. Is he/she some sort of Democratic strategist? I'm just not sure why they would be a good or bad choice. Will you enlighten us with their Democratic background?

[wishstar]

15. Warren's staying in Senate and Dimon just had major heart surgery so no way they're in cabinet

the article is pure speculation at its worst

[Moderateguy]

27. Knives are already out for Dimon at JPM..

He's going to be out of a job soon

[TwilightZone]

16. The winner gets to decide who is in his or her cabinet.

I doubt Sanders is going to have much say in the matter, nor should he.

Sanders is more than likely going to lose convincingly and there's going to be much less tolerance of demands and nonsense from Sanders and his supporters at this year's convention. This election is too important to allow it and I suspect most aren't going to put up with it this time.

As for the article, Biden is a long-term liberal, not a centrist.

[dmr]

22. Don't fall for shit like that.

Even if Biden has an idea of choices he'd like to make, he'd never reveal any of it.

Sounds like more Russian-Trump disinformation to get everyone all riled up and cause more division.

[TwilightZone]

32. "Don't fall for shit like that."

Bingo. The article even notes that it's all basically supposition and very little of it came from any source other than the author.

[dmr]

78. Really? I didn't read that far. Well ...

I had to take a look at who wrote the article. Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen ... two authors I'll take with a grain of salt from now on. They lost credibility with me. Shame on them.

[W_HAMILTON]

24. I wouldn't give Sanders any say in anything this go around.

Hillary bent over backwards to appease him and compromise with him and look where it got her.

If Biden wants to work with a progressive voice to make sure they are a part of his administration and feel part of his campaign, he should choose Warren to coordinate with.

[Jersey Devil]

25. You don't position the cart in front of the horse

We have to get through the primaries and then the general election before worrying about cabinet members.

[dawg day]

28. We need all the senators to stay put!

What reps would be good?

[RandySF]

31. As long as Sanders stays in, the trolls will have reason to keep going.

[honest.abe]

35. If Bernie wants any kind of say in Biden's future administration..

he should drop out and endorse Joe as soon it becomes obvious he can't win.. .which will be very soon.

[NurseJackie]

41. When it comes to the Democratic party's future, I do not believe Bernie's motives are pure.

[honest.abe]

43. I have my doubts as well.

We shall see what he does this time. Fingers x'd he does the right thing.

[Laelth]

36. Great post.

I will watch with curiosity to see how this community responds.

-Laelth

[NCProgressive]

48. Amazing - none of the other candidates who dropped out

are making demands for power.

Bernie is not more special than any other candidate who didn't get the nomination.

The decisions are purely Biden's to make and the voters trust him to build a strong team for the benefit of America - not any faction.

[DanTex]

50. Bernie isn't making demands.

[NCProgressive]

51. The Bernie faction is

[DanTex]

52. Yes, progressives want progressive appointments. Has nothing to do with Bernie.

[Demsrule86]

54. Then you should have put up a better candidate than Sanders...Biden will choose who he wants...

I warned folks right here that Sanders would not win a nomination....it is mind blowing to me that progressives did not get behind Elizabeth Warren...she was the better candidate.

[NCProgressive]

56. Biden is a progressive already

He will make progressive appointments. Let him choose. It is his decision by the time he wins the primary and wins the GE. If he comes to that point, the voters have trusted him to do what is right for America. The ultra progressives should live with that.

[Demsrule86]

62. Of course Biden is progressive...but honestly, the Bernie side really should find a new term...what

they are selling is not liberalism or progressivism.

[Gothmog]

57. What happened to sanders' magical voter revolution?

[onenote]

58. The US President can't fire the head of the World Bank. And a question for the Sanders supporters

How dubious is the Axios article?

While the US plays an outsized role in the selection of a World Bank president, it is not a position that the president of the United States unilaterally chooses. Moreover, the President of the World Bank serves a five year term and is not subject to removal by the President of the US. The current World Bank president has a term that runs until 2024. So much for the Bloomberg as head of the World Bank nonsense.

As for who would run the Commerce and Treasury departments under a Biden presidency -- I have a question for the Sanders' supporters: who do you foresee Bernie appointing to those positions?

[LizBeth]

63. This is rich and retro. Now Sanders people want to tell Biden what he must do.

[TwilightZone]

67. "Biden campaign spox says Axios article on possible Biden Cabinet picks is "laughable speculation" "

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287650013

[George II]

68. The Biden campaign has already called this article hogwash.

[TwilightZone]

72. Ah, but he won't believe that because...reasons.

An article that clearly notes that it's almost entirely speculation is interpreted as 100% accurate and 100% sourced from within the Biden campaign.

It takes a special kind of self-convincing (or intentional ignorance of context) to make that argument, eh?

[MineralMan]

73. But, see, that doesn't matter because Axios...

or something. There's a word for that kind of speculative nonsense, but I just can't find it right now.

I'll see if I can remember the word I'm thinking of...

[SharonClark]

74. So DanTex, who would be on Sanders' shortlist for cabinet?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[awesomerwb1]

76. Article has been ridiculed by Biden's campaign

Keep trying - or maybe not.

[comradebillyboy]

79. I don't think Sanders will be dictating who Biden

puts in his cabinet. His influence is waning rapidly. He's burned too many bridges with the Democratic Party to have much clout in the next administration.

[yellowcanine]

82. Biden does not have a long list for his cabinet, let alone a short list.