The Corporate President? McCain says he would fill his Cabinet with CEO's

[ck4829]

Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) last week promised to draft "the best and the brightest" of American CEOs to work in his administration if he was elected, and named Cisco Systems's John Chambers and Microsoft's Steve Ballmer as among those he would tap.

But it was hard to tell if he was serious.

During an on-stage interview with Wall Street Journal columnists at the paper's D: All Things Digital conference last week, McCain told how he would select a cabinet. Rather than choose on the basis of campaign contributions or ideological purity, he said he would "Pick the person in America who has been a success and understands the issue, and ask them to come back and serve their country."

When asked to name names, McCain said, "I would hire John Chambers," the CEO of Cisco, and "I would hire Fred Smith." Smith is the CEO of FedEx. "I could give you a long list of names," said McCain, who paused for a moment before adding, "Steve Ballmer."

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/ABDF2F1C4B883767CC2572F200162811

[bryant69]

1. I would imagine that whoever we put up will hire CEOs too

At least for Commerce and Treasury - those sorts of departments. Probably energy as well.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[hippiechick]

2. he just really doesn't want to win, does he?

"A cabinet full of CEO's?" How blatantly overpaid, underqualified and crooked can one get?


:freak:

[On the Road]

9. Overpaid? Yes

Crooked? Not necessarily.

The problem is that the people McCain mentions are very highly skilled -- but at something very different. Those skills don't translate.

The French do this more than the Americans, and the same CEO that ran an efficient private company joins the government and ends up running an inefficient bureaucracy. It's naivety on McCain's part to think it would work differently here.

[zbdent]

3. Cabinet full of CEOs? You mean, he promises that, if elected,

all his cabinet members will raid the treasury and resign with platinum parachutes as this country goes more and more bankrupt?

[nxylas]

4. But all that wealth will trickle down

Oh wait, that's not wealth trickling onto us.

[liberal N proud]

5. It has become a government for the corporations by the corporations

We the people no longer applies.

[Matsubara]

6. This notion that CEOs know best how to run a government is ludicrous.

They run their corporations into the ground and escape with golden parachutes. Great model to base our government on. :eyes:

[bryant69]

8. All CEOs do that?

No wonder our economy is in such a mess.

[Matsubara]

10. Enough of them do.

And even those that don't are often compensated beyond all justification. They produce profits by laying off Americans and hiring foreign slave labor, etc. etc.

Again, how is this sort of philosophy going to translate into good government?

[bryant69]

12. I suppose it would depend. Do you think CEOs are capable of

running corporations in a way that is both moral and effective? If you do, than look for those people and elevate them. If, on the other hand, you think Capitalism is so intrinsically corruptive that no such CEOs could exist, than you don't really need secretaries of Commerce anyway.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Matsubara]

15. I think there are exceptions to the rule, but Corporations are corruptive, not capitalism.

Corporations are a kind of state-sanctioned fiefdom that is not necessarily intrinsic to capitalism. It just so happens that they have come to dominate our country. But free markets need not mean corporate rule a la the US model.

But back to the point at hand, I do think corporate culture tends to be corruptive, although it is also competitive and encourages efficiency.

But even the best of CEOs are working in an environment and with a set of objectives that are, or at least should be, very different than the objectives of the government which is to serve all citizens equally, not just those who can pay you a ton of money.

[bryant69]

16. Well yes but if you make them Secretary of Commerce

They have to retire from their civilian work I believe. I could be wrong there, but I don't believe you can serve as say Secretary of Commerce or Secretary of Finance you can't also have a corporate job.

I take it though that you would rather see our Cabinet people come exclusively from the rolls of non-profits? I'm not sure that's a great idea myself.

Bryant

[Matsubara]

18. Depends on the department...

But not necessarily non-profits.

Defense should be headed by an actual military person, like Clark.

HUD should be headed by one of the top people at HUD -

WHAT A CONCEPT! People in charge of government departments who actually KNOW something about their day-to-day operations, rather than just the usual gang of corporate moguls who consider the job a temporary pay cut just for the prestige anyway...

[bryant69]

19. I note you move off of Commerce and Finance

Why not as head of Commerce someone who actually knows what it takes to run a successful business, as opposed to someone who's spent his years sitting behind a government desk? WHAT A CONCEPT!

Bryant

[Matsubara]

23. Wow I can almost see the disdain and spittle on your screen!

"as opposed to someone who's spent his years sitting behind a government desk?"

YEAH! What kind of scum would do that? BUREAUCRATS! :sarcasm:

Oh yeah, my dad! He worked at Dept. of Labor, Wage Hour for 40 years, helping people who were screwed out of their wages by their employers. What an Orwellian prole, eh?



Finance and commerce. Hmm.. Well, the thing is, we have had GOP and Dem administrations basically run the government exactly how the corporations have wanted for 25 years now, and what do we have to show for it?

Record trade & budget deficits, a decimated domestic manufacturing sectors, stagnant wages for most of that period for the bottom 50% of Americans, working people being priced out of basic housing in many cities, record low personal savings, record high personal debt loads...

Maybe, just maybe, we need to have soomeone in Finance and commerce, who instead of giving corporate America whatever gimmes they want for right now, we get someone who will plan ahead to secure a more stable economic future for average working people (which will translate into financially stable customers for those corporations you seem to love so much)

[vanlassie]

20. False choice.

CEO OR "non-profits". Is that really what you think the only options are?

[bryant69]

22. Well there are other options of course

Acedemics, life long government employees. But given the statement about having a different ethos than making money, I just assumed. I apologize.

Bryant

[La Lioness Priyanka]

seconded.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

21. seconded.

[napi21]

7. I'm GLAD that someone actually ASKED that question!

I'd like to hear a response from EVERY CANDIDATE on taht one!

As a voter, what response would YOU want to hear from a candidate that would make you more likely to vote for him/her?

[Orsino]

11. Great. Now he's threatening us. n/t

[WiseButAngrySara]

13. They're the ones who fill his pockets ....n/t

[TheMadMonk]

14. Any CEO who would take that sort of pay cut, would almost certainly...

...be in it for "...and other valuable considerations."

[Philosoraptor]

17. His loved ones should really have an intervention with him.

He's gone gone gone.