A diary entry was posted
yesterday night speculating on a potential composition of a John Kerry cabinet. When looking over the conjectured lists, it struck me that they were very short on women and minorities (as several others noted in the thread), short on Kerry campaign supporters, long on nomination rivals and sentimental favorites (Howard Dean won't be in a Kerry cabinet - count on it), and indifferent to political calculations.
Anyhow, this has been on my mind so I gave it some thought and I've come up with my own list that I think will likely reflect what a Kerry cabinet will look like (the faces may be different, but the basic profile will be very close).
A John Kerry administration:
President: John F. Kerry (D-MA)
Vice President: Bob Graham (D-FL)
This was a tough call between Bob Graham and Bill Richardson but I chose Bob Graham because he has executive experience as governor of Florida, regional/electoral appeal for the same reason, a strong record on national defense/foreign policy affairs, and provides the greatest ideological balance for the general election.
Secretary of State: Bill Richardson (D-NM)
Gives us the first Latino Secretary of State and receives the prime cabinet appointment in a group otherwise slim on Latinos. Richard Holbrooke seems to get a lot of buzz for SoS but he offers nothing more in terms of experience and far, far less in terms of political appeal.
Secretary of Treasury: Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
This was both a difficult and an effortless choice. It was difficult in the obvious sense that Olympia Snowe is a Republican and if my guesses are incorrect, then this will be someone else. It was easy in the sense that once I arrived at my assumptions on how Kerry would want to put together a Cabinet, Snowe was an obvious choice.
For one thing, Kerry will no doubt want to appoint women to high-ranking Cabinet positions. We may rule out SoS because Madeleine Albright was already the first woman SoS and there is not an obvious contender. We may rule out Attorney General because Janet Reno was already the first woman Attorney General, and because that will almost certainly go to an African American (more on that in a moment). That leaves three of the top five Cabinet departments, two of which I will bet will be women appointees in a Dem administration.
Now, Olympia Snowe presents several recommending factors. She sits on the Commerce and Finance committees. She chairs the Small Business Committee. She is a 'Gypsy Moth' with quite moderate economic views (probably very close to Kerry's), she provides the bipartisan factor, and finally her appointment would open up a Senate seat that the Democrats would have an excellent chance of picking up.
Secretary of Defense: Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy (D-VA)
Another choice that is both difficult and effortless. First, nothing would make a bigger splash than the first female Secretary of Defense. Second, I would pretty much bet that Claudia Kennedy (a Kerry campaign advisor) will be either Secretary of Defense or Secretary of Homeland Security. Third, if a woman is to be appointed Secretary of Defense (and I think Condi's tenure as NSA no longer makes this at all as unthinkable as it would have once been) General Kennedy is the self-evident choice.
That being said, Kerry may shy away from such a groundbreaking choice and place General Kennedy somewhere else. If so, I am inclined to go with Solomon Ortiz from the House Armed Services Committee to add another high-profile Latino to the administration. He is a Clark supporter however but if that's not a deal-breaker it would make sense (with Kennedy at Homeland Security instead of Gary Hart). It won't be Sam Nunn..
Attorney General: John Conyers (D-MI)
An African-American as the next Democratic Attorney General is almost a no-brainer. Particularly after the prominence of Powell and Rice in the Bush administration, there must be an African American in one of the top five cabinet posts. John Conyers is Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee and also helps make up for a possible dearth of Midwestern appointees.
Perhaps if an African-American heads the Pentagon, then a non-minority could end up here. An African-American Attorney General would also greatly help move the country forward in terms of race relations (profiling, unfair death penalty, etc). Other potential contenders that come to mind are former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk. There's probably someone I have overlooked.
Secretary of Homeland Security: Gary Hart (D-CO)
An early and strong Kerry supporter with a great deal of stature in security and intelligence affairs. Served on the Church Committee, founded the Military Reform Caucus, co-chaired the U.S. Commission on National Security. A possibility for SecDef or SoS as well (esp. if Richardson is the running mate).
Secretary of Interior: Mark Udall (D-CO)
This one is fairly open-ended but a Western Democrat is likely and most of the alternatives I could think of are Senators. It's possible this could be Max Baucus (MT) if a Democrat becomes governor or maybe Jeff Bingaman (NM) if he wants it. Or, this could be a big surprise. Mark Udall is a Kerry supporter however, seems to be getting restless in the House, and serves on a number of related committees (Resources, Agriculture, Forests, National Parks, Environment, Space).
Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack (D-IA)
The support of Vilsack's organization and the implicit endorsement were a key part of Kerry's pivotal Iowa victory. Adding Agriculture Secretary to his resume would be great for a future Senate run to succeed Grassley.
Secretary of Commerce: Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN)
A very early Kerry endorsement (April 2003) and a rising star in the Democratic Party. Serves on the Budget and Financial Services Committees and is just a rather good fit here, in my view. A great addition to his resume for a future statewide campaign in Tennessee.
Secretary of Labor: Dick Gephardt (D-MO)
A harder choice than would seem the case in my final pick. Nomination rivals don't often end up in the cabinet but Gephardt has an extremely solid background (i.e. not a vanity like CMB or Kucinich), coordinated with Kerry behind-the-scenes during the campaign, and would obviously appeal to organized labor. That last point is what decided this for me because Kerry did not make it through with the support of labor and so he'll want to solidify labor's backing while picking someone with wide mainstream appeal.
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Currently out of the spotlight, so she'll want to get back into prominence. Kerry will want to reward her for her invaluable assistance in New Hampshire. Her record makes her an excellent choice to advance Kerry's health care reforms and the likely prominence of that on Kerry's domestic agenda makes the office appealing for her. She would also be a prime contender for Secretary of Education, but fits better here and I think would prefer HHS.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Antonio Villaraigosa (D-CA)
A very difficult choice and I replaced Wellington Webb at the last second. There are already two Coloradans in my mix (Hart & Udall) and not enough Latinos. Villaraigosa was an early Kerry endorsement while Webb hasn't endorsed to my knowledge (though he's friends with Kerry). Either would make excellent choices as would Loretta Sanchez and Juanity Millender-McDonald (if not at Transportation). California needs more representation, though, and that's another reason to promote Villaraigosa (I've ruled out Feinstein and Boxer for any appointment because they would have GOP replacements).
Secretary of Transportation: Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA)
The cabinet needs an African-American female and Millender-McDonald seems the obvious choice. She was an early Kerry supporter and serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (also on Small Business) on the Aviation, Highways/Transit, and Coastguard/Maritime Subcommittees.
Secretary of Energy: John Breaux (D-LA)
My choices are actually now suffering from a dearth of white men and Southerners, so here's John Breaux. Has the obvious record and interest for this appointment and his schedule will be freeing up next January.
Secretary of Education: Gary Locke (D-WA)
A choice with stature and a strong background for this appointment. Brings an Asian-American leader into the Cabinet and his endorsement of Kerry for Saturday's caucus gets rewarded. He's available and this makes sense (would not be surprised if he ends up somewhere else in the Cabinet, though).
Secretary of Veteran's Affairs: Max Cleland (D-GA)
An obvious choice for obvious reasons, if he wants it.
I also speculated on Cabinet-level positions to round things out.
Environmental Protection Agency: Robert Kennedy, Jr (D-NY)
A strong environmental advocate whose viewpoint and qualifications fit perfectly with Kerry's own strong record on the environment.
Office of Management & Budget: Robert Reich (D-MA)
An obvious choice for Budget Director if he doesn't end up at Treasury or Commerce.
US Trade Representative: Aida Alvarez (D-PR)
Brings a Latina into the administration, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, notable campaign advisor. But, may end up elsewhere in the cabinet.
United Nations Ambassador: Joe Wilson (?-DC)
A once-Republican renegade of Valerie Plame notoriety who has endorsed John Kerry and has the right qualifications. He is featured near the top of Kerry's list of endorsers on his campaign website.
National Security Advisor: Rand Beers (R-DC)
Another Republican renegade who has the relevant background and I believe is widely expected to end up here. Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for combating terrorism. Served three times on the National Security Council staff and was Deputy Political Advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs: Anthony Zinni (?-PA)
Not really sure about this, but it makes a lot of sense and there's no one more qualified and would be an acclaimed choice. Wesley Clark would be another interesting possibility, or at least the sentimental choice.
ONDCP Director (Drug Czar): David Morehouse (D-MA)
Was Director of Strategic Planning in the Clinton ONDCP under Barry McCaffrey and is now part of the Kerry campaign. This is just a random choice, but it would work
Anyhow, this is obviously very long and I don't know how many people will bother reading it, but I mostly just wanted to get it all down for my own interest. I would be quite interested in feedback!