Everyone's talking about Obama's running mate. But who would you like to see in an Obama cabinet?
Today you can vote on the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Also, the previous rounds are still open for voting. More below the fold.
For all of you have been following these polls, I just wanted to let you know that I changed the system of the polls. The problem is that up to Sec. of Labor all polls were won by white men. It is as unrealistic as can be that we'd actually have a cabinet in which all the top positions were held by white men. It's not the 60s anymore. So the Obama Cabinet polls will have to change a little.
What I will do from now on:
I will still poll all positions and the initial polls for all positions are reopened. So you can still vote for State, AG, etc. In the end, I will look at all poll results and will compile five different cabinets including your favorite candidates from each poll (plus a wildcard where necessary). The diversity of the US population will be reflected in each cabinet. And you then get to vote on each cabinet as a whole.
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You can still vote in the following polls. Here are the links:
Please note: candidates who had won earlier polls were not included in subsequent polls. Those candidates (Richardson, Edwards) may now get wildcards.
Secretary of State (Bill Richardson will get a wildcard)
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior (Les AuCoin's vote total will not count due to ridiculously obvious and stupid poll stuffing)
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor (Robert Reich and John Edwards will receive a wildcard)
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urband Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
You can vote in one or all of these polls. I just ask you to please only vote once.
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Here's the list of current cabinet positions and cabinet level administration offices that will be polled in the coming weeks:
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security
White House Chief of Staff
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Director of the National Drug Control Policy
United States Trade Representative
Who will be included: a maximum of 15 candidates (max number of positions in Dkos polls), I'll try to make each round as diverse as possible, always keeping in mind competence and knowledge required for the respective position. Therefore, I'll include men and women, minorities, sitting and former elected officials, appointed officials, academics, people from the non-profit and private sectors, Obama as well as Clinton supporters, and, yes, also Republicans and Independents.
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Today's candidates for Secretary of Veterans Affairs are (in alphabetical order, links lead to bio):
ret. Gen. Wesley Clark (AR) - fmr. Presidential Candidate, member of the VoteVets.org Board of Advisors
fmr. Sen. Max Cleland (GA) - disabled Vietnam War Veteran, fmr. administrator of the United States Veterans Administration
Tammy Duckworth (IL) - disabled Iraq War Veteran, Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, member of the VoteVets.org Board of Advisors
Ret. Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton - member of the VoteVets.org Board of Advisors
John Garcia (NM) - Secretary of the New Mexico Veterans Services Department
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD) - Chairwoman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee
Elaine Kamarck - Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, fmr. White House official, member of the VoteVets.org Board of Advisors
fmr. Sen. Bob Kerrey (NE) - fmr. Gov. of Nebraska, fmr. US Senator, Vietnam War veteran, member of the VoteVets.org Board of Advisors
John Keys (TN) - Tennessee Commissioner of Veterans Affairs
Lawrence Korb - fmr. Assistant Sec. of Defense, Sen. Fellow at the Center for American Progress, member of the VoteVets.org Board of Advisors
Rep. Patrick Murphy (PA) - Iraq War Veteran, member of the VoteVets.org Board of Advisors
Sen. Patty Murray (WA) - member of the US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
Paul Rieckhoff (NY) - Iraq War Veteran, founder and Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Jon Soltz - Iraq War Veteran, Chairman and Co-founder of VoteVets.org
fmr. Sec. Togo West - fmr. Sec. of the Army, fmr. Sec. of Veterans Affairs
I would also like to ask you to nominate candidates for all cabinet positions not yet polled, for several of them I'm still well short of 15 candidates.
Also: if I don't get nominations for Director of the National Drug Control Policy I won't be polling it.
Enjoy voting!