This probably won't be long enough to actually qualify as a diary, but I wanted to start some discussion about the next Secretary of the Treasury. As you may know Tim Geitner is not expected to continue in the office in a second Obama administration. One of the names being mentioned is Erskine Bowles, of the infamous Catfood Commission.
This should be completely unacceptable to progressives. We clearly need to do two things.
First, we need a DailyKos campaign to make it clear to the Obama Administration that a nomination Bowles is DOA in the Senate. With all the newly-elected progressive senators, there is clearly a blocking minority in the Democratic caucus.
Second, we need an alternative candidate who embodies progressive values. I would ask my fellow progressives to consider Brad Delong. He is a Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley. He and Paul Krugman have campaigned tirelessly since the economic crisis for progressive Keynesian responses to the economic crisis. (BTW Paul Krugman would be a great Sec Tres, but is definitely not interested in the job.)
Brad is also a strong Democrat. This is, as with many others, mostly a response to the growing irrationality of the Republican party. In addition, he has the credentials expected of someone in a Cabinet position. He has both a BA and PhD from Harvard. He has prior sub-Cabinet experience in the Clinton Administration. He is a friend and protege of Larry Summers. In fact, he and Summers have a recent paper pointing out that stimulus spending will do more to reduce the deficit than austerity.