Cabinet Watch

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boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126

bozack

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2000
7,913
12
81
Originally posted by: boomerang
Jump in Cramer haters. He doesn't like Geithner one bit.

?The man should be facing a Senate investigation,? Cramer said, ?not a Senate confirmation hearing.?

CNBC had some people on from financial firms asking about their thoughts on Geithner. They were smiling ear to ear and could barely contain themselves they were so excited. I am not exaggerating.

I got the impression they were like, maybe, really good friends of his. Bend over kids.

LOL - not usually the biggest cramer fan but this was funny, so not surprised by yet another poor choice by Obama.
 

bozack

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2000
7,913
12
81
Originally posted by: loki8481
Clinton Decides to Accept Post at State Dept

I don't get it, but maybe that's why I'm a mid-level schmuck who'd kill for an entry level job at state and she's the new Sec. of State :laugh:

I don't get it either Loki, if I had her current gig there is no way I would dump it to be one of Obama's lackeys unless she is going to try and undermine him at every juncture.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Originally posted by: boomerang
Jump in Cramer haters. He doesn't like Geithner one bit.

?The man should be facing a Senate investigation,? Cramer said, ?not a Senate confirmation hearing.?

CNBC had some people on from financial firms asking about their thoughts on Geithner. They were smiling ear to ear and could barely contain themselves they were so excited. I am not exaggerating.

I got the impression they were like, maybe, really good friends of his. Bend over kids.
Watching his show now. Looks like his attitude toward Geithner has mellowed considerably. I'm just doing some fair and impartial reporting here.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
Originally posted by: bozack
Originally posted by: boomerang
Jump in Cramer haters. He doesn't like Geithner one bit.

?The man should be facing a Senate investigation,? Cramer said, ?not a Senate confirmation hearing.?

CNBC had some people on from financial firms asking about their thoughts on Geithner. They were smiling ear to ear and could barely contain themselves they were so excited. I am not exaggerating.

I got the impression they were like, maybe, really good friends of his. Bend over kids.

LOL - not usually the biggest cramer fan but this was funny, so not surprised by yet another poor choice by Obama.

How have any of his choices been poor?This is an honest question Matt, I'm no expert but from what I've read they all seem to be decent or outstanding choices. Educate me if you will.
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,839
2,625
136
The tinfoil hat and Jim Cramer types aside, I think you find most intelligent people are pretty happy with Geithner as Sec of Treasury. The current head of the New York branch of the Fed Reserve, he will have no learning curve to catching up with what the issues are on the ground.

The stock market shot up roughly 500 points on the news of his nomination, which is not a bad sign.

Frankly I've been pretty happy with Obama's choices. Intelligance, nondoctrinaire (excluding perhaps Hillary) and motivated to do good for the country-it's going to be a real refreshing change of both direction and pace.

Edit: PS-NPR was reporting tonight that Richardson is probably going to be named Secretary of Commerce. Personally I was hoping he would be National Security Advisor.
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
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Originally posted by: Thump553
The tinfoil hat and Jim Cramer types aside, I think you find most intelligent people are pretty happy with Geithner as Sec of Treasury. The current head of the New York branch of the Fed Reserve, he will have no learning curve to catching up with what the issues are on the ground.

The stock market shot up roughly 500 points on the news of his nomination, which is not a bad sign.

Frankly I've been pretty happy with Obama's choices. Intelligance, nondoctrinaire (excluding perhaps Hillary) and motivated to do good for the country-it's going to be a real refreshing change of both direction and pace.

Edit: PS-NPR was reporting tonight that Richardson is probably going to be named Secretary of Commerce. Personally I was hoping he would be National Security Advisor.

James Jones is being talked about for national security advisor.. I had heard him mentioned as possible SoS but looking at his biography I think he would be a good fit
 

nergee

Senior member
Jan 25, 2000
843
0
0
..."The stock market shot up roughly 500 points on the news of his nomination, which is not a bad sign. "...

No, the stock market rallied today because it's short-term oversold, not because of any news.

The market moves the news; the news doesn't move the market.

The rally was pronounced because it's a typical bear-market panic-buying rally, fueled by short-covering. It's how markets work.

People never learn.
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,839
2,625
136
The market was absolutely dormant until about 3:00 PM, it had blipped up and down a little all day and was down about 90 points when this announcement was made. The market immediately shot up for the last hour, closing almost 500 points up for the day.

I won't dispute that the market was oversold (as it was the end of yesterday as well), or that this announcement was very much anticipated (but not the timing) or that in all likelihood the market was hunting for a reason-any reason-to have a short term rally, but it is beyond argument that this announcement was the catalyst for today's rally. I think the rally occured because Obama chose someone already intimately involved in the bailout, and a solid, pragmatic known quantity.
 

bozack

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2000
7,913
12
81
Originally posted by: Red Dawn
How have any of his choices been poor?This is an honest question Matt, I'm no expert but from what I've read they all seem to be decent or outstanding choices. Educate me if you will.

Red, count me as a tinfoil hat that doesn't feel these Clinton holdovers really represent anything "good", the candidate who ran on change is giving the country anything but, unless you're solely talking about a change away from a conservative regime, which isn't what I think the majority were buying into with this election....if he was looking at relatively new faces, or reaching across the aisle then that to me would represent change...but appointing long standing liberals into these positions is business as usual as far as I am concerned.

But time will tell, my biggest fear is that the taxpaying working/middle/upper middle class is going to pay dearly with this administration....we shall see what really happens.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
Originally posted by: bozack
Originally posted by: Red Dawn
How have any of his choices been poor?This is an honest question Matt, I'm no expert but from what I've read they all seem to be decent or outstanding choices. Educate me if you will.

Red, count me as a tinfoil hat that doesn't feel these Clinton holdovers really represent anything "good", the candidate who ran on change is giving the country anything but, unless you're solely talking about a change away from a conservative regime, which isn't what I think the majority were buying into with this election....if he was looking at relatively new faces, or reaching across the aisle then that to me would represent change...but appointing long standing liberals into these positions is business as usual as far as I am concerned.

But time will tell, my biggest fear is that the taxpaying working/middle/upper middle class is going to pay dearly with this administration....we shall see what really happens.
Fair enough. I remember when Bush first picked his Cabinet some were saying it was an All Star cast but what looked good on paper didn't turn out to be so hot. Like you said, time will tell.
 

nergee

Senior member
Jan 25, 2000
843
0
0
..."I think the rally occured because Obama chose someone already intimately involved in the bailout,
and a solid, pragmatic known quantity."...

Geithner is just another Keynesian stooge who has been in lockstep with Paulson
to make sure the looting of the taxpayer continues.
 

miketheidiot

Lifer
Sep 3, 2004
11,060
1
0
Originally posted by: bozack
Originally posted by: Red Dawn
How have any of his choices been poor?This is an honest question Matt, I'm no expert but from what I've read they all seem to be decent or outstanding choices. Educate me if you will.

Red, count me as a tinfoil hat that doesn't feel these Clinton holdovers really represent anything "good", the candidate who ran on change is giving the country anything but, unless you're solely talking about a change away from a conservative regime, which isn't what I think the majority were buying into with this election....if he was looking at relatively new faces, or reaching across the aisle then that to me would represent change...but appointing long standing liberals into these positions is business as usual as far as I am concerned.

But time will tell, my biggest fear is that the taxpaying working/middle/upper middle class is going to pay dearly with this administration....we shall see what really happens.

most of these people are pretty moderate. Hillary for instance is not a foreign policy liberal
 

bozack

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2000
7,913
12
81
Originally posted by: miketheidiot

most of these people are pretty moderate. Hillary for instance is not a foreign policy liberal

Define moderate? I would say Hillary is pretty "progressive" when it comes to social programs and taxation, and as Nergee and Cramer said, Geithner is in bed with those who are pro bailout...meaning responsible taxpayers are going to be paying a big big price for the errors of others.
 

sunzt

Diamond Member
Nov 27, 2003
3,076
3
81
Originally posted by: bozack
Originally posted by: miketheidiot

most of these people are pretty moderate. Hillary for instance is not a foreign policy liberal

Define moderate? I would say Hillary is pretty "progressive" when it comes to social programs and taxation, and as Nergee and Cramer said, Geithner is in bed with those who are pro bailout...meaning responsible taxpayers are going to be paying a big big price for the errors of others.

Well Hillary isn't Health and Human services, so I expect each pick is going to be focused on their job position. Ie: Hillary wouldn't get much pull in healthcare reform. At least that's what I hope.
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
Eric Holder is a huge gun control proponent. Looks like maybe all those people buying up firearms before Obama takes office weren't so crazy after all.

Personally I'll be stocking up with what I want now. I have a suspicion I won't be able to purchase them by this time next year.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
Defense Secretary Said to Be Staying On

President-elect Barack Obama has decided to keep Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in a show of bipartisan continuity in a time of war, the first time a Pentagon chief has been carried over from a president of a different party, Democrats close to the transition said Tuesday.

Mr. Obama?s advisers were near an agreement with Mr. Gates to stay on for perhaps a year, and they expect to announce the decision as early as next week along with other members of the president-elect?s national security team, the Democrats said. The two sides in recent days have been working out particulars about how Mr. Gates would wield authority in a new administration.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes...d-to-be-staying-on/?hp
 

alchemize

Lifer
Mar 24, 2000
11,486
0
0
Breaking news:

Barack Obama's choice for secretary of education is Arne Duncan, the head of Chicago public schools, a source tells CNN.

Oof...I haven't been in the Chicago area for years now, but I can't imagine things have improved there...

Never heard of Duncan, will have to see what the scoop is...
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Woohooo!!! Steven Chu: Secretary of Energy! Obama selected an actual scientist instead of a political crony.

"Steven Chu, who won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics and now directs the government?s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, will head the Energy Department."

Hopefully this brings an end to the idiotic notions of hydrogen cars, and also hopefully, let's stop turning food into fuel for our vehicles.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Since the OP doesn't seem to update much:

Here are people Obama has chosen or is said to be considering for key posts. Many remain subject to vetting and Senate confirmation before taking office.

SECRETARY OF ENERGY

- Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics, was announced Monday as Obama's choice for secretary of energy. Chu was an early advocate for finding scientific solutions to climate change and guided the Lawrence Berkeley laboratory to become the world leader in alternative and renewable energy research.

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT COORDINATOR

- Carol Browner, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton administration, was named to a new position coordinating White House policy on energy, climate and environmental issues. The new position was expected to spearhead climate change policy.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR

- Lisa Jackson has served as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection in New Jersey and was named to hold a similar U.S. position in the Obama administration. Jackson worked at the EPA for 16 years at the headquarters in Washington and in New York City.

SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

- Shaun Donovan, the head of New York's housing department, was nominated by Obama to run the department charged with providing affordable housing to all Americans. The Harvard-educated Donovan worked in the department under former President Bill Clinton and has focused his career mainly on affordable housing issues.

SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

- Tom Daschle, a key early supporter and savvy former U.S. Senate leader, has been selected by Obama as secretary of health and human services. The high-profile selection signals that the push to extend health coverage to the 46 million uninsured Americans will be a high priority for Obama.

SECRETARY OF STATE

- New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's former Democratic Party rival for the White House, was named to the top diplomatic post. The move is seen as part of Obama's effort to rebuild America's reputation abroad. Aides have said Obama admires Clinton's work ethic and also believes the former first lady's star power would boost his vision of improving America's global standing.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

- Current Defense Secretary Robert Gates, named by President George W. Bush in late 2006, is considered a moderate voice on the Republican's national security team and embodies an important signal of continuity. Obama had said early on he would include Republicans in his Cabinet and the 65-year-old Gates has been lauded by members of both parties since taking over the Pentagon from Donald Rumsfeld.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

- Retired Marine Gen. James Jones, the former top operational commander of NATO, was named by Obama to be his national security adviser. Jones is widely respected by both Democrats and Republicans and has avoided aligning himself with either party but is known to have been a strong critic of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

- Eric Holder, a former Justice Department official in the Clinton administration, will run the Justice Department. Holder has been a senior legal advisor to Obama's campaign and helped vet his vice presidential candidates.

HOMELAND SECURITY

- Janet Napolitano, the Democratic governor of Arizona, was named to head the U.S. Homeland Security Department, a sprawling agency formed to bolster civil defense following the Sept. 11 attacks.

TREASURY SECRETARY

- Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, is Obama's choice for the Treasury Department, making him Obama's point person in dealing with the economic crisis. Geithner has helped lead efforts to stabilize financial markets and argued that banks crucial to the global financial system should operate under a unified regulatory framework.

NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL

- Lawrence Summers, 53, has been chosen to head the council. He was Treasury secretary for the final 1 1/2 years of the Clinton administration and has been a senior adviser to Obama for several months, helping to guide his response to the financial meltdown.

COMMERCE SECRETARY

- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, 61, a former U.N. ambassador and energy secretary during the Clinton administration, had been an early supporter of Obama after dropping his own presidential ambitions. Richardson's appointment makes him the first Hispanic leader nominated to the Obama Cabinet.