Calling the election, Associated Press and all major networks declared 77-year-old former Vice President Joe Biden president-elect, with only 74-year-old President Donald Trump and his diehard faithful not caught up that the 2020 presidential election is over. But Covdi-19 or not, Trump predicted correctly that universal mail-in ballots would do him in, not necessarily for the reasons he thinks but for getting the biggest election turnout in U.S. history. Whether there was some fraud or not, the overwhelmingly large turnout brought millions of new voters into the fold, beating Trump and the Republican Party with its historic registration disadvantage. Let there be no mistake, the sheer volume of Democrat, independent and crossover votes did Trump in. When you consider how competitive the race, it’s a testament to how fiercely Trump battled in the campaign’s final days.
Now Biden’s transition team gets to work, as they have for some time, picking a Cabinet to run his Democrat government. “We’re not waiting to get the work done and to start the process,” Biden said today in Wilmington, De. Most of Biden’s glamorous jobs like Secretary of State, Defense Secretary and Attorney General are up for grabs with some old an new faces popping up. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was named as a possible Treasury Secretary, despite possible opposition from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should he stay in power. With two Georgia GOP Senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler facing runoffs, it’s possible that Biden won’t have to pick a moderate or consensus candidates. But Biden has made the hallmark of his 2020 campaign to bring the country together, showings signs that he’ll resist pressure from his Party’s left wing.
So given Biden’s pledge to reach out to both sides, Warren is an unlikely pick for Treasury Secretary. Looking far more likely is 58-year-old Lael Brainard, currently serving the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Brainard was an undersecretary of the Treasury under former President Barack Obama. When it comes Secretary of State, 55-year-old former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice would be a top pick, except for her baggage with unmasking Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn when they were wiretapping Trump’s campaign. If McConnell remains Senate Majority Leader, Biden could have some problems with Rice. On the other hand, 58-year-old long-time Biden foreign policy adviser Tony Blinken could be a moderate alterative or candidate for National Security Adviser. While Sen. Chris Coons (R-Md.) is mentioned, he’s needed in the Senate, though his replacement would be Democrat.
Frontrunner for Defense Secretary is Michele Flournoy, who worked in the Defense Department for 74-year-old former President Bill Clinton and for Obama. Serving as a adviser to former Defense Secretaries Robert Gates and Leon Panetta. Flourney would be the first woman Defense Secretary in U.S. history and is the odds on favorite, with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Il.) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I. distant seconds. When it comes to Attorney General, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Al.), defeated Nov. 3 by Tommy Tuberville (R-Al.), is considered a frontrunner but could be replaced by 59-year-old Democratic National Committee Chairman and former Obama Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, putting a Latino in Biden’s Cabinet. Favored for Secretary of Homeland Security, 60-year-old former Obama deputy secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Rounding out Biden’s Cabinet picks, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) is considered the favorite for Secretary of Health and Human Services, with former Obama Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy a distant second. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, 49, looks like the favorite for Transportation Secretary. Former 64-year-old Hewlett Packard [HP] and Ebay CEO Meg Whitman, a former Republican candidate for Calif. governor, is considered a favorite for Commerce Secretary. Former Obama Energy Secretary 75-year-old Ernest Moniz might get his old job back but 51-year-old former Obama Deputy Secretary of Energy and Georgia Institute of Technology Prof. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall would be a better pick. New Mexico Sen. 72-year-old Tom Udall looks like the favorite for Interior Secretary Former 65-year-old Sen. Heidi Heitcamp (D-N.D.) looks like a shoe-in for Agricultural Secretary.
California’s Secretary of Labor and Workplace Julie Su looks like the favorite for Labor Secretary, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt. ) less likely because Bernie’s better served pushing hard for his socialist agenda in the U.S. Senate. Replacing Dr. Ben Carson at Housing and Urban Development looks like 58-year-old former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. Taking the baton from Betsy Devos, 65-year-old National Education Association [NEA] President Lily Ekelsen-Garcia looks like the favorite for Education Secretary, with Stanford Education Prof. Lind Darling-Hammond a distant second. Former 38-year-old South Bend Mayor and Democrat Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has been named for Veterans Affairs Secretary but not certain. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), 45, looks like a favorite for U.S. Trade Representative with 71-year-old former Obama Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman favored for U.N. Ambassador.
