One thing I think Obama should do immediately after the Dem convention..

[HardWorkingDem]

Is to name his cabinet as quickly as possible. And here is why: the rethuglicans are going to do every thing they can to do to make the American people think Obama will surround himself with all sorts of extreme people and "radicals." If he names them before taking office and after they are properly vetted, then the American people will clearly see he is not as radical as these nut jobs will try to make him out to be.

I also think this will allow many Americans to breath easier and also allow even more vetting to occur before the Nov election.

Not only this, if he does as he has pledged to do - possibly pick republicans for his cabinet - he can run even harder on the idea of trying to bring the country back together.

[anonymous171]

1. He's going to need at least one or two repugs, preferably RINOs.

[futureliveshere]

3. Luger anyone?

[BlooInBloo]

4. Um, no he's not.

[NJSecularist]

19. So Obama and his supporters want unity and a "new type of politics"..

.. and they won't even appoint a single Republican to Obama's cabinet?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[niyad]

5. why? that famous "reaching across the aisle" meme? sorry, I don't want

anybody associated with that party.

[immoderate]

11. I can't think of any -- can you?

What Republican would you want appointed to a government job?

--IMM

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. A moderate Republican Senator from a state with a Democratic Governor

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. In normal times, maybe, but there aren't that many left who are not

tainted by Bushco, and THAT must be avoided at all costs.

Let them EARN the good graces of the American people over time.

There are plenty of good Democrats to fill all the posts.

[anigbrowl]

20. Arnold Schwarzenegger :-)

Just kidding, but he's not actually such a bad governor. He works hard at the bipartisan thing, and he's very strong on environmental issues. He's going to be proposing very aggressive budget cuts next week, but that's not out of meanness; we've been hit really hard here by the subprime crisis, a downturn in income to Hollywood (which brings in about $35 billion a year on average - it is an important industry) and a number of other problems.

[MonkeyFunk]

2. No

Nobody names their cabinet prior to the election.

It gives the opposition and the media a dozen more targets to go after, you often don't even know who the pool of candidates is until after the election, and if you lose, you've tarnished a lot of other people.

[HardWorkingDem]

6. That is the past...it's time to be different....

Obama keeps talking about changing the way politics is done. Not only that, this is going to be a completely different race than we have ever seen. You watch - the rethuglicans are going to push the thought of he is going to surround himself with the likes of the most radical of people in the White House.

They are going to do whatever they can to scare the easily swayed and fearful white voter who, by the time they are done with their swift boating machine, will think Obama is the most extreme politician ever.

[MonkeyFunk]

7. No it's not

the points I offered are still applicable.

How could any sitting Senator accept a cabinet position? How about one up for reelection? You don't know the pool of candidates until after the election.

You can't give the media and your opponenet a dozen more people to scrutinize and attack. Who needs a story about your Secretary of the Interior's nanny's social security not being paid to break the day before the election?

And a lot of candidates wouldn't accept the job on a provisional basis, because of Obama loses, they're tarnished.

[HardWorkingDem]

17. Well, all I can suggest is mark this thread for later reading because...

this tactic will be used by the rethuglicans.....

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. Thanks for the concern, but there are plenty of well worn ways

of suggesting potential cabinets without naming anyone. And he is well aware of that.

"...the easily swayed and fearful white voter..." You are aware, if you applied such broad generalizations to any other demographic you'd be accused of racism.

[HardWorkingDem]

15. What?

How is it racist to suggest the Republicans ARE going to try to persuade white Americans that if Obama is elected he will select the most radical of people to be on his cabinet? This is what they will be doing and as a matter of fact, have been doing during the primaries.

And there will be white voters who will be persuaded and fear just such a thing. Hell, look at the idiots who still think Obama is a Muslim and who has favorable thoughts of Hamas.

[DB1]

9. Agreed. And what republican in his right mind would agree before the election.....

to a dem cabinet post.

[JVS]

10. yeah. there would be constant dirt digging on the people named

[newmajority]

8. Exactly where would you put Republicans in the cabinet?

I understand the theoretical reasons for doing so, but considering that 99.99999999% of Republicans are wrong on everything in recent years, how many useful Republicans can you find.

Chuck Hagel, for example.... while he may have joined the rational portion of the human race when it comes to his opinion of Chimp/PNAC foreign policy, it does not change the fact that he is one of the architects of the electro-fraud "voting" system which made PNAC's takeover of the government possible in the first place. In what capacity could he be trusted?

Lincoln Chaffee might be a good pick for something, but he's so out of step with the neo-Pukes that he quit the party.

[HardWorkingDem]

16. Well, who says...

everyone he decides to pick has to be strictly politicians?

[Catherina]

18. Who are picks for Economy

I need the info for some Bush-tired Republicans at work who think McCain will be better. Thanks