Biden's Cabinet Will Suck-- But, As In All Things, Not As Badly As Trump's... And Looking Ahead To The 2022 Midterms

In 2008, John McCain's first choice for a running mate was Joe Lieberman, one of the only Democrats who could make a credible argument that he was the more conservative Joe among Dems, not Biden. They were both detestable senators and Lieberman was eventually kicked out of the party by the grassroots, even with the Democratic establishment sticking with him through his trials and tribulations. But McCain was talked out of selecting him by one of today's top #NeverTrumps, Steven Schmidt, who thought-- incorrectly, as he would tell you himself now-- that Sarah Palin would be the best choice.

The only time-- as far as I know-- that a presidential candidate chose someone from the other party as his running mate was in 1864, when Abe Lincoln dumped vice president Hannibal Hamlin (R-ME) for Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, in the name of national unity. When Lincoln was assassinated, Johnson became president, a disaster for the country and especially for the recently freed slaves, with whom he had no sympathy at all and against whose interests he worked tirelessly. He was impeached in 1868 but avoided being tossed out of office by one Senate vote. That same year, he lost the Democratic Party nomination for president and is remembered in history as one of America's worst presidents, some even say worse than Trump, although, obviously that's impossible.

It's much easier-- and more traditional-- for presidents to put members of the other party in their cabinets. Even Trump did as much-- if you want to count Michael Flynn and Peter Navarro as Democrats (they technically were). Obama appointed a ton of Republicans to his cabinet: Robert Gates (Secretary of Defense), Ray LaHood (Secretary of Transportation), Chuck Hagel (Secretary of Defense), Robert McDonald (Secretary of Veterans Affairs) and appointed Ben Bernanke as chair of the Fed and Jerome Powell as a member. George W. Bush's token Democrat was Norm Minetta (Secretary of Transportation). Bill Clinton gave Alan Greenspan the FED chair, made William Cohen secretary of defense and appointed Republicans Michael Chertoff, William Sessions, Sheila Bair, David Gergen, Lois Freeh, and John Negroponte to important sub-cabinet positions. Reagan had a fake-Dem, William Bennett, as Secretary of Education and another fake-Dem, Keane Kirkpatrick as UN ambassador. Jimmy Carter appointed Republican James Schlesinger as Secretary of Energy. Nixon had fake-Dem John Connally as Treasury Secretary. And JFK appointed Robert McNamara Secretary of Defense, Douglas Dillon Secretary of the Treasury, John McCone director of the CIA, McGeorge Bundy National Security Advisor and Christian Herter U.S. Trade Rep.

I predict that Biden's administration will be the most bipartisan in living memory. All these Republicans for Biden groups know what they're doing and many of the principals are top political players. If Jaime Harrison defeats Lindsey Graham in November-- not likely, but not impossible-- I wouldn't be surprised to see Graham get a top job, maybe even Secretary of Defense! Rahm Emanuel is so happy he's peeing in his tutu. Yesterday BuzzFeed reporter Henry Gomez looked into the motivations behind Kasich's DNC speech last night. Basically, after spending decades trying and failing to "shape and reshape" the Republican Party, Kasich would now like to help shape and reshape the Democratic Party. Most Democrats say "Screw you!" Gomez quoted a veteran Democratic operative who has experience in Ohio: "Maybe we shouldn’t have guys who tried to break unions and put gag orders on rape crisis counselors speak at our convention?"

Kasich’s welcome endorsement and the overall programming of the convention say a lot about Biden’s vision for the Democratic Party he now leads. Viewers may get a minute of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the young New York lawmaker who excites progressives, but they’ll also hear from John Kerry, an elder of the establishment. And Kasich is sharing a night with Sen. Bernie Sanders-- a democratic socialist and the runner-up for this year’s nomination-- in a scheduling move intended to demonstrate Biden’s ideology-spanning support.

“I think both parties have to have new ideas, and I think this country is moderate,” said Kasich, winding up to a gentle criticism of Ocasio-Cortez. “People on the extreme, whether they're on the left or on the right, they get outsized publicity that tends to define their party. You know, I listen to people all the time make these statements, and because AOC gets outsized publicity doesn't mean she represents the Democratic Party. She's just a part, just some member of it. And it's on both sides, whether it's the Republicans or whether it's the Democrats.”

...Kasich describes his alliance with Biden and the Democrats as a “team of rivals”-- a phrase borrowed from the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and her book on Abraham Lincoln’s Cabinet. Kasich acknowledged that his convention speech, which he prerecorded from Westerville, Ohio, will raise speculation that he might be in line for a post in Biden’s Cabinet.

“People say, ‘Well, he must have been promised something or he must have received something.’ I haven't been promised anything, nor have I received anything,” he said.

“I'd be more than glad to advise, but I'm not going back to Washington,” Kasich added. “Could you imagine my being Secretary of Commerce? I mean, I wouldn't survive. I'll try to keep my voice out there. And look, you know, we'll just see how it goes. Let's just see how it goes.”

When convention delegates-- the majority of whom are Biden delegates of course were asked to react to the statement, "We should support a comprehensive single-payer, government-run insurance system that eliminates all copays and deductibles, is not tied to employment, and does not require payment at the point of service," 75.3% agreed. And when asked to react to the statement "We should support expanding the current healthcare system to Medicare for All that is comprehensive in its coverage," 75.2% agreed. Remember, Biden threatened, during the primaries, that if Congress passes Medicare-for-All, he'd veto it. (But not as meanly as Trump?)

Yesterday, at Too Much Information, Andrew Perez and David Sirota wrote that Biden's team-- i.e., the Democratic Party-- is signaling a post-election cave to the GOP and the sickness industrial complex on health care.

On the eve of a Democratic National Convention taking place as millions lose health care coverage, the health care industry is launching a new ad campaign pressing Democrats to back off the party’s already compromised health care promises. That pressure seems to be having its intended effect on Capitol Hill as congressional aides say the party will not push the initiative if Biden wins. The signs of retreat come as health care industry profits are skyrocketing and the industry’s campaign cash has flooded into Democratic coffers.

The Partnership for America’s Health Care Future (PAHCF)-- a front group created by health insurance, pharmaceutical and hospital lobbying groups to oppose “Medicare for All”--  announced on Friday that it is launching a new national ad campaign to persuade Democrats to abandon their plans to create a public health insurance plan. The group said it will run ads during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this week. PAHCF is led by a former Hillary Clinton aide and run out of the offices of a D.C. lobbying firm led by former top Democratic congressional aides.

A substantial “public option” plan-- which polls show is wildly popular-- was the centerpiece of recent policy negotiations between supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had been pushing for a more expansive Medicare for All program. A draft of the party platform, approved by DNC members late last month, includes a pledge to pass a public option, or a government-run health insurance plan that would compete with private insurers.

Within 24 hours of the launch of the industry’s new ads, however, anonymous Democratic congressional sources were telling The Hill that Democrats likely won’t bother with the public option fight next year if Biden wins the election. Instead, they said the party will instead work to tweak the party’s 2010 health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has done little to limit insurance or hospital costs and has failed to ensure universal coverage.

A DWT prediction: Biden won't be as bad a president as Trump but within a year, people will be hoping he dies and Kamala takes over. The Democratic-controlled Senate will be barely better than the Republican-controlled Senate in terms of getting anything done for working families. Pelosi's larger but impotent House majority-- where the Republican wing of the party will be dominant-- will also accomplish absolutely nothing the voters want. The result: massive Democratic losses in the 2022 midterms, massive enough to dwarf 2010.

This is a good ad and worth watching again. I'm just wondering if California GOP congressmembers Kevin McCarthy, Devin Nunes, Doug LaMalfa, Crooked Ken Calvert, Tom McClintock, Mike Garcia and former Reps Darrell Issa and David Valadao (nothing trying for come-backs) have had the guts to comment on Señor Trumpanzee's statement about cutting off FEMA funds to California yet. What would happen after an earthquake if that asshole wins again? Miles Taylor, the fellow in this video told ABC News that he's "not going to mention any other names yet, but the president can expect that in the coming weeks and months he is going to hear from more people that served in his administration," calling this video an "opening salvo" and making it clear there are other Republicans who will be saying similar things about Trump's corruption, dysfunction, incompetence and unsuitability for public office.