Labor Secretary Bernie Sanders, Anyone?

17 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

Courtesy Bernie Sanders’ Dank Meme Stash.

Politico reports, the jockeying for position in a Joe Biden administration’s Cabinet is already underway, with a big name showing interest in a big job:

Sen. Bernie Sanders is hoping to be a part of Joe Biden’s potential administration and has expressed a particular interest in becoming Labor secretary, two people familiar with the conversations tell POLITICO.

“I can confirm he’s trying to figure out how to land that role or something like it,” said one person close to the Vermont senator. “He, personally, does have an interest in it.”

…Former Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said Sanders has not talked directly with anyone on the Biden campaign about a future role, but plans to push Biden, his former Senate colleague, to “include progressive voices” in both the transition and in a potential new administration.

Labor Secretary seems like a good capstone for Bernie Sanders’ career after two well-fought presidential bids and a lifetime of fighting for the working class. Sanders’ reported interest in a Cabinet position is the first of what will become its own wave of interest and speculation over who will be tapped to serve in the likely event of Biden winning the presidency. In 2009 Barack Obama called up Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado to serve as Secretary of the Interior, creating the vacancy filled by Sen. Michael Bennet–now another sitting U.S. Senator with short-list Cabinet potential.

Don’t jinx Election Day by speculating too much, but the next generation of political turnover/advancement is just over the horizon. Colorado has plenty of talent to contribute to a Biden administration, and Colorado Democrats have a deep bench ready to move up.

17 thoughts on “Labor Secretary Bernie Sanders, Anyone?”

davebarnes says:

October 23, 2020 at 10:11 am

No.

The governor of Vermont is a GOPer.

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1. spaceman65 says:
  
  October 23, 2020 at 10:31 am
  
  That's the answer. End of discussion.
  
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  1. RepealAndReplace says:
    
    October 23, 2020 at 11:10 am
    
    Precisely. If Phil Scott loses the governorship, we can revisit this then.
    
    Same problem with Massachusetts and Warren becoming Sec. of Treasury. Maybe in 2023 but not in ’21.
    
    Besides, I don’t know why Bernie would give up being chair of Senate Budget Committee – a socialist’s dream job – to be Sec. of Labor.
    
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    1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
      
      October 23, 2020 at 11:39 am
      
      Phil Scott is not likely to lose his re-election bid. He's in the same category as Charlie Baker (R-MA) and Larry Hogan (R-MD): popular Republican governors in strong Democratic states.
      
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2Jung2Die says:

October 23, 2020 at 10:14 am

Just hope this wouldn't jeopardize balance of power in the Senate. Vermont holds special elections in case of vacancy.

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1. 2Jung2Die says:
  
  October 23, 2020 at 10:16 am
  
  Figured it might be good to post a citation from Vermont statutes:
  
  Title 17: Elections
  
  Chapter 53: Vacancies
  
  § 2621. Vacancy in office of U.S. Senator or Representative
  
  (a) If a vacancy occurs in the office of U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative, the Governor shall call a special election to fill the vacancy.
  
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  1. OpenSpace says:
    
    October 24, 2020 at 10:55 am
    
    Good to know because Leahy is no spring chicken.
    
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Moderatus says:

October 23, 2020 at 1:32 pm

Joe Biden's Communist Cabinet! So much for moderation.

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1. NOV GOP meltdown says:
  
  October 23, 2020 at 1:43 pm
  
  Your wife works for a guy who works for Putin, who was actually a leader in the Russian communist party before it crumbled. That's just sad.
  
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2. RepealAndReplace says:
  
  October 23, 2020 at 2:14 pm
  
  You actually had the audacity to crawl out of your hole and open your pie hole while your dear leader is going to lose Colorado by a bigger margin than Walker Stapleton lost two years ago.
  
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3. unnamed says:
  
  October 23, 2020 at 3:14 pm
  
  Are you just mad because your income is about to be cut in half come January 20, 2021?
  
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Conserv. Head Banger says:

October 23, 2020 at 3:06 pm

@Moderatus: you gave us eight words that say nothing. What "Communist cabinet?"

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1. unnamed says:
  
  October 23, 2020 at 3:16 pm
  
  He must be trying to master the Cory Gardner method. How to say a bunch of words that mean and convey nothing.
  
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  1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
    
    October 23, 2020 at 3:43 pm
    
    @unnamed: please clarify. Are you referring to Cory Gardner or Cardboard Cory?
    
    Asking for a friend……..
    
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    1. unnamed says:
      
      October 23, 2020 at 3:46 pm
      
      Cory Gardner. Cardboard Cory is more of a listener.
      
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      1. Duke Cox says:
        
        October 23, 2020 at 7:09 pm
        
        I didn’t think there was a WTF left in me where Cory is concerned, but this new commercial featuring John Kennedy just blew me away. Really?…Cory Gardner…statesman for the ages.
        
        Of course..his leader claims to be greater than the late, great Abraham Lincoln ( Honest Abe, we call him) so I don’t suppose it is too much of a stretch for Cory to imagine himself a peer of John Kennedy.
        
        Wait…yes it is. TOO much.! I know you Cory Gardner…and you are no John Kennedy.
        
        HT to Lloyd Bentsen
        
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MADCO says:

October 23, 2020 at 3:39 pm

House and safe states, including former whatevers who want to come back.

Castro, for example would be a good choice for many offices.

Grenita Lathan for Dept of Ed.

and so on.

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