Would you be offended if Barack Obama selected a Republican or two or three to be part of his cabinet?
Keep in mind that it is fairly rare for a president to select members of the opposite party to serve in their cabinet. George W. Bush kept Norm Mineta on as his Secretary of Transportation (he had served as Secretary of Commerce in Clinton’s last year in office). Clinton tapped moderate Maine Senator William Cohen to be his Secretary of Defense. The most notable case of a president staffing up with members of the opposite party is FDR’s 1940 decision to hire Henry Stimson as his Secretary of War and Frank Knox as his Secretary of the Navy. At the time, the Republican Party was split between isolationists (especially their leader, Robert Taft) and people that wanted to assist the enemies of Nazi Germany. FDR, through Knox and Stimson, gained badly needed bipartisan cover for policies like the Lend-Lease Act of 1941.
Likewise, Secretary Cohen calmed the Republicans when Clinton bombed Sudan and Afghanistan in an apparent ‘wag the dog’ moment during the height of his Lewinsky travails. There is some value in having a member of the opposite party in the national security team, if that member is trusted. For example, Richard Lugar is very well-respected by Republicans. Lincoln Chafee is regarded with suspicion. You can have a veneer of bipartisanship, or you can have the real thing. Also, as president, you set the policies. If you trust a member of the other party to carry out your directives and you see some advantage in having them lend credibility to your policies, I see no reason not to employ them.
Or, you can have a completely different criteria. Matt Stoller says “the only circumstance I would support a bipartisan cabinet, [would be] if you could get a Republican Senator to leave his seat to take a department.” Stoller’s criteria would rule out Richard Lugar (because he would most likely be replaced in the Senate by a Republican) and even Chuck Hagel and Lincoln Chafee (because they will both be retired). The way I see it, Obama (if elected) should pick people that are qualified, that he trusts, and that add value to his administration. The make-up of the Senate should not be a major consideration.
What say you?
Update [2008-10-7 14:55:16 by BooMan]: Continuing on with this thought experiment, let me offer you the following scenario. Let’s say that Obama has narrowed down his choice for Secretary of State to Senator Dodd of Connecticut and Senator Kerry of Massachusetts. If he chooses Kerry, the replacement will be selected by Democratic Governor Deval Patrick. If he chooses Dodd, the replacement will be selected by Republican Governor Jodi Rell. Should Obama choose the person he most trusts and feels is best qualified, or should he reject Dodd because it would cost the party a Senate seat? For me, it’s easy. Pick the one you want and worry about the Senate later.
