President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet and Staff Nominees

[lpetrich]

• Jennifer Ann Abruzzo - Gnrl Cnsl of the NLRB - 50-48, 50-50, 50-50
• Kenneth Allen Polite Jr - Ass't Atty Gnrl - 57-43, 56-44
• Bonnie D. Jenkins - Udr Sec'y of State for Arms Ctrl & Int'l Security - 52-48, 52-48
• Jill Hruby - Udr Sec'y of Nuclear Security, Dep't of Energy - 79-16
• Todd Sunhwae Kim - Ass't Atty Gnrl - 54-40, 58-41
• Gwynne A. Wilcox - Member NLRB - 52-47, 52-47
• David M. Prouty - Member NLRB - 53-46, 53-46
• Ur Mendoza Jaddou - Dir US Ctznshp Immig Svcs, DHS - 50-41, 47-34
• Eunice C. Lee - US Crct Judge for 2nd Crct - 50-49, 50-47

Incomplete:

• Tracy Stone-Manning Dir Bureau of Land Mgmt 50-49 (discharged from committee)

 

[blastula]

Ambassadorships are the sleaziest and croniest of all positions, by both parties.

Rahm Emanuel grilled on Laquan McDonald murder by only one senator at confirmation hearing to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan - Chicago Sun-Times

Rahm Emanuel caught major breaks at his Wednesday Senate confirmation hearing to be President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Japan, with only one Democratic senator, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, skeptical of his handling of the Laquan McDonald murder while he was mayor and most Republicans not even bothering to show up.

Rahm Emanuel Addresses the McDonald Killing and China During His Confirmation Hearing - The New York Times

Yet it seemed clear from the start that the issue would not represent a serious impediment to his confirmation. He received words of support from several Democrats on the committee, as well as the ranking Republican, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho. He was introduced to the committee by Senator Bill Hagerty, Republican of Tennessee and a former ambassador to Japan, who argued for bipartisan approval of Mr. Emanuel.

 

[lpetrich]

Neera Tanden named White House staff secretary - POLITICO - "The former nominee to serve as White House budget director will keep her current title as senior adviser to the president."

Shalanda Young — a former staff director for the House Appropriations Committee who is popular among both Democrats and Republicans — went on to win confirmation to serve as deputy OMB director in March, and she has been leading the agency in an acting capacity since then.

Noting
Neera Tanden named White House staff secretary for President Biden - The Washington Post

Nominations:

• James Richard Kvaal - Udr Sec'y of Education - 55-37, 58-37
• David G. Estudillo - US Dist Judge for W Dist of WA - 52-42, 54-41
• Angel Kelley - US Dist Judge for Dist of MA - 52-43, 52-44
• Veronica S. Rossman - US Crct Judge for 10th Crct - 51-44, 50-42
• Margaret Irene Strickland - US Dist Judge for Dist of NM - 52-46, 52-45
• Rohit Chopra - Dir Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - 49-48, 50-50, 50-48
• Lily Lawrence Batchelder - Ass't Sec'y of Treasury - 63-35, 64-34
• Jayme Ray White - Dep US Trade Rep - 78-20, 80-18
• Florence Y. Pan - US Dist Judge for DC - 66-27, 68-30
• Sarah Bianchi - Dep US Trade Rep - 85-13, 85-11
• Daniel J. Kritenbrink - Ass't Sec'y of State (E Asian, Pacific) - 77-18, 72-14
• Karen Erika Donfried - Ass't Sec'y of State (Europe, Eurasia) - 65-21, 73-26
• Monica P. Medina - Ass't Sec'y of State (Oceans, Int'l Env Sci) - 57-26, 61-36
• Mary Catherine Phee - Ass't Sec'y of State (Africa) - 58-28, 67-31
• Todd D. Robinson - Ass't Sec'y of State (Int'l Narco Law Enf) - 54-29, 53-21
• Jessica Lewis - Ass't Sec'y of State (Political Military) - 62-21, 70-27
• Robert T. Anderson - Sol of the Dep't of Interior - 52-46, 53-44
• Jonathan Eugene Meyer - Gnrl Cnsl of the Dept of Homeland Security - 52-46, 51-47
• Tracy Stone-Manning - Dir Bureau of Land Mgmt - 50-49, 50-48, 50-45
• Paloma Adams-Allen - Dep Admin for the US AID - 78-21, 79-20
• Lauren J. King, - US Dist Judge for W Dist of WA - 55-44, 55-44
• Sarah A.L. Merriam - US Dist Judge for Dist of CT - 53-47, 54-46
• Catherine Elizabeth Lhamon - Ass't Sec'y for Civil Rights of Dept of Education - 50-49, 50-50, 50-50
• Gustavo A. Gelpi - US Crct Judge for 1st Crct - 54-39, 52-41
• Christine P. O'Hearn - US Dist Judge for Dist of NJ - 53-44, 53-44
• Tana Lin - US Dist Judge for W Dist of WA - 52-47, 52-45

Incomplete:

• Brian Eddie Nelson - Udr Sec'y for Terrorism & Financial Crimes - 50-44
• Douglas L. Parker - Ass't Sec'y of Labor - 51-47
• Myrna Perez - US Crct Judge for 2nd Crct - 51-48

No proposed candidate:

• Director, Office of Management and Budget - (no proposed successor of Neera Tanden)

 

[Derec]

Ambassadorships are the sleaziest and croniest of all positions, by both parties.

Rahm Emanuel grilled on Laquan McDonald murder by only one senator at confirmation hearing to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan - Chicago Sun-Times
Rahm Emanuel Addresses the McDonald Killing and China During His Confirmation Hearing - The New York Times

That may be so, but I do not think Rahm is a good example here. He was not a bad mayor - certainly better than the current office holder. And the L McD case is overstated - he was no innocent, unarmed teenager, he was a knife-wielding maniac.

Also good thing for Rahm than only the Senate does confirmations. He'd get a lot more flak from the Squad in the House.
Ocasio-Cortez Urges Senate to Reject Emanuel’s Nomination

 

[lpetrich]

Nominations:

• Douglas L. Parker - Ass't Sec'y of Labor - 51-47, 50-41
• Myrna Perez - US Crct Judge for 2nd Crct - 51-48, 48-43
• Jia M. Cobb - US Dist Judge for DC - 51-46, 52-45
• Karen McGlashan Williams - US Dist Judge for Dist of NJ - 58-40, 56-38
• Patricia Tolliver Giles - US Dist Judge for E Dist of VA - 69-29, 68-27
• Michael S. Nachmanoff - US Dist Judge for E Dist of VA - 51-46, 52-46
• Sarala Vidya Nagala - US Dist Judge for Dist of CT - 52-46, 52-46
• Omar Antonio Williams - US Dist Judge for Dist of CT - 52-46, 52-46
• Matthew G. Olsen - Ass't Atty Gnrl - 52-44, 53-45
• Christopher H. Schroeder - Ass't Atty Gnrl - 55-41, 56-41
• Hampton Y. Dellinger - Ass't Atty Gnrl - 51-45, 53-37
• Elizabeth Prelogar - Sol Gnrl - 53-42, 53-36
• Beth Robinson - US Crct Judge for 2nd Crct - 51-36, 51-45
• Toby J. Heytens - US Crct Jdge for 4th Crct - 51-31, 53-43
• Jonathan Davidson - Dep Udr Sec'y of Treasury - 88-11, 88-10
• Benjamin Harris - Dep Ass't Sec'y of Treasury - 79-20, 78-21
• Isobel Coleman - Dep Admin of the US Agency for Int'l Development - 59-40, 59-39
• Jeffrey M. Prieto - Ass't Admin of the Environmental Protection Agency - 56-43, 54-44
• Rajesh D. Nayak - Ass't Sec'y of Labor - 53-46, 52-45
• Michael Lee Connor - Ass't Sec'y of Army - 92-5
• Robert Luis Santos - Dir of Census - 61-36, 58-35

Incomplete:

• Brian Eddie Nelson - Udr Sec'y for Terrorism & Financial Crimes - 50-44
• Jennifer Sung - US Crct Judge for 9th Crct - 49-49

 

[Harry Bosch]

Ambassadorships are the sleaziest and croniest of all positions, by both parties.

Rahm Emanuel grilled on Laquan McDonald murder by only one senator at confirmation hearing to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan - Chicago Sun-Times
Rahm Emanuel Addresses the McDonald Killing and China During His Confirmation Hearing - The New York Times

That may be so, but I do not think Rahm is a good example here. He was not a bad mayor - certainly better than the current office holder. And the L McD case is overstated - he was no innocent, unarmed teenager, he was a knife-wielding maniac.

Also good thing for Rahm than only the Senate does confirmations. He'd get a lot more flak from the Squad in the House.
Ocasio-Cortez Urges Senate to Reject Emanuel’s Nomination

I don't agree with AOC here. Most ambassadorship positions are rewards for being a good political soldier. The Japanese position is crucial. We need the best person for this position. We need to reassure our allies in the area and try to blunt the expanding Chinese military. Putting the wrong leader in this position could lead to WW3.

 

[lpetrich]

(On AOC rejecting Rahm Emanuel...)

I don't agree with AOC here. Most ambassadorship positions are rewards for being a good political soldier. The Japanese position is crucial. We need the best person for this position. We need to reassure our allies in the area and try to blunt the expanding Chinese military. Putting the wrong leader in this position could lead to WW3.

So one must appoint an experienced diplomat instead of a political crony with no experience in foreign affairs.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

(On AOC rejecting Rahm Emanuel...)

I don't agree with AOC here. Most ambassadorship positions are rewards for being a good political soldier. The Japanese position is crucial. We need the best person for this position. We need to reassure our allies in the area and try to blunt the expanding Chinese military. Putting the wrong leader in this position could lead to WW3.

So one must appoint an experienced diplomat instead of a political crony with no experience in foreign affairs.

Who does AOC think should be nominated instead?

AOC's stock was at over-valued for a while and since the infrastructure no vote, her charisma is not enough to offset her apparent lack of political where-with-all. She is a sophmore who is the inexperienced face of an inexperienced caucus in the House Representatives. Her talents and skills don't appear to be growing with experience. She is a quasi-1st round QB draft pick that is not impressing at the moment. Her votes are starting to endanger any progressive progress that could be had.

In other words, she appears to be squandering a very unlikely opportunity she managed to grab ahold of.

 

[Patooka]

In other words, she appears to be squandering a very unlikely opportunity she managed to grab ahold of.

It might be fairer to say both supporters and critics of AOC had constructed fantasies with regards to who she is or what she has power over, and then got disappointed when she didn't measure up to the imaginary version they assigned in their heads.

 

[thebeave]

(On AOC rejecting Rahm Emanuel...)

I don't agree with AOC here. Most ambassadorship positions are rewards for being a good political soldier. The Japanese position is crucial. We need the best person for this position. We need to reassure our allies in the area and try to blunt the expanding Chinese military. Putting the wrong leader in this position could lead to WW3.

So one must appoint an experienced diplomat instead of a political crony with no experience in foreign affairs.

So, she is insisting on experience over no experience, when she herself came into one of the highest political positions in the world with zero prior political experience? Not to mention she had the chutzpah to draft a "Green New Deal" costing tens of trillions of dollars in her first year in office?

 

[lpetrich]

One can certainly argue about that, but if Ambassador to Japan is as critical a position as Harry Bosch seems to think, then one needs someone with more appropriate experience.

日本語が話せる大使が欲しいです。
Nihongo ga hanaseru taishi ga hoshīdesu.
(Google Translate)

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

In other words, she appears to be squandering a very unlikely opportunity she managed to grab ahold of.

It might be fairer to say both supporters and critics of AOC had constructed fantasies with regards to who she is or what she has power over, and then got disappointed when she didn't measure up to the imaginary version they assigned in their heads.

Definitely truth here. There are both pro-AOC cults and anti-AOC cults. I've been sitting on the sidelines waiting to see where things led. The right-wing clearly fear her charisma, which if matched with intelligence and skill, could make Nancy Pelosi look like John Boehner. And things are real early still for her, and plenty maturing can still occur. But she is definitely making a bunch more noise than she should as a sophomore.

(On AOC rejecting Rahm Emanuel...)

I don't agree with AOC here. Most ambassadorship positions are rewards for being a good political soldier. The Japanese position is crucial. We need the best person for this position. We need to reassure our allies in the area and try to blunt the expanding Chinese military. Putting the wrong leader in this position could lead to WW3.

So one must appoint an experienced diplomat instead of a political crony with no experience in foreign affairs.

So, she is insisting on experience over no experience, when she herself came into one of the highest political positions in the world with zero prior political experience? Not to mention she had the chutzpah to draft a "Green New Deal" costing tens of trillions of dollars in her first year in office?

I haven't seen her complaining about experience of the nominee, just the quote about his "handling" of the high profile Chicago shooting. lpetrich brought that issue up.

 

[lpetrich]

Fair enough. That Japanese text I composed using Google Translate. It means "We want an ambassador who can speak Japanese. "

 

[blastula]

They are plenty of people with relevant diplomatic expertise that none of us have ever heard of, and that's who these positions should go to. Like ambassadors Marie Yovanovitch or William Taylor, names we learned of during the Ukraine fiasco. Except the positions are too often handed out like trifles to donors and cronies.

 

[Swammerdami]

Definitely truth here. There are both pro-AOC cults and anti-AOC cults. I've been sitting on the sidelines waiting to see where things led. The right-wing clearly fear her charisma, which if matched with intelligence and skill, could make Nancy Pelosi look like John Boehner. And things are real early still for her, and plenty maturing can still occur. But she is definitely making a bunch more noise than she should as a sophomore.

Is she forcing the cameras and microphones to point at her instead of someone else? When FoxNews babbles about her are they unable to control themselves? Does AOC achieve this mesmerism with special drugs like scopolamine, or with ordinary witchcraft?

One reason for the media attention is that she is photogenic. Does she have a responsibility to hire a plastic surgeon and make her face uglier?

How do you feel about the 'MTG' cult?

 

[blastula]

The whole GOP should self-censure, resign and gfts.

 

[lpetrich]

Why Biden's nominee to regulate banks is proving so controversial : NPR

Progressives have applauded her nomination, seeing in Omarova a person who would bring a tougher approach to banks at an agency that has been criticized for being too friendly with the sector. But there was no indication any Republican on the committee will back her. Omarova's critics say she is a "radical" nominee who wants to nationalize banking.

Omarova has attracted unusually personal criticism. At the hearing, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) brought up her childhood in the former Soviet Union, and Republicans cited an academic paper she recently wrote proposing a reinvention of the U.S. financial system, which The Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board argues is proof she hasn't "repudiated her Soviet-era views."

Omarova, who came to the U.S. as a university student, and is now a U.S. citizen, strongly denies she holds communist views. She accused her critics of singling her out because she is a woman and a minority.

Senator Pat Toomey also attacked her.

Omarova "clearly has an aversion to anything like free-market capitalism," the senator said, citing examples of her academic work.

During his speech, Toomey said Omarova's interest in these topics and others could have been shaped by her upbringing.

"You could ask yourself, 'Where would a person even come up with these ideas?'" he said. "Well, maybe a contributing factor could be in if a person grew up in the former Soviet Union, and went to Moscow State University, and attended there on a Vladimir Lenin Academic Scholarship."

Omarova was born in what is now Kazakhstan. She came to the U.S. as part of an exchange program when she was a student at Moscow State University in 1991. But when the Soviet Union dissolved, she was stranded in the U.S. Today, she is a U.S. citizen.

She looks eastern Asian, and that's common among Kazakhs: Why do the Kazakh people look like Chinese? - Quora -- they look mixed European / East Asian to relatively pure East Asian

Omarova has defended her research and pushed back against the personal nature of the attacks against her.

"I am not a communist," she shot back to Kennedy during Thursday's hearing after the Louisiana senator said he did not know whether to describe her as a "professor" or a "comrade."

"I do not subscribe to that ideology. I could not choose where I was born," she also said.

In an interview with MSNBC, Omarova said, "My entire academic career has been centered around this issue of how to ensure that our financial system is stable, effective, and efficient."

 

[lpetrich]

The Recount on Twitter: "Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) presses Biden’s pick for currency comptroller Saule Omarova about “you used to be a member of a group called The Young Communists.”

Omarova explains, because she was born in the Soviet Union, she was part of school youth programs mandated for students. (vid link)" / Twitter
She was in the Komsomol, the Young Communists, a standard part of growing up in the Soviet Union.

The Recount on Twitter: "Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA): “I don’t know whether to call you professor or comrade.”

Someone off-camera: “Oh my goodness.”

Dr. Saule Omarova, Biden’s comptroller currency pick: “I’m not a communist. I do not subscribe to that ideology. I could not choose where I was born.” (vid link)" / Twitter
She also described how half her family had suffered terribly under Joseph Stalin's rule. She grew up without knowing half of her family, and her mother escaped death twice.

Then
Alexander S. Vindman on Twitter: "Sir, have you no shame?

This is an insult to anyone with an accent, anyone who fled communism, anyone born abroad. Your own ancestors were slurred for being born in elsewhere, were they not?

Abhorrent. I’ll say what she could not… to hell with you!" / Twitter
 Alexander Vindman - the same Alexander Vindman of Trump's attempt to pressure the Ukrainian government into investigating Joe Biden's son Hunter.

Alexander Semyon Vindman (born June 6, 1975)[2] is a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel who was the Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council (NSC) until he was reassigned on February 7, 2020. Vindman came to national attention in October 2019 when he testified before the United States Congress regarding the Trump–Ukraine scandal. His testimony provided evidence that resulted in a charge of abuse of power in the impeachment of Donald Trump.

Alexander S. Vindman on Twitter: "See @SenJohnKennedy in tyrannical regimes you are forced to join organization. Much like Trump demanding followers carry Trump membership cards to prove loyalty.

Also, this is pic of me and my brothers has an image of Lenin on the wall. Any questions? (pic link)" / Twitter
I don't think that Trump and his followers have gone that far, but Trump is very big on demanding loyalty to him.

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "The Republicans attacks on @STOmarova are sexist, xenophobic and racist. It's clear they've declared war on the President's OCC nominee to protect the interests of big banks to the detriment of consumers. The Senate should ignore the red-baiting nonsense & support her nomination." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Opinion | Sen. John Neely Kennedy goes full Joe McCarthy in questioning a Biden nominee born in the U.S.S.R. - The Washington Post

As a refugee from the former Soviet Union and a critic of Trumpism, I have gotten used to receiving hate mail that tells me to go back to where I came from and accuses me of being a Communist or a Russian agent. (Pretty rich coming from supporters of a person elected president with Russian help!) Still, it is startling to see this level of Red-baiting nativism not just in anonymous hate mail but in the august hearing rooms of the U.S. Senate.

Then about Sen John Kennedy R-LA's insinuating that she is a Communist.

Kennedy is far from alone in bringing up Omarova’s background. The Wall Street Journal editorial board accused her of not repudiating her “Soviet-era views,” and Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) argued that she has “an aversion to anything like free-market capitalism” because she “grew up in the former Soviet Union.”

Coming from a family of Soviet emigres (my parents also graduated from Moscow State), I can assure Toomey that people who emigrated from the Soviet Union are usually at least as conservative as he is. That Omarova is on the left no doubt owes a lot more to her background in American academia than to her upbringing in the U.S.S.R.

The kind of smears directed at Omarova were remarkably similar to those aimed at Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, another immigrant from the Soviet Union, who testified about then-President Donald Trump’s attempts to use military aid to blackmail Ukraine. That led to accusations that Vindman was a Ukrainian spy. In Vindman’s case, the calumnies were especially offensive because he is a combat veteran who was wounded in Iraq. But they are bad enough in Omarova’s case, too. No American should be subjected to such character assassination.