Biden’s first date pleases everyone. The difficulty comes now



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If the psychodrama around Donald Trump’s moves continues in the Republican Party, the electoral truce has long since ended in the Democratic Party, as evidenced by the tensions and accusations crossed between the moderate and progressive wings. Joe Biden moves into a minefield, looking for a compromise that someone will necessarily dislike. For this reason, it has decided to separate the efforts against the coronavirus – with the creation of its own working group and a special transition team – from the game for the formation of the government – of which for now there is certainly only one name: that of Ronald Klain, that he will enter the White House as the president’s chief of staff.

A veteran of the Democratic Party and for decades alongside Biden, Klain was the ‘anti-Ebola czar’ called in by Barack Obama to coordinate America’s emergency response in 2004. A lawyer with deep knowledge of the Capitol, the 59-year-old was favorite time for office given his past with the president-elect: He was with him in the 1980s, when Biden was chairman of the Senate Justice Committee and had just graduated from Harvard Law School, and was director of his staff during the vice-presidency years. More generally, he is considered one of the ‘pillars’ of the party’s power structure: he assisted Bill Clinton in both presidential campaigns of the 1990s and subsequently served as chief of staff to then-Vice President Al Gore ( with whom he shared the failed attempt to reach the White House, leading the ‘battle’ in the crucial weeks of the Florida recount).

Klain called the appointment “an extraordinary honor,” adding that he is happy to help the president-elect build a “talented and versatile” team that will make up the future American executive. For years he has been considered one of the closest people to Biden. “He knows the former vice president perhaps better than anyone,” a source told The Hill, “he knows the strengths and weaknesses” of the president-elect: “No one can help Biden prepare for this moment better than Ron.”

“His deep and versatile experience, as well as his ability to collaborate with people from across the political spectrum, is exactly what I need from a White House chief of staff,” said Biden, who calls his loyal “a value advisor.” incalculable “.

Despite being very attached to the “old guard” of the party, Klain also received the support of the progressive wing. Starting with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a few days after the New York Times interview in which the congresswoman from the Bronx harshly criticized the party establishment. “Good news and an encouraging choice,” he tweeted with many thumbs up.

In the big ball for government formation, progressives are pushing for their role in mobilizing voters, especially in some key states like Georgia, to be recognized with strong positions in the executive. Interviewed by CNN, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said he was ready to be Minister of Labor. “If you had a portfolio that allowed me to fight for the rights of working families, would you accept it? Yes, I would, ”the senator said. Asked if it is true that he is thinking about the Department of Labor, Sanders responded: “The truth is that I want to do everything possible to protect the working families of this country, who are currently suffering tremendously,” he added. be willing to gladly accept a position that allows you: “Whether in the Senate or in the future Biden administration, who knows?”

For now, however, it is more about wishes than concrete choices. According to some outlets, including The Independent, the idea is gaining ground in the Democratic Party to exclude the main representatives of the left, Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, from any relevant government office, for fear of losing votes in the midterm elections. . after the slow results of the Congress.

Spokesperson for the Democrats’ concerns to the British newspaper is Virginia MP Gerry Connolly: “The Biden administration needs to be more sensitive about where people are coming from when looking at congressional numbers. We cannot afford to put our seats in jeopardy, ”says the MP.

Warren’s outlook on the Treasury, in particular, seems highly unlikely. The appointment of ministers must be approved by the Senate, whose majority will be played in January with the two ballots in Georgia: it is unlikely that a Senate with a Republican majority will hand over the keys to the Treasury to the anti-Wall Street champion, at a time when the economy is going through the worst crisis since the Great Depression. In the race for post-Steven Mnuchin would be, therefore, the governor of the Fed, Lael Brainard, ex-Obama administration and currently considered a favorite. But the competition is fierce: Eligible candidates include former Fed President Janet Yellen and Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, the first African American and the first openly gay at the Fed.

To relaunch the United States on the international stage, Biden would then be oriented to hand over the keys to the State Department to Susan Rice, former ambassador to the UN. Anthony Blinken is the frontrunner to be nominated as a National Security Advisor, while former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg could become a UN Ambassador to the UN or number one in the Department of Veterans. For the Justice Department, who will have to decide whether or not to proceed against Trump, the short list includes New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Sally Yates, the former acting Justice Minister fired by Trump for insubordination. For health care in times of pandemic, former Indian-born surgeon general Vivek Murthy, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and former Obama administration Mandy Cohen are vying for the job of minister.

At the Department of Energy, Jay Inslee is in pole position, the governor of Washington State that environmentalists are betting on. Inslee could be joined by Biden’s longtime ally John Kerry as ‘climate czar’. Two other women, Lily Eskelsen Garcia and Randi Weingarten, are vying for education, a ministry close to First Lady Jill Biden’s teacher, while former candidate Amy Klobuchar could be offered the Department of Agriculture. On pole for the CIA would be Tom Donilon while the defense aspires to Tammy Duckworth, the former colonel who lost both legs in Iraq, or Michele Flournoy. In short, after the appointment of Kamala Harris, the Biden administration would seem to want to make history with even the most diverse government in history. Talks and hearings continue at a rapid pace at Zoom: The uncertainty of what the Republican Party will become after Trump leaves the White House weighs on the search for a balance between the party’s diverse souls. A chapter yet to be written.



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