Secretary of Commerce: Bill Richardson

[Tender Branson]

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has emerged as a "serious contender" to head the Commerce Department under President-elect Barack Obama, according to a Democratic official close to the proceedings.

Richardson was originally in the mix to be the secretary of State but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is now expected be announced for that post after the Thanksgiving holiday.

The rumors of Richardson as the next head of the Commerce Department bring to a close a wild week in the transition of Obama from candidate to president. In the last seven days, a series of leading Cabinet picks have been revealed including Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to Homeland Security, former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle to Health and Human Services, Eric Holder to Justice and, last, but certainly not least, Clinton to State.

The idea of the erstwhile rivals putting the bad blood of the primary season behind them and throwing their lots in together on the world stage has dominated the media coverage of the Obama transition since it was revealed that late last week Clinton had traveled to Chicago to meet with the President-elect.

With the major impediment -- former President Bill Clinton's finances and business relationships -- now apparently behind them, sources in both camps suggest a post-Thanksgiving announcement is likely.

Obama promised in a post-election news conference that he would move with "deliberate haste" to fill out his Cabinet and senior White House staff -- a recognition that with a global financial crisis growing by the day and the United States involved in two wars abroad there was little time to waste.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/11/richardson_to_commerce.html

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaha!

[The Ex-Factor]

Not really sure how this fits.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaha!

& etc.

[Eleden]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaha!

This is a serious defeat for tables and desks everywhere. 

[Tender Branson]

And Diane Denish (D) becomes the new NM governor.

[Sam Spade]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaha!

^

[Bacon King]

my guess:

Obama promised him a cabinet job in exchange for the endorsement back in the primaries; Obama really doesn't want Richardson in his cabinet but gives him the useless spot just to keep his word.

[Workers' Friend]

*spits Coke zero out of mouth* Of all cabinet positions, The Commerce one? Why not be Secretary or Energy again?

[© tweed]

sounds like he's trying to build an all-star team rather than a cabinet

[Beet]

Judas for Commerce... makes sense.

[Jacobtm]

Why the ridicule? He's a fiscally responsible, intelligent guy who passed personal income tax-cuts, gave tax-incentives to businesses creating high-paying jobs, helping to make Albuquerque one of the best U.S. cities for business.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Didn't Richardson say in the primaries that he gave Gonzales the benefit of the doubt just because he was Hispanic?

[Beet]

Why the ridicule? He's a fiscally responsible, intelligent guy who passed personal income tax-cuts, gave tax-incentives to businesses creating high-paying jobs, helping to make Albuquerque one of the best U.S. cities for business.

He's a schmoozer. I guess this means Obama thinks Commerce is for schmoozing. As for his 'intelligence', I'm not sure; he certainly had a lot of gaffes.

[Verily]

Why the ridicule? He's a fiscally responsible, intelligent guy who passed personal income tax-cuts, gave tax-incentives to businesses creating high-paying jobs, helping to make Albuquerque one of the best U.S. cities for business.

The joke is that the Secretary of Commerce might as well be Secretary of Nothing. The department, as a whole, doesn't do anything. (Individual offices--the Patent and Trademark Office, the NOAA, the Census Bureau, etc.--do, but the department as a whole has no cohesion and could survive perfectly well without centralized leadership.)

[Daniel Adams]

Is he still bearded?

[© tweed]

Is he still bearded?

he wasn't on election night

[Lief 🗽]

He'll probably just wait at Commerce until Clinton resigns in two years because she's power-hungry and won't like serving under an upstart like Obama, then Obama will give him State.

[King]

Well, our current Secretary of Commerce was the CEO of Kellogg's and our commerce sucks.  Maybe the Commerce Department will be better with a political appointment instead of a seemingly qualified one.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

This can't be happening, please tell me that this cannot be happening. If Governor Richardson was to be heading up any cabinet position, with the exception of Secretary of State, which I assumed he was one of the top contenders for, I assumed it would have either been Interior or Energy, not bloody Commerce. I guess with Richardson now as Secretary of Comerce, Hillary is all but assured State. 

[The Mikado]

I'm sure Gov. Richardson will be excellent at doing...Commerce...stuff.  Um...he'll make one stellar census!

[Daniel Adams]

Is he still bearded?

he wasn't on election night

Pity.

[??????????]

Is he still bearded?

he wasn't on election night

Pity.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I strongly disagree with this pick if he isn't bearded.

[Bacon King]

how bout richardson gets this job and his beard gets SoS