Perdue poised for Trump cabinet?
Is Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump considering Georgia’s junior Senator as part of his cabinet? Maybe.
Because outsiders who are actually insiders band together, or something.
The Hill reports that several Republican senators are among the short list for potential cabinet officers should Donald Trump be elected in November:
One Republican senator said Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who served in chief executive positions at Reebok and Dollar General, would be a strong candidate for secretary of the Commerce Department. Perdue’s 2014 Senate campaign, in which he ran as a business-savvy outsider, served as inspiration to Trump’s White House bid.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution echoed the rumor:
Another name circulating is Republican Sen. David Perdue, Trump’s highest-profile surrogate in Georgia and a former Fortune 500 chief executive. The word from the National Journal is that Perdue, who ran for office as a business-savvy outsider, is being considered as a possible Secretary of Commerce.
Perdue has been especially vocal about the need to elect Donald Trump, stumping for him at the Georgia Republican Convention and previously noting the two have much in common.
The speculation comes alongside considerable ‘what if’s,’ but should Trump win in November, it would mean Georgia would have a fresh, already needed shot at a new United State Senator.
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Jessica Szilagyi
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Would the denim jacket be placed in the same bunker that Dick Cheney was in?
Commerce isn’t a step up.
Cabinet level position or junior senator? I would say it is a step up.
Eh. I’d prefer to be a Senator than the Secretary of Commerce.
I understand that, but I think would prefer to hold the reins to an entire agency. There is a lot of talking and not a lot of action in the senate. That’s what is was designed for, but I would think that someone with Perdue’s personality would prefer to be the head of an agency rather than 1 of 100.
No way, pardon the pun, is a cabinet position a step up. Unless it’s Secstate, stay put.
I would take it in a heart beat. An agency head can do more through new regulations or repealing of regulations than any one senator can do in a life time.
Valid point of view. To me, though, it’s a maximum 8 year gig. Of course it might lead to future ambassadorial appointments and the like, but a senate seat could last literally for decades. I think Webster did both FBI and CIA, as did Gates and Panetta with CIA and DOD. Dunno…it would be nice to have that problem, though.
I’d move up for State or Defense, but Commerce? Bleh. Commerce is a cipher. I think one of the Texan Castros is SecCom now and I think Jack Kemp was too but that’s all I can remember. It’s like Transportation or HHS, a good job for someone who’s a knowledgeable wonk and that’s sure not Perdue. He’ll stay in the Senate until he gets bored or too old or the demographic revolution finally hits Georgia.
If by some miracle he did move on, why wouldn’t Deal name himself to replace him?
Current Sec of Com is Penny Pritzker. Her family is old money Chicago and owns a major commodities trading house. She founded Artemis. Kemp and Castro are HUD.
Your mind set of looking for a long term “job” instead of what you can get done to benefit the country is what is wrong with DC. 🙂
You said it yourself, E. Everyone in DC looks out for themselves with various appointments and the like. Human nature, maybe?
I’d like to go ahead and throw my name in the hat to replace him. I am the consummate outsider. My campaign slogan will be “Blake! Better Than No One”
That is where the real speculation will come in. Who would our governor replace Perdue with? Westmoreland? They’re buddies.
Jack Kingston?
I’m sure Jack would be on the Governor’s short list.
When I first read that I thought it said “Perdue’s 2014 Senate campaign… served as inspiration to Trump’s Waffle House bid.”
So… our choice is elect for president an ineffective and questionable know nothing self proclaimed successful businessman and get a better senator chosen by default among party elites OR elect a person chosen by default among party elites and keep a senator who is an ineffective and questionable know nothing self proclaimed successful businessman?
it’s like we can’t lose, right?
Trumpet has zero military knowledge. He could not even explain the nuclear triad. His only military connection appears to be Mike Flynn so it’s Flynn for DOD.
Hilly has military knowledge but it did not help her as evidenced by her bad decisions concerning Iraq, Libya, Syria. Her DOD person would be John Allen, Michele Flournoy or she would just keep Ash Carter in place.
I don’t really think it’s necessarily “military knowledge” rather than executive experience and policy. Virtually anybody can subscribe or crack open a Jane’s.
On paper, Donald Rumsfeld looked like a very qualified SecDef under Bush II and he is likely the worst in the history of this country. (I’ll even throw in all the Secretaries of War). Cheney was never an officer or SecDef before yet performed very well under H.W. Bush.
That begs the question of whether the Georgia law would have voters, or the Crony-in-chief, chose the new Senator.
As I recall the law (and the example of Paul Coverdell being replaced with Zell Miller), the Governor makes an appointment for a US Senator (Congressmen get special elections). That appointment is good until the next Congressional election, at which there is an election for the remainder of the unexpired term.
Thus, presumably the appointment would be made in January(ish) of 2017, the new appointee would then run (or not) for a special election in 2018, and then there would be another election for a six-year term at the customary time in 2020.
Thanks for the info. As good a procedure as any I suppose.