Monday, February 6, 2012

Is Ron Paul angling for a cabinet seat?

It's quite interesting that Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are not going after each other - both are directing their fire at Newt.  What's in it for them?

Mitt clearly benefits by not antagonizing Paul's supporters, where passion and loyalty runs high.  In the General election, he's going to need them, and the Tea Partiers, too. Both dislike him, because he's an establishment insider.  But if he gets Paul on board, that sends a powerful signal to both those groups that some sort of change is inevitable.  Paul is in his 70s, and so this would be a chance for him to put his stamp on something in the years left to him.

So which cabinet post would Mitt offer up, hypothetically speaking?  There's quite a balancing act that has to happen:

1. No scaring the establishment, which means that State, Justice, Treasury, Defense, and (sadly) Homeland Security are out.  Too much boat rocking in places where they want the status quo.

2. It has to be important enough to attract Paul and his supporters, which means that Interior and the like are out.  Agencies that have grown quickly and intrusively over the past 10 years in particular seem like they might benefit from a Secretary Paul.

So which might fit the constraints?  Health and Human Services comes to mind, as the Obamacare legislation vests huge power in the Secretary - he could gut the bill like a trout.

Feel free to leave your suggestion in the comments.

12 comments:

cryptical said...

Do you think he'd take one of the departments he's promised to cut? I don't see a lot of pragmatism in Rep. Paul.

It's a grand idea, in any case.

bluesun said...

Oh man, I sooooo want him to be secretary of the treasury. It would be... EPIC.

Joe said...

I second what bluesun said.

Rob K said...

Another idea, how about supreme court justice?

Old NFO said...

Politics at it's basest form... NOT pretty...

Heartless Libertarain said...

Ron Paul wouldn't be appointed to SCOTUS...he's too old. RAND Paul, OTOH...

When does the Fed Chairman position come open...or would that scare the Establishment too much?

Jake (formerly Riposte3) said...

"Another idea, how about supreme court justice?"

Oh, sweet $DIETY no! The 14th Amendment has taken enough of a beating without that!

Bob said...

Rand as VP. It would probably shut the "Romney is a RINO and I won't vote for him" folks up.

Anonymous said...

Health, Education, et al - that would be the end of that.
Or Homeland Security - again, that would be the end of that.
Energy - oh heck yeah!

Not Interior. First off, I don't think he'd accept it and secondly, well, I like our National Parks and many of the National Forests, warts and all. Some parts of Interior are best managed from a federal level, at least until the states can work out how to keep them open.

LittleRed1

Simon Jester said...

The only one that might tempt me to vote for Romney would be Sec Treasury. Honestly, I can't see anything that would happen in reality that would get me to vote for Romney.

An Ordinary American said...

I've long since thought Ron Paul should be appointed Attorney General.

That way, EVERYTHING would have to pass his Constitutional muster.

--AOA

Secesh said...

I think he shou;d be Secretary of State. He couldn't be worse than Hillary. :>)