Obama to name GOPer LaHood as Transportation Secretary

by Eric Kohn

Maybe we should just drop the "R"s and "D"s from behind all Illinois politician's names since they obviously stand for nothing.

From Reuters:

U.S President-elect Barack Obama has selected retiring U.S. Rep Ray LaHood as his transportation secretary, which would make him the second Republican in the Obama Cabinet, a senior Democrat said on Wednesday.

Obama has offered LaHood of Illinois the post and the lawmaker is expected to accept the position, with a formal announcement by the president-elect within days, the senior Democrat said.

LaHood would join Defense Secretary Bob Gates as the second Republican in Democrat Obama's Cabinet.

After State Sen. Kirk Dillard, no one spent more time kissing Obama's rear-end.  I find it remarkable that Dillard hasn't been offered a cabinet post for his pathetic stunt of appearing in Obama's first TV commercial and regularly lavishing the Democrat candidate with praise, all while purporting to support John McCain.

Only an Illinoisan could understand that kind of cognitive dissonance.

This is, after all, the same state where the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate and the national co-chair of Obama's Presidential campaign just asked a Republican President to commute the sentence of Illinois' former Republican Governor.  You need to flow chart to follow this insanity.

As for LaHood impending appointment, this will hardly come as a surprise to Illinois Republicans.  Bloomberg pretty much sums up LaHood's calling card:

Representative Ray LaHood, an Illinois Republican known for his willingness to criticize his own party and to work with Democrats, is likely to be named by President-elect Barack Obama as his choice for Transportation secretary, according to a person familiar with the selection.

Note for the future: A willingness to criticize one's own party and work with Democrats is not very effective in seeking the Presidency (see: McCain, John), but it's apparently the fast track to the illustrious job of Transportation Secretary.

Really, this is nothing more than another iteration of the traditional path taken by far too many Illinois Republicans: they grovel at the feet of local Democrats, hoping to be rewarded with the table scraps.

But, Illinois Republicans should look at the bright side.  At least this will keep him from seeking any "leadership" positions in the Party.  You have to count his "loss" as a net gain for the ILGOP.

Cross-posted at EricKohn.com

Comments

Obama promised voters he'd take a post-partisan approach to governing. Now he names a prominent Republican to a cabinet post and Republicans are still complaining.

[Thumb War]

Shouldn't you be happy that he named a Republican for the spot? Jeez Louise.

[Evert]

Ray LaHood was a Republican but he was and is not a conservative. How many liberals have been elected as Republicans? Several.
How many conservatives have been elected as Democrats? A few.
Before you support any candidate for office it might be a good idea to determine where they stand on liberal / conservative issues. Any candidate who states they are a Republican but also state you have to "compromise" on issues is not a conservative. When the GOP chose McCain, conservatives decided to stay home and not vote or vote third party.

Compromise got us to where we are - a bankrupt nation that manufactures very little but with an excess of illegal drugs and aliens.

[spintreebob]

Guess who at Asphalt Pavers Assn might be the big winner in this?

The paradigm is not R v D. The paradigm is Combine corruption v honest government. Ray LaHood is rewarded for his loyal support of the corrupt combine and his opposition to corruption fighters Peter & Patrick Fitzgerald.

LaHood will control Obama's trillion dollar stimulus public works project. He will now be able to find out who in IL, and the nation, is for sale.

[Dr Linda Shelton]

As long as the Republican party like Evert is exclusive and limited to participation by arch conservatives, only pro-life, only-discriminatory anti-immigrant, only discriminatory anti-Arab, gay-bashing, war-mongering zealots, with no tolerance for civil and honest debate or other's beliefs, it will remain a minority party.

The party must stick to basic principles of honesty, limited-government, fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Bill of Rights, and integrity, with absolute bar to discrimination and bias.

Then it will be a majority inclusive party which will attract instead of chase away its members, and will have tolerance for all viewpoints including those who are pro-life, pro-choise, pro-religion, gay tolerant, anti-gay, Irag war promoting, anti-war, pro-comprimise on immigration, anti-compromise on immigration, and generally liberal, moderate, and conservative.

Until the Republican party in Illinois decides its true mission, we don't know if it is in the inclusive or exclusive camp. For me, if there is not inclusiveness, I want no part of it.

[Phil Collins]

Although many Illinois conservatives say that Rep. LaHood is a RINO, these are some of his latest interest group ratings: U.S. English, A; Gun Owners of America, A-; U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 83%; Concerned Women for America, 82%; ACLU, 25%; Americans for Democratic Action, 25%; and NARAL, 0%. He’s much more conservative than my congressman, Kirk.

[urbanleftbehind]

My main beef with LaHood is that he has shown little previous interest in transportation issues. There are at least 10-20 current to former Rs when it comes to demonstrated ability to devise and implements major capital projects. But being from the land of Caterpillar, he should be extra motivated toward road building projects. This also knocks out two other birds - LaHood gives him a token Arab-American (I think he's Lebanese) in the Cabinet and also removes a likely RINO/Edgar Commission compromise Republican for the open Senate seat.

[spintreebob]

Phil, You miss the point. The paradigm in Illinois is not liberal v conservative.

It is combine and corruption v honesty and good government. If a politician is not honest, does it matter his (conservative) position on any issue?

Dr Shelton, LaHood is in the clique who want the base to vote on election day but don't want the base in the small elite clique.

Ideology on sites like this not-withstanding, the big tent v small tent is between the self-appointed small clique and the rest of us, regardless of our ideology. In other days it was known as the country club. Now it is known and friends of the combine.