An incoming U.S. president has to make thousands of appointees. Some need to be confirmed by the Senate, and most do not. This is also a time of a lot name-dropping, rumor mills, and “considerations” as people and factions jockey for prominence in the next administration. Even though the president is the one who calls the shots – the buck stops here – who he chooses to surround himself with may indicate what kind of presidency he is pursuing. President-Elect Biden has started naming people in his administration.
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/17/93384...been-nominated
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...dministration/
So far, several positions that do not need confirmation have been announced. Designated Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti were both VP Chiefs of Staff under Biden during the Obama administration. In fact, many of the people named so far have similar histories. Perhaps the most high-profile name is that former Senator and former Secretary of State John Kerry will be on the National Security Council for climate-related issues.
A few more appointments had been made a few days later, notably Linda Thomas-Greenfield for U.N. Ambassador, Jake Sullivan for National Security Advisor, and a cabinet nominee: Antony Blinken for Secretary of State. Anyone who claims that both parties are the same will have to explain to me how these foreign policy aides and advisors are going to make recommendations anything like the current president’s.
These are just baby steps towards a long process. My first impression is that these people may not be centrists, but they are a far cry from the left-wing of the party or any kind of radical that Biden would supposedly be at the beck and call of. Despite a few bones thrown to the progressive faction, the appointees seem to trend towards Obama administration officials more than anything. In my mind it kind of tries to portray the last four years as an embarrassing outburst and America has calmed down now. Even though that's obviously not true and the republicans can very well win the White House in 2024, it's an interesting angle. Is that a fair assessment? Is it too early to suggest that this appears to be shaping up like a 3rd Obama term instead of a progressive overhaul? Or is Biden simply playing it safe because of a possibly Republican-controlled Senate, pending Georgia’s Senate runoff elections on January 5?