# Who will be the new Secretary of Commerce? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 11, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817 "2012-06-11T14:44:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/21 "2012-06-12T04:46:14Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > So will she be officially taking over on Friiiiiiiday? I’m sort of relieved someone else thought of that without my saying anything. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/22 "2012-06-12T05:06:17Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [Bryson is taking a medical leave of absence while he undergoes testing](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/us/politics/commerce-secretarys-brysons-hit-and-run-blamed-on-seizure.html?_r=1&hp). For the time being Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank will take over. That’s probably the safest political play to be made. Gets a potential liability safely out of the way without drama. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/23 "2012-06-12T05:12:52Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > That’s probably the safest political play to be made. I think you would do well to stop viewing this through a political lens for a minute. It sounds like this guy had a seizure and doesn’t have a seizure disorder, which means he might have a serious health problem. It’s true that he won’t be a political liability if it turns out he had a medical issue that made him not responsible for what happened, but that’s really not the first consideration here. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/24 "2012-06-12T05:24:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s true that he won’t be a political liability if it turns out he had a medical issue that made him not responsible for what happened, but that’s really not the first consideration here. Of course it is. Politics is a blood sport. Always has been. Always will be. For both sides of the aisle. Everything is evaluated in terms of potential gain/loss, with an eye towards maximizing the former while minimizing the latter. You can’t play the game at the POTUS level any differently, especially in an election year. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/25 "2012-06-12T06:01:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think you would do well to stop viewing this through a political lens for a minute.\*\* It sounds like this guy had a seizure and doesn’t have a seizure disorder, which means he might have a serious health problem.\*\* It’s true that he won’t be a political liability if it turns out he had a medical issue that made him not responsible for what happened, but that’s really not the first consideration here. No kidding. My former boss just found out she had a brain tumor. Guess what prompted the MRI? Yup. Seizure-like weirdness. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/26 "2012-06-12T14:40:33Z")
> [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > No kidding. My former boss just found out she had a brain tumor. Guess what prompted the MRI? > > Yup. Seizure-like weirdness. I think that was also the case with Robert Novak. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/27 "2012-06-12T14:44:14Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Of course it is. Speak for yourself. > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I think that was also the case with Robert Novak. It was. He hit someone, didn’t realize it, and kept driving. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/28 "2012-06-12T15:09:47Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Speak for yourself. This isn’t about partisan politics. This is about how the real world works. You think Obama doesn’t have staffers considering the political implications of everything he does after his morning shit until he goes to sleep, each and every day? You think Bush didn’t have the same? And Clinton before that? And Bush I, and Reagan, and Carter, et al ad nauseum? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/29 "2012-06-12T15:12:43Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > You think Obama doesn’t have staffers considering the political implications of everything he does after his morning shit until he goes to sleep, each and every day? I’m sure he does. I also think this guy is probably stepping aside for health reasons because it sounds like he had an unexplained seizure, not because he or Obama are worried about minimizing the political fallout. So I find it a little distasteful to talk about this primarily as “the right political play” and whatnot when this guy is probably worrying if he has a brain tumor or AVM or some other serious problem. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/30 "2012-06-12T15:17:21Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > This isn’t about partisan politics. This is about how the real world works. You think Obama doesn’t have staffers considering the political implications of everything he does after his morning shit until he goes to sleep, each and every day? You think Bush didn’t have the same? And Clinton before that? And Bush I, and Reagan, and Carter, et al ad nauseum? Maybe, but in this case the guy seems to be having serious health problems that effect his cognition, so the “politics” is rather irrelevant. He’d need to step aside till he gets things under control regardless of the political optics. Has anyone noticed being Obama’s Commerce secretary is like being the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogworts? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/31 "2012-06-12T15:19:30Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m sure he does. I also think this guy is probably stepping aside for health reasons because it sounds like he had an unexplained seizure, not because he or Obama are worried about minimizing the political fallout. So I find it a little distasteful to talk about this primarily as “the right political play” and whatnot when this guy is probably worrying if he has a brain tumor or AVM or some other serious problem. I’m more cynical than that. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/32 "2012-06-12T15:23:54Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I’m more cynical than that. So who do you think will be the new Secretary of Commerce? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/33 "2012-06-12T15:32:16Z")
At the moment it’s going to be Rebecca Blank in an “Acting Secretary” role, as Marley posted, and as I think is the safest political option. I think Bryson is toast, eventually. I don’t expect him back. First a medical leave, possibly extended until after the election. If Obama wins, Bryson will quietly resign. If Romney wins, Blank will likely fill the spot until the next administration takes over, unless there’s some legal limit to how long someone can hold a cabinet level post in an “Acting” capacity. Obama doesn’t want or need a confirmation fight that he can’t win before the election. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/34 "2012-06-12T15:36:53Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I’m more cynical than that. This is much more callous than cynical. You’ll notice Republicans have held off on attacking the guy to this point because the few indications we have do point to a health problem, not drunk driving. Rove’s PAC went after him on Twitter and quickly apologized. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/35 "2012-06-12T15:40:51Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > This is much more callous than cynical. You’ll notice Republicans have held off on attacking the guy to this point because the few indications we have do point to a health problem, not drunk driving. Rove’s PAC went after him on Twitter and quickly apologized. Where have I attacked the guy? I don’t remember making any comments about his character. I have posted speculation about the political ramifications of the situation that you don’t seem to like, but that is not attacking the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/36 "2012-06-12T15:55:12Z")
Of course, a health problem could itself plausibly be grounds for resignation, in which case we’re back to the question in the title: Who will take over the job? Is Blank a likely candidate, or would Obama be pulling someone in from outside? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/37 "2012-06-12T15:59:06Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Where have I attacked the guy? I didn’t say you attacked him. Your argument is based on the fact that he’s a political liability because of the car accidents, and I was poniting out that he doesn’t seem to be a liability at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/38 "2012-06-12T16:16:18Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > IANAD, but getting in an accident, speaking to people in the other vehicle, hitting the vehicle again, and then driving some distance away before hitting someone else doesn’t sound like a normal seizure to me. > Can you do all that stuff during a seizure? Aren’t seizures famous for leading to aberrant behavior, memory loss, and the like? I don’t know what a “normal” neurological problem might be, but I would be unsurprised by strange behavior following a seizure. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/39 "2012-06-12T16:20:36Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I didn’t say you attacked him. Your argument is based on the fact that he’s a political liability because of the car accidents, and I was poniting out that he doesn’t seem to be a liability at this point. The health issue is also a potential political liability. The guy holds a cabinet level post, and is 10th in the chain of succession to the Presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817/40 "2012-06-12T16:29:03Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The health issue is also a potential political liability. First and foremost it’s a health liability. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-new-secretary-of-commerce/624817.md?page=3)