In part I, we examined the initial cabinets of a couple administrations that took office from the other party, and whether or not sitting Senators and Governors were apparently willing to give up those posts to become Secretaries. As late as 1980, it was rare for sitting high office holders to surrender their independent power base posts for the task of serving under someone else. Under Bush 43 and now Obama, this has clearly changed as Senators and Governors line up for posts.
Inside, let's examine what might be behind this shift. The short version is simply that the Presidency has become so much more powerful, that being a Governor or Senator is to be in general less powerful than being Vice-President or in Cabinet.
Obviously mileage will vary. States vary considerably in size, so giving up the Governor's mansion in Vermont is hardly the same as doing so for Florida. Senators vary in power according to their role in the caucus and committee seating. Cabinet roles vary considerably too, from the heavy hitters of Defense and State to much lower profile and lower budget portfolios. So it shouldn't surprise us that the Senators who took spots in Obama's cabinet got powerful roles but were junior in the Senate, and the Governors who have joined were from medium states. Not sure what to make of Blagojevich's interest in a cabinet post, because Illinois is huge, but perhaps that was just the particular circumstances he was facing.
Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security: Matt seems excited about Napolitano, but I'm not. For one thing, and this may seem petty but it really isn't, a Republican will become Governor of Arizona
It turns out this is significant, and not really anything to do with Obama particularly. It is yet another sign of the Presidentialist, dominant federal government. The Executive now dominates the Legislative, and the Federal government now by far dominates the States.
