Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are reportedly slated to be frozen out of a potential Joe Biden cabinet over alleged concerns their appointment might result in Democrats ceding even more seats in upcoming elections, writes Politico.
The Democratic presidential candidate, who on 7 November was forecast to win the presidential election in America by the US media which said that he had reached the required threshold of 270 Electoral College votes, was already suggested by media to be drawing up names for his Cabinet.
Assuming the failure of legal challenges launched by President Donald Trump, who has refused to concede the election and alleged voter fraud centrist Democrats are cited as privately acknowledging that Vermont senator Sanders, who is registered as an Independent, and left-wing Democratic Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren have been ruled out as contenders for top cabinet spots, writes the outlet.
"The Biden administration has to be a lot more sensitive of where you come from if you’re looking at members of Congress. We cannot afford to put any seats in jeopardy,” Gerry Connolly, a representative for Virginia's 11th congressional district, was cited as saying.
Rattled by the results of the elections, which left the Democratic Party clinging to a slimmed down House of Representatives majority, as it lost five seats while Republicans picked up six, the two sides of the party are said to be indulging in a blame game.
The Republicans have all but secured their majority in the Senate. Two remaining Senate seats are to be determined in a runoff election on 5 January in Georgia, where Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler have so far failed to accumulate the state’s requirement of 50 percent of the vote.
Forced to acknowledge that the outcome of the elections has fallen short of the coveted mark, the Democrats claim that campaigning on progressive causes had failed to elicit a desired boost in voter support.
The centrists in the party ranks are reportedly slamming the left's 'socialist' messaging, perceived as off-putting for Americans residing outside big cities and urban areas.
Furthermore, with Mitch McConnell retaining his seat of Senate majority leader, the party is suggested as not being in a position to appoint figures viewed as socialists ahead of a competitive election next year which might reduce their majority even further.
Sanders Eyes Labor Secretary Job
This comes as Bernie Sanders, who had earlier challenged Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, said on Wednesday he would consider accepting the position of Labor Secretary if offered.
"If I had a portfolio that allowed me to stand up and fight for working families, would I do it? Yes, I would," Sanders said in an interview for CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
Sanders added:
"Whether that's in the Senate, whether that's in the Biden administration, who knows. Well, let's see how that unfolds."
Furthermore, a senior labour leader told CNN on Tuesday that Sanders had reportedly personally called union chiefs to request their support for his aspirations. However, the response had been allegedly mixed.
Sanders dropped out of the race against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination when he was unable to build on early momentum of winning some of the primaries and later endorsed the former vice president.
Biden on ‘Transition Path’
Reports have suggested that Joe Biden could name several cabinet nominees before Thanksgiving, as the Democratic contender for the Oval Office pushes ahead with his transition plans, disregarding Donald Trump’s refusal to admit defeat.
Biden ally, Delaware senator Chris Coons was rumoured to be among the top picks to for the office of Secretary of State.
“If he surprises me by asking me to consider serving in his Cabinet, I’d be honoured to do so," Coons was cited as saying in response to media speculations.
Joe Biden has brushed aside Donald Trump's stance regarding the elections as an "embarrassing" mark on his legacy. Republican resistance to conceding victory, claimed Biden during a press briefing, "does not change the dynamic at all in what we're able to do".
