Tom Vilsack : Secretary Of Agriculture

DES MOINES, Iowa — President-elect Barack Obama has selected former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to become his agriculture secretary, according to Democratic officials familiar with the selection process.

Obama will announce the nomination of Vilsack on Wednesday, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the selection before the announcement. Obama also plans to announce his nomination of Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as interior secretary at the same news conference, other Democratic officials said.

Vilsack will be the fourth former opponent of Obama in the campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination to join his new administration. Others include Vice President-elect Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been tapped for secretary of state, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, selected to head the Commerce Department.

Vilsack announced his presidential candidacy in late 2006, positioning himself as a Washington outsider with heartland appeal, but he dropped out before the primaries because of an inability to raise money. He endorsed Clinton and campaigned actively for her in the long primary campaign against Obama. After Obama defeated Clinton, Vilsack endorsed him.

First elected governor in 1998, Vilsack, 58, carved out a reputation as a political centrist. He balanced Iowa's budget and resisted raising taxes, but he was willing to spend money on such priorities as education and health. He argued that pushing alternative energy sources was key to bolstering rural sections of the nation that are struggling economically and with vanishing populations.

Salazar will head a department that oversees oil and gas drilling on public lands and manages the nation's parks and wildlife refuges. Salazar is expected to try to balance the protection of natural resources while tapping the nation's energy potential _ an approach Obama has said he wants.

Salazar co-sponsored a bill in Congress to create a new land conservation system under the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management for permanently protecting 26 million acres of national monuments, wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers. The legislation died during the lame-duck session of Congress after the November election.

The Colorado senator opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and objected to the Bush administration's efforts to lease Western lands for oil shale development. It will be up to the Obama administration whether to go ahead with leasing.

If Salazar is confirmed as interior secretary, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, will select a replacement to fill the last two years of his Senate term. Before being elected to the Senate in 2004, Salazar was Colorado's attorney general. He also headed Colorado's Natural Resources Department from 1990 through 1994.

(This version CORRECTS Vilsack's age to 58, not 56, and CORRECTS that he dropped out of race before primaries, not after the early primaries.)

Comments

[Welin]

HELP STOP VILSACK'S APPOINTMENT!

The Organic Consumers Association and other organic groups are
stunned at Obama's nomination of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as
Agriculture Secretary. As a proponent of genetically modified crops, he is believed
to be a disaster for the progressive farming agenda that I was hoping for.
Please click here to read more and spread this far and wide:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16156.cfm

Click here to easily take action (15 seconds to add you name, e-mail address and zip code)
by adding your name to the protest:
http://www.stopvilsack.org

[ccairnes]

I was hoping for Jim Leach for Agriculture because of his position on the Roadless Rule for National Forests. Yes, the Department of Agriculture is in charge of the National Forests. The role forests play in removing CO2 from the atmosphere is huge. The Tongass National Forest is the largest temperate rainforest left in the world and it was desecrated for 50 years, until the late '90s by Department of Agriculture policy. One of the last acts of the Clinton administration was imposing the Roadless Rule in an effort to stop wholesale clearcut logging at taxpayer expense in the National Forests. One of the first acts of the Bush administration was to exempt the Tongass from the Roadless Rule. Conservationist and industrial logging interests fight over each proposed Tongass timber sale in court and much taxpayer money has been spent on these lawsuits. At the same time restoration projects to repair the damage done by clearcut logging to watersheds, fish and wildlife habitat, and to address the issue of invasive species have had minuscule funding. The Tongass National Forest also contains some of the worlds most extraordinarily important cultural and archeological sites (10,000 year old human remains discovered) and these sites have been damaged by industrial logging operations over the years.

Forests are the lungs of the planet. We can only hope (and insist) that the new Secretary of Agriculture takes a deep breath and a hard look at National Forest issues and reinstates the Roadless Rule in the Tongass.

[IslandPress]

Obama has picked his energy, environmental and agriculture posts, but what about a "Food Secretary"? Food historian, and others in the food cognoscenti, think the Pres.-elec­t should consider
that:

http://blog.islandpress.org/276/ann-vileisis-the-ghost-of-an-ag-secretary-past

"It’s a compelling idea. America has become a truly urban nation, with less than 2 percent of us farming but 100 percent of us eating. And with all that eating, our country now faces a crisis in public health owing to epidemic obesity-a result of overproduction of insalubrious foods."

[FessorFrink]

All I am going to say is that usually Governors and Senators play favorites to the Big Industry in their state. Democrats are completely included. When Bill Clinton was Governor of Arkansas there were issues about Tyson Farms. Joe Biden, from my state of Delaware, supported the Bankruptcy bill since there are so many banks and credit card companies located here. The key will be if Vilsack and the other politicians, who are now asked by Obama to work for his agenda will drop these former ties and look out for the people in their new roles. I hope so because the last 8 years every de-regulator was in a cabinet post and weakend our country significantly.

[stell]

How many picks does it take to notice a trend?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

So from what I hear from people so far is that you are not against biotech per se but the fact that your think big government and large corporations have the only resources to develop biotech is your problem because you don't trust either of them. Again I will bring up BC bud that was not developed by any huge corporation.

Personally I have never bought any "organic" food for two big reasons. One it is too expensive and two all food is organic. Buying organic is just another advertisement scam to me to add extra value where it does not exist.

[vjoseph]

Typical progressive shillery. Corporations are bad, blah, blah, blah. Globalization bad, blah, blah, blah. AIPAC bad, blah, blah, blah. I could go on, but that would be a serious waste of my time

[hialoha]

There is merit in supporting local growers. Local emplyment, less dependence oil for shipped food, plays into national security issue ......

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Sure but local farms are never going to compete with corporate farms on a national and global level.

People do not realize the only way that we can ever get real change in the world is if we stop polluting it with our species. As draconian as some of the Chinese laws are in limiting the size of families it does make some sense on a 100% logical level.

Corporations and big government will always rule the world when huge numbers of consumers expand.

It's population growth stupid.

[MossyOak]

Organic only means no pesticides or herbicides used in production. It's more expensive because the DOA makes certification impossibly difficult. Pesticides and herbicides cause cancer and other health issues, so your assessment of it as a "scam" is your opinion, but hardly a fact.

[boophus]

Organic means no pesticides or herbicides. You are free to believe that it makes no difference while you swallow your prescription pills that contain less chemicals then are dumped into our food supply.

Reminds me of the old timer who said lead poisoning of children damaging them was nonsense because he had been exposed and he was ok. Only problem was that his speech had deteriorated so badly you could barely understand him. His 37 year old son led him off. Oh well keep swallowing those hormone and antibiotic drenched products.

[hialoha]

I'm a huge Obama supporter but this is a very disheartening choice. Ties to Monsanto that is a genetically engineering monsters. This is bad news on many levels. Means food prices going way up and more global hunger. Snuffs out small farms and organic options.

[Branwyn]

I seriously have to wonder what Obama doesn't see in the current SecAg Ed Schafer. He has a long and distinguished record of public service (former ND Governor, for one), and was just appointed in January of this year. Plus, the man went on 'Junkyard Wars', for goodness' sake. ^_^ We at least know he's got a sense of fun!

[desiderus]

Well - there aren't any family farms left in Iowa (I know, I used to have one). The trees are gone, the natural contours of Grant Wood's land flattened, the chemical runoff has poisoned the watertable and we don't have any birds or insects left (we lost our bees, too) Monsanto sues anyone who tries to take land back to fallow/organic cycles, and anyone not planting 'their' patented herbicide-treated frankenkorn. And we can't eat the food because it's all going to ethanol -- not a bread basket, a soy/corn ecological disaster.

Vilsack is a shill. This is a terrible choice, and terribly depressing.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Too bad so many in rural America have voted against their personal interests to put Republicans in power for "social issues" which brought down the family farm in favor of bankers and corporate farms. 12 years of Republican rule in congress and 8 years under Bush is not going to change overnight.

[theone718]

What time is the press conference tommorow?

[mam]

Is Obama *seriously* finding the talent pool - in the whole d.am.n country - so shallow that he has to keep dipping into the Senate? There were no better choices for Interior or Ag? Really? His selections to this point do not bespeak much breadth of vision beyond the middling middle. And yes, I know the "you need people who know the ropes...bl­ah-blah" argument. You also need some people with passion and a truly distinctive, outside-the-DLC perspective, and I've seen precious few of them.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Huh Vilsack is a governor.

[vjoseph]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the DLC crap in my list of typical progressive shillery

[dandypuddin]

I think this is a good choice. Iowa is the bread basket to the world.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

It's funny that American progressives are not in sync with European progressives and the use of bioengineering.

The funniest part of all that the progressives who imbibe on herbal refreshments have no problem using BC bud which was developed using classic genetic engineering but you don't want to eat corn that is genetically enhanced.

[KarateKid]

BC bud rulz!

[vjoseph]

The hypocrisy within American Progressives is astounding. I have seen more racism and anti-semitism on here than any other boards I frequent. It is quite disheartening

[hialoha]

The problem is that Vilsack is not about being progressive. On the contrary.

[MomfromTexas]

This brings up something I've noticed on this board and mentioned a couple of times--pro­gressives, greens, and liberals are all grouped together as one. Although, we all do come together on many issues and do tend to support one another on many issues, there are differences between us, as well. Bioengineering in food production is much more a progressive concept, than a liberal or a green one. Liberals and greens are more into family farms and organic farming.

[hialoha]

Thanks mom I think your correct on track with this.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

MomfromTexas like every blog you write I learn something new and that's one thing that keeps me going.

[vjoseph]

Well then, that concludes the lesson

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

In my career I have done more green things within industry by increasing the amount of recycled paper that can be used in newspaper and fine paper grades. But so-called "green" people sometimes drive me crazy because most of them are the equivalent of penny wise and dollar foolish.

I get so much flack from some of my "green" cousins (who seemed to always move near Seattle) for working within corporate America to help the environment and make safe products for the environment. The ironic part is that I did quite a bit to make the water around them safer by changing the way recycled paper is processed, but they are too stupid to realize you can change things from the inside more than from the outside sometimes.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

In my career I have done more green things within industry by increasing the amount of recycled paper that can be used in newspaper and fine paper grades. But so-called "green" people sometimes drive me cra zy because most of them are the equivalent of penny wise and dollar foolish.

I get so much flack from some of my "green" cousins (who seemed to always move near Seattle) for working within corporate America to help the environment and make safe products for the environment. The ironic part is that I did quite a bit to make the water around them safer by changing the way recycled paper is processed, but they are too stupid to realize you can change things from the inside more than from the outside sometimes.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

mediamarv See Profile I'm a Fan of mediamarv I'm a fan of this user permalink

"Hmmm.. another white guy.

What were you saying about "change?""

To answer the most idiotic statements of all time. Obama's picks so far for his administration.

Non-white guys

Obama, Clinton, Napolitano, Rice, Holder, Jarrett, Jackson, Richardson, Salazar, Chu, Shinseki, Browner, Sutly, Barnes, Tchen, Strautmanis,

White guys

Biden, Jones, Gates, Duncan, Vilsack, Geithner, Summers, Emanuel, Gibbs, Axelrod, Daschle, Bauer

Actually the "White guys" are in the minority especially if you are a white supremacist that does not count Obama's Je ws as white either so Emanuel, Geithner, Axelrod don't even count.

Tell me if I missed some.

[whit4brains]

Thank you. I am so sick of hearing how he doesn't have enough diversity in his cabinet.

[Shadow08]

Thanks.

[KarateKid]

Napolitano isn't white?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

She's a woman did you read the first post?

[vjoseph]

LOL, she ain't a guy

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I keep on forgetting Shaun Donovan head of HUD an Irish American like me.

[MomfromTexas]

Shaun Donovan is an outstanding choice, BTW. I couldn't be happier with him at HUD.

This has nothing to do with anything, but, since you mentioned Jews, he's also picked a lot of Catholics. LOL! Just thought I'd mention it.

[MyTake]

My god, yet another selection culled from The Council on Foreign Relations.

Governor Pataki and Governor Vilsack were co-chairs of the Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on Climate Change and did up a report in 2008. Yet another Cap and Trade guy where profits will flow to the Rothschild controlled banks that handle those transactions.

Over 80% of Obama's selections have come or are associated with the Rockefeller controlled CFR. This is not change, PE Obama.

[Shadow08]

Will your next post be about the Bilderberg, the Illuminati or something equally conspiratorial.

I can see pre-juding a guy before he takes office and before he does anything or even before his appointees get a fair chance at proving themselves, if you have nothin g positive to offer, but the conspiatcy stuff is the unkindes cut of all. If you have reality based concerns, that's fair game, but this junk is just nonsense.

[freshnotbitter]

Somebody always gets a cut of "trade" though, right?

[Northcoaster]

It's true Vilsack was/is a proponent of biotech, but the Secretary
serves at the pleasure of the President and the policy
framework will come from Obama. The real challenge is
trying to manage the nearly unmanageable USDA bureacracy.
This is not a job for anyone that doesn't have significant
experience, and the obvious choices are mostly governors.
He's as good as we've got.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

When did biotech become a bad word with progressives?

Biotech is the only way we will be able to feed the world's growing population and more importantly create alternative energies.

[Leatherhelmet]

That is a question I can't figure out about progressives. Why the hate for biotech?