What do genealogy and politics have to with each other? In my case, quite a bit, and it all has to do with the significance of the passage of time, an oft used quote of our presidental runnerup, Kamala Harris. Once again, we came close to electing our first female President, but no such bananas. The time, and the candidate, were not right. Listening to her occasional speeches, which sometimes left one scratching their head, wondering what she was getting at, I was reminded of that now infamous Miss South Carolina contestant in the Miss Teen USA pageant, Caitlin Upton who gave a twisted, nonsensical answer that gave birth to the term "word salad".
Hillary Clinton was the first to come close and was a much more astute, and capable, candidate, but then there's the whole thing concerning her body count, and we aren't talking about her love life. I do believe there will be a female candidate within our lifetime, but the time was not ripe.
I come from a long line of hard-core Democrats, as they used to call them. My maternal grandfather was a Kennedy Democrat. He had books on JFK's reign in office, the elegance of his term, deeded "Camelot" and other information on what was considered America's royal family. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a flawed man, but a good President. He had vision, youth, presence and bearing, a handsome man with a beautiful young family and a graceful, classy wife. But someone wanted him dead.
I'm neither Democrat not Republican. I consider myself somewhere in the middle. Most democrats and republicans vote along party lines. It's the Independants and those from the small parties in between who are coaxed or inveigled to vote one way or another, who determine the winners. I don't prefer the two party system, and I am not alone. An intriguing number of small parties have sprang up over the last several years.The Liberatarians have picked up speed, then there's the Green Party, the No Label Party, Andrew Yang's Forward Party, (I was a Yang Ganger). But we know no one in any of these parties are going to be President, not in the present, and not likely in the near future. For the entirety of my life, it has been, and continues to be, either a Democrat or a Republican. You can vote for your menial party, which is like spitting in the ocean, or chose one of the two more dominant parties, which has been in recent years a game of chosing the lesser of two evils.
I won't explain how I can adore both John Fetterman and Ron Paul, (and to a lesser degree, his son, Rand), or why I believe AOC is the future of the Democrat Party, and may very well be our first female President, despite her current - idolence and ignorance, trappings of her youth, unless Tulsi Gabbard manages to beat her to it.
What brings these two renewed interests of mine together, is that they arrived in the autumn of my life. I registered as a Democrat at 18, led by my beloved Grandfather. I began my genealogical research at 14, again, inspired by the same beloved Grandfather. Then life happened. In young adulthood, one is involved in a whirlwind of priorities, education, career, social life, drama, family, survival. Then things become quiet, kids grow up, work is more familiar and mundane. You began to reclaim your selfhood, searching for what made you who you are and what omnifarious convection color the flavor and flow of your life.
There's obviously something about turning a half century old that changes one mentally, philosophically and spiritually. the benefits of wisdom. The young see neither the forest or the trees, but the aged can see the moss fighting to grow within the crevasses of bark, the seedling thrusting its way to light through loamy, humus and mulch, the harmony of the swaying canopy, the synchrony, the cohesiveness, the community. There's an elusium with age. You can now take the time, as the house becomes quiet, to enjoy the apricity of the sun, the joy of the birth of a new day, with an eleutheromus the young can not know. There comes a peace, a sonder, that the daily grind steals from the overly busy.
Having time to look back, also leads to time to look forward. I've worked for the Board of Elections for 16 years now, speculatively, just during primaries and elections themselves. Over this time, I made a number of observations. First, at that time, there was a small percentage of the population who took the time to vote, especially in the local elections or primaries. You could count on a handful of sedulous voters showing up every time. The second point was that most of those voters were 'of a certain age'. There were more voters over 80 than under 40 who would show up religiously to vote. Thus, those whose probable future is the briefest, have more voice in the future of the community, the state, and even the country, than those whose future is the longest. But over the course of the last few elections, and with most acutace in the most recent, change is on the rise. We had the most first time voters in this past election than we ever have had. People under 25 were coming out in force to register, and to make their voice known. They were pitching in their lot for the future. This event is invigorating.
I may have another decade, I may have four. Life and health are too uncertain things. I'm old enough to recall a very different world than the one we live in now. In the late 70's, early 80's, opportunity abound. It is said you could walk out of one job and be sure to have another by the days end. Our little town was a manufacturing hub. Factory afte factory lined Little Long Creek. Textiles, aluminum, carpet, electrical componets, anything you could imagine that could be made, was made in America. Albemarle, NC was a part of that.
As the years went by, things would change, and not for the better.
Those among us now trembling or 'knashing their teeth', over where we are at this time in history, can't seem to understand how we got to this point. All it takes is a little anamnesis. Those of us old enough to have been an audience to it all, can comprehend, or should be able to.
NAFTA and CAFTA was signed. Walmart came along and killed most of the Mom and Pops. American Manufacturing is on it death knell. Hordes of Americans were left jobless and hopeless. Small and Large Manufacturing towns became ghost towns. Where factories were left to decay and fall apart, centers of towns, like ours, became to resemble a war zone. Nothing of quality can be purchased anymore, we're left with cheap Chinese junk. The trade deals, NAFTA, the fault of Clinton, a Democrat, and CAFTA, the fault of G. W. Bush, a Republican, benefitted NOT the American people, but the other countries. I, myself, said over and over, "I wish we had a President that wanted to be the President of the United States, and not the world. Who would take care of our own people, our own country, first, and stop robbing us and raping us for the benefit of other countries.
I remember driving through the town of Star, a small town in neighboring Montgomery County, considered the center of the state, some years ago. I hadn't seen it in awhile, at the time. It had been a cute little railroad town. I was aghast at the boarded up, empty buildings, the rundown look of the place, and the citizens that remained seemed to carry that dull, heavy feeling in their personage. It had became a ghost town.
Over the past several years, many of the communities have fought hard to come back and make their towns viable again. I am exuberant and proud of the way Albemarle has sought to revitalize its downtown and control its growth. It's a beautiful place again, mostly. We aren't finished, but we're making progress. Some figurable plans have been brought to the table. Other factors, some fractous, some beneficial, are now coming into play.
During the past two or three years now, our community has seen a nonpareil burst of growth, mostly in housing. Houses are popping up eveywhere, in every neighborhood, new and old, trees are being torn down for housing projects, developments and with more on the table. New roads are being carved through corn fields and others spreading wide like a fat viper. Some of it can be blamed on the urban cancer that is our nearest large city, Charlotte. The sprawl is like an ugly disease spreading out and infecting the areas closest to it, crossing both county, and state, lines.
Charlotteans are escaping the frantic pace, perilous traffic, menacing crime stats and inane prices for a slower paced, more enjoyable and affordable lifestyle, while choosing to commute there for work still, unless they are retiring.
Others are coming from other states, some with lack of employment opportunities, some with ridiculous tax rates and high cost of living, still others with high crime and dangerous policies, like not locking up criminals. The most visible and disconcerting contributary to growth is the overwhelming influx of immigrants from other countries. Going to see a movie in your little home town and being the only one who speaks English besides the ticket taker can be a bit unsettling to small town denizen. I can see why some voters would turn away from a frail, teetering candidate who seems confused at times, or another who spins incompetent, and proprietary for one known for gruffness and inpoliteness, but also shuns politcal correctness. The 'good guys' left the door open too long. They allowed tenebrous and seedy things, bedizened in and emboldened by a lackadaisical acceptance, to slip in, and not just, but to become profound and demanding. The most important thing that they forgot - majority rules. Regular folk, the 'normies', those who work hard, raise families, build communities, who just want a quiet life, with a little bit of happiness, far outnumber what we called back in the 70's and 80's, the 'lunatic fringe'. Bald men in ballgowns and bright red lip stick walking the halls of Congress, or topless transfolk trapsing around the White House lawn sporting their Double-D's for all to see, while flinging their junk around in a thong can be a shock to the system of the majority of Americans. Many, albeit quietly, voted against it. It was becoming an absolute clown show.
Many young women voted for one policy and one policy only. Abortion. Raised to believe a career was the only end goal and that parenthood is a bad thing, they threw everything else to the side. Lots of them forgot to vote, however, but they forgot several things: people who want to be parents, who came from loving families and want the same, people who already have families, and people to old to care. Oh, and men, lets not forget them. You can't be a one trick pony and win the race.
Another factor, 'my slice of the pie'. Most people don't mind sharing. Until. Big word, until. When they feel like they are being pushed out, that they will no longer be getting access to their own slice of the pie, that their communities are being taken over and they are being starved out of their own homes, they begin to push back. They become hungry little German Shepherds fighting for their mothers teat. Opponents run to call this behavior 'racism', and that might work in countries that have been historically one race. In America, the puppies being pushed out are black, brown, white and red, and the people they fear are pushing them out are the same colors.
In our community, we're having an epidemic of flat tires. You heard me. There is so much construction in every neighborhood that you can't drive down the street without picking up little nails. Who will fill all of the houses? All of the above. People from eveywhere, from the Amoeba known as Charlotte, Snowbirds looking for warmth, westerners escaping policies that have their sidewalks strewn with needles and people breaking into their garages, midwesterners looking for better opportunities than their own ghost towns, foreigners from wartorn and economically devasted areas looking for that American Dream they heard about.
It doesn't matter if you scream Democracy or uphold the Republic, majority rules. The world became topsy turvy. Over the past several years, the rights of the few superceded the rights of the many. I'm not speaking of gay people. Most gay people, at least the ones I know, fall into the category of just regular people who want to live their lives like anyone else. Believe it or not, Conservative gays exist.
Don't butcher the children. The majority of people are accepting and tolerant, until you come for the children.
. Most female athletes don't want to compete against bodies twice their size and strength. Its not fair.
But I degress. Thank you for allowing me to perorate on a subject thats been heavy on my mind. That is what happened y'all. A self-aggrandizing narcissistic humador won the election. How? By running on common sense. By listening to what people were saying. People who voted. People who had the right to vote. People who felt they were being pushed out, who felt the world, society and the government was spinning out of control. Normal, regular, common, everyday people. The Majority. Having, AGAIN, the choice of the lesser of two evils, the one who offered succor, who condemned the puerile, who promised to ameliorate the fears and focus of the masses -won. Hectoring plans and policies to fix the fallible issues that we've been inundated with and encircled by a collective of sedulous yay-sayers, we have a mendacious leader, who also reflects strength, courage and determination. That didn't work, let's try THIS.
With each of the last three or four elections, I've began to pay a little bit more attention to things. This most recent, I paid more attention than ever. Since acheiving adulthood, I could name the President, sometimes the Vice President, but cared not to know more than that. Pathetic, right? Yet, until recently, I had never thought about the process, about how one administration takes over from another. It doesn't happen over night. Yes, at the exact moment the Presiden Elect takes the oath, their administration begins and the old one ends. Yet, theres a lot of work, and people, that goes into the rest of it.
The Temporary Cabinet.
This election, I've just became aware of the Temporary Cabinet. The change of Presidential Administrations is akin to a snake shedding his skin and taking on the new one. By the time a new person is sworn in to the office, they usually have a good number of their cabinet, federal office heads, and staff chosen, but as many are hired after the swearing in, especially the higher "underling" offices, deputy secretaries, undersecretaries, advisors, spokesmen and attorneys for the agencies. I suppose I somehow assumed the Old Guard stayed in control until the New Guard was 'confirmed' by the Senate. Oh no, they exist with the Commander in Cheif. There's a whole team of folks who make the transition happen. Theres the transition team, who basically are in charge of screening people and doing the hiring, although the President has the last word on who he (or she if we ever get one), wants. There are 'sherpas', kind of recepcionists, who guide and teach the prospective Secretary and team through the process and lead them through the hoops, advisors so to speak.
Running the government until those folks complete the process is the Temporary Cabinet. Who are they? There is not one answer to the cabinet. Most are experienced in the office they are taking, higher level staff, but they can also be advisors, former cabinet members, senators, retired persons who worked in those departments, or those who are in unelected positions within the department, and will likely recieve a promotion after the temporary position.
Why would anyone want to be a Secretary and head an agency for a week, a month or however long the temporary position lasts? Experience, for one, looks good on a resume, is a step up the political ladder.
What happens to them after the position is filled, as they are but a temporary place holder? The answer to that is as varied as there are people. Some go back to whatever position they held before they took the post. Others will recieve another position within the administration, often a promotion. Some return to the private sector. Those who came out of retirement usually return to retirement.
Below is the current list of folks who are temporarily running the Goverment. You'll see what I mean about how it varies.
Secretary of Agirculture: Gary Washington
Gary Washington has been the Chief Information Officer at the USDA since 2018. He formerly headed the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. He has an impressive portfolio altogether, having also worked at the FDA and ten years in the US Air Force. He's the placeholder for Brooke Rollins. He will likely hold an important role in the USDA after she is sworn in.
Secretary of Commerce: Jeremy Pelter
Jeremy served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and as the Chief Financial Officer for the Administration. He's also served in the SBA. He's the place holder for Howard Lutnick and will continue to serve under the Secretary in a high level office.
Secretary of Defense: Robert G. Salesses
Robert was a placeholder for five days until Pete Hegeseth was confirmed. He is now the Deputy Director of Washington Headquarters Services in the DOD. He was a Marine Corps Officer and has held a number of positions in the DOD.
Secretary of Education: Denise Carter
Denise has ran the Federal Student Aid team in and has served in several positions within that agency. She has also worked in HHS and won Meritous Presidential Rank Awards. She is a place holder for Linda McMahon and will continue to head the FSA after the Secretary is confirmed.
Secretary of Energy: Ingrid Kolb
Ingrid has been Director of the Office of Management for the Department of Energy since 2005. She has also worked for the US Government at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Department of Education and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The offices she has served in is a list of eleven with titles like Cheif of Staff and Deputy Secretary. She is expected to remain as a high-ranking Official at the Dept. of Energy and be on the President's new National Enery Board along with Chris Wright, to whom she is the placeholder for, and Doug Burgham, Interior Nominee, Lee Zeldin, EPA Nominee, and others.
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Dorothy Fink
Dr. Dorothy Fink was serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health before being appointed as Acting Secretary for HHS. She has a long and studied career with a focus on women's health and has also worked for the US Government at NIH. She is the placeholder for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and is expected to head OASH (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health), if he is approved.
Director of Homeland Security: Benjamine Huffman
Benjamine Huffman was serving as the Head of FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers) before being tasked with the role of Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary. He has held several roles at DHS before that. He began his career working for Border Control. He is the placeholder for Kristi Noem and is expected to return to FLETC when she assumes office.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Matthew Ammon
Matthew Ammon was serving as the Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes at HUD before becoming the placeholder for nominee Scott Turner. He had also held the same temporary positon durng the Biden Administration after the departure of Marcia Fudge. He is expected to return to his old position when Scott Turner is confirmed.
Secretary of the Interior: Walter Cruickshank
Dr. Walter Cruickshank is the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. He has held several science roles with the US Government, including Deputy Director of Minerals and Management Services and with BOEM. He is the placeholder for Doug Burgham and is expected to return to his former role, or possibly as Director of BOEM when Mr. Burgham takes office.
Attorney General: The Honoral James McHenry III
Justice McHenry heads the office of Immigration Review at the Department of Justice. He has a long history as an Immigration Attorney and is the placeholder for Pam Bondi, the AG-in-waiting. He's definately a Trumpster with his views on immigration and will be expected to hold a significant post dealing with it after his temporary role is no longer needed.
Secretary of Labor: Vincent Micone
Vincent Micone is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Operations at the Department of Labor. He is also currently the Acting Secretary of the Department. Before this, he was the Executive Director for Enterprise Services with the Commerce Department and also served as an Inspector General for Federal Law Enforcement, and worked with an independant audit service at the Treasury Department. He is a placeholder for Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Secretary of State: Lisa Kenna
Ambassador Lisa Kenna didn't have a long reign as Acting Secretary of State as Senator Marco Rubio became the first of this Administrations appointees to be sworn in as now Secretary Marco Rubio, and the first Latino to serve in that position. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, she has served as Executive Secretary of State, an Advisor for DOD and an Ambassador to multiple foreign missions. She has returned to her position at State as Executive Secretary.
Secretary of the Treasury: David Lebryk
David Lebryk is a career member of the Department of the Treasury and has served as the Fiscal Assistant Secretary, the most senior career position for over a decade. He is a place holder for Scott Bessent. He has spent an overall 30 years in various offices at Treasury and is perhaps the most experienced and capable person to have assigned this temporary position. He will continue in his previous position.
Transportation Secretary: Judith Kaleta
Judith Kaleta is the Senior Career Attorney at the DOT. She is the placeholder for Sean Duffy. Prior to becoming the Acting Secretary, she headed up a Department of over 400 attorneys. She has served as an attorney is various agencies, including RSPA, FTA, and the Federal Highway Commission and has won an astounding number of awards in her impressive career.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs:Todd Hunter
Todd Hunter served as the Deputy Executive Director of the VA during Trumps first term. He has held a number of positions in the VA including Director of Mission Support and the Director of the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, Director of the Strategic Acquisition Center, Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction and others. He served 22 years in the US Army with a distinguished career. He is a placeholder for Doug Collins. He will remain in the VA serving under Mr. Collins.
EPA Secretary: James Payne
James Payne is an instructor at Georgetown University and an Attorney. He is a placeholder for Lee Zeldin. He has worked in the Ohio Attorney General's Office and in the Environmental division of the Department of Justice. Mr. Payne has also worked at the EPA as a Regional Council. He will likely hold a Council Position after his tenure as Acting Secretary is over.
SBA: Everett Woodel. Jr.
Everett Woodel, Jr. MBA, was serving as the District Director of the Small Business Administation for Central and Southern Ohio, before being chosen as the Acting SBA Administrator. He has ran an energy investment company, and worked for the State of Ohio as a US House of Representatives staff member. He is a place holder for Scott Turner.
OMB: Matthew Vaeth
Matthew Vaeth, with a Master of Science Degree in Public Policy and Management, has worked in the Office of Management and Budget for 27 years. he began as a Program Examiner, then became Cheif of the Budget Review Branch after 11 years, and has served as the Assistant Director, Legislative Reference since 2011. He is the placeholder for Russell Vought, who served as the Head of OMB during Trumps's first term. Recent actions have placed Voughts chances of confirmation at a narrower possibiltiy, so the future for Mr. Vaeth is uncertain. He may hold the acting position for much longer, and will no doubtably hold a higher position in the office afterwards.
DNI: Stacy Dixon
Stacy Dixon has served as the Principal Deputy Director of National Intellegence for the past four years. Despite being a member of the previous administration, she is seen as reliable and nonpartisan by the incoming Administration. A Stanford University Graduate, Ms. Dixon served as Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) before becoming the Principal Deputy Director of National Intellegence, the second highest office in the Department. She is a placeholder for Tulsi Gabbard, who, being a controversial pick, has uncertain chances of being sworn in. Ms. Dixon's future after serving as Acting Director is uncertain, as well, since she is from another administration, and also because her placeholder role may be for an extended time if Tulsi doesn't pass Senate approval.
Trade Rep: Juan Millan
Juan Millan is served as the Deputy General Counsel for Monitoring and Enforcement for USTR before being asked to serve in the Acting Role. He has been a Legal Advisor within the office for a number of years, focusing on export subsidies and agriculture. A graduate of both Yale and Harvard, Mr. Millan is the placeholder for Jamieson Greer. He will remain in the USTR after his acting role is no longer needed, in a senior position.
CIA: Thomas Sylvester Jr.
Thomas Sylvester, Jr. is a career intelligence official. He is the Deputy Director of the CIA for Operations and will return to the role when his tenure as Acting Director is over. Deputy Director Sylvester grew up the son of a Foreign Service Officer and lived all over the planet. He was a US Navy Seal before joining the C.I.A. Mr. Sylvester is the placeholder for John Ratcliffe, who will probably have no issues being confirmed.
Oops, Stacy Dixon's time as Acting Director of the ODNI was brief. There were rumors that Dixon was attempting to subvert and prevent the appointment of Tulsi Gabbard, who was nominated for the role, in hopes of being asked to take the position for herself. The rumors are also noted to be unsubstantiated. She is also known to be a staunch supporter of D.E.I., initiatives that the current administration is attempting to wipe from its slate. This would be a much more logical excuse for her ouster in my view. She was replaced by co-worker, Lora Shiao.
Lora Shiao served as Cheif Operating Officer at ODNI before being asked to take over the Acting Director role from Stacy Dixon. She has served as an intelligence briefer to the Attorney Generals Office and also to the F. B. I. She has also served as Deputy Director for Terrorist Identities in the Senior National Intelligence Service. She has been Cheif Operating Officer for five years. She is expected to stay in the DNI office if Tulsi Gabbard is approved. If that doesn't come to fruition, she could pass as a double for Trumps daughter.
So until the Cabinet is fully settled and sworn, we have a group of capable and experienced career diplomats and officers running the show. I think the acting cabinet might just be a better one that the nominated one. It's a little more diverse one, which is not a priortiy in this administration as it was in the last.
In the Nominated Cabinet of 15 Cabinet Offices, but a total of 24 Cabinet Level Offices, we have 9 women, and 16 men, or those, only one, Scott Turner is African American, two, Marco Rubio and Lori Chavez-Dermer are Hispanic and one, Tulsi Gabbard, is Asian/Pacific Islander.
I've only named 21 offices here, as Cheif of Staff, OSTP and the UN do not have Acting positions named. Of the 21, there are seven women and seven people of color.
Interesting. Hang on to your hats. As the whiskey-voiced actress, Kathryn Hephburn decried, "It's going to be a bumpy ride.
Remains of a section of Huckabee Street.
