Outside the Beltway

It Just Keeps Getting Better: Perry to Energy?

Steven L. Taylor
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Via Bloomberg News:  Perry Said to Be Trump’s Top Candidate for Energy Secretary

Donald Trump has narrowed his search for energy secretary to four people, with former Texas Governor Rick Perry the leading candidate.

People familiar with the president-elect’s selection process said two Democratic senators from energy-producing states — Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — are also in the mix, along with Ray Washburne, a Dallas investor and former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Lets all recall:  Rick Perry’s Debate Lapse: ‘Oops’ – Can’t Remember Department of Energy

“It’s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone – Commerce, Education and the um, what’s the third one there? Let’s see. Oh five – Commerce, Education and the um, um,” Perry said.

[…]

The third agency Perry couldn’t think of was the Department of Energy, which he rails against on the stump nearly every day.

Perry finally remembered the third agency 15 minutes later after referring to his notes, saying “By the way, it was the Department of Energy I was talking about.”

You really can’t make this stuff up.

Also:  how about appointing the CEO of an oil company to energy, rather than to State?  At least that is within his area of expertise.

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12 responses to “It Just Keeps Getting Better: Perry to Energy?”

  1. Doug Mataconis Avatar
    Doug Mataconis

    Notwithstanding his 2008 blunder, Perry’s experience as Governor and Lt. Governor of Texas, which goes back to 1999, would seem to be well-suited to the position of Energy Secretary.

  2. michael reynolds Avatar
    michael reynolds

    Trump has thus far given nothing to previous opponents. Unless Perry can crawl I doubt he gets it.

  3. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Doug Mataconis: True. It would make more sense than some of the other appointees. Of course, it feeds the meme that he is appointing people who are opposed to the mission of the department in question.

    @michael reynolds: Indeed.

  4. Gustopher Avatar
    Gustopher

    Perry has used a light switch, which means that he can control energy. Surely that makes him as qualified as Ben Carson for HUD.

  5. Davebo Avatar
    Davebo

    @Doug Mataconis:

    Perry’s experience as Governor and Lt. Governor of Texas, which goes back to 1999, would seem to be well-suited to the position of Energy Secretary.

    Not so much. If he’d been Texas Railroad Commissioner I’d agree but as Governor he had no impact on either promotion or regulation of energy in the state.

  6. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    Fortunately, “Secretary of Energy” is not really one of the positions at DOE that has any power. The important decisions are made by the Administrator of NNSA and the directors of the National Labs. That’s especially true during an administration that will not be funding any alternative energy programs.

    (I wonder if the US contribution to ITER is in jeopardy… Not that I expect ITER to ever work.)

  7. grumpy realist Avatar
    grumpy realist

    @DrDaveT: One of the newer versions of plasma containment seems to be working. I think you’re right in that a Tokamak will turn out not to be the way to go.

  8. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    @Davebo: Indeed the Governor has almost no real power in Texas.

  9. al-Ameda Avatar
    al-Ameda

    He’s from Texas, he favors no regulation of fossil fuel energy, dislikes alternative energy sources – I’d say he meets all Republican criteria for the position.

  10. SKI Avatar
    SKI

    @Steven L. Taylor:

    Of course, it feeds the meme that he is appointing people who are opposed to the mission of the department in question.

    Ummm, it isn’t a meme. It is, sadly, an accurate description of reality.

  11. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    The Republican cabinet:

    Secretary of War
    Secretary of Resource Extraction
    Commissioner of Police
    Secretary of Management
    Secretary of Propaganda
    …

  12. Davebo Avatar
    Davebo

    @Doug Mataconis:

    The current Secretary of Energy is Ernest Moniz. He’s a nuclear physicist, was a Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems at MIT and previously served as under secretary of energy. He holds a Phd in Physics from Stanford University.

    The previous Secretary of Energy was Steven Chu. Chu is also a nuclear physicist known for his research at Bell Labs and Stanford University regarding the cooling and trapping of atoms with laser light, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997.

    The next Secretary of Energy will be Rick Perry. Famous for not being able to name the Department of Energy as one of the three federal agencies he would eliminate if elected President during a Republican primary debate. He’s a graduate of Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Animal science where he made a D in a course with the simple title of “Meats”. He was however on Dancing with the Stars once.

    Sleep well Doug. They are only nuclear weapons after all.

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