The Nooner, a Sacramento blog, features a juicy Sac Bee rumor that Los Angeles pol John Perez, portly-to-the max lookalike for New Jersey Guv Chris Christie, is on the list to be the the first openly gay Cabinet member in the Obama administration:
Is L.A. Mayor Tony Villaraigosa furiously lobbying President Obama to choose nationally-unknown California Assembly Speaker John Perez, Villaraigosa's Big Butt first cousin, for Secretary of Labor.
Tony V’s recommendation is based on Perez’s record of kowtowing to California mega-unions…thus turning Perez into a history-maker as the first proudly Gay Secretary in the U.S. Presidential Cabinet.
Why not ask all three of them to go on the record?
Puh…leeze!!!
Not Antonio's first cousin John (Big Boy) Perez for Secretary of Labor.
There are dozens more qualified gays. Ask Sen. Barbara Boxer if she has given her blessing yet to this silly appointment.
Is Tony V twisting the White House's arm to go ahead with this politically risky move that doesn't make a whole lot of sense in any case?
One California Mexican-American, Hilda Solis, to be replaced by another California Mexican-American, John Perez, at Labor?
Plus this bonus for the Mayor: Spurned Cabinet hopeful Villaraigosa gets to keep the Obama Cabinet choice all in the family…literally.
In fact, the only media that would express displeasure at this move would be the National Enquirer.
Too bad for 300-pounder Perez the fly in the ointment is that potentially pesky FBI background check that all Presidential Cabinet nominees must go through before facing an inevitably semi-hostile Senate confirmation hearing.
Are there lots of skeletons in the John Perez closet?
Just you wait and see!
Here is Jim Sanders’s report at the Bee’s Capitol Alert site:
Would Pérez Trade 'Assembly Speaker' for 'Labor Secretary’?
Welcome to the White House rumor mill, Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez.
As President Barack Obama shakes up his cabinet for a new four-year term, tongues are wagging in Washington D.C. – and one name they're wagging about is Pérez for U.S. Labor Secretary.
Pérez's name surfaced in an Associated Press report today that listed him among a handful of candidates to replace Hilda Solis, who resigned last month, reportedly to consider a run for Los Angeles County supervisor.
Pérez, who worked for labor groups 15 years before coming to the Legislature, scoffed at the possibility of leaving the Assembly for an Obama Cabinet post – but he stopped short of squashing it.
“Look, I'm always flattered if somebody thinks my work is worthy of other consideration, but I'm focused on being speaker for these next two years,” he said. “And continuing to build back our economy, and continuing to build on the fiscal discipline that we've created here in California. And getting people back to work.”
So he wouldn't take the Cabinet post?
The Los Angeles Democrat laughed.
“Let them ask and I'll give you the answer then.”
Mr. Walsh may be contacted at hollywoodhighlands.org
