Ron Kirk Goes To Washington?

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says he’s a finalist for transportation secretary. Vinson & Elkins lawyer Kirk was a big-time bundler of donations for Obama and helped organize his appearance at Reunion Arena. I guess when Obama won, so did Kirk. 

6 comments

  1. Great news for Dallas if he gets it! Ron Kirk is good people.

    @ 5:39 pm on December 12, 2008
  2. Anyone who was @Reunion that day (I was) thanks whoever ‘bundled’ that event because it was amazing. I’d be very happy to see Ron Kirk be the next Dallasite in DC, espcially since he has a working knowledge of mass transit and urban transportation issues as mayor. That would be a nice fit.

    @ 6:01 pm on December 12, 2008
  3. Hasn’t Ron Kirk been a paid lobbyist since leaving City Hall? That would disqualify him under Obama’s “Yes we can” change campaign promise of no lobbyists in his administration. Or was that just a campaign promise?

    @ 9:24 am on December 13, 2008
  4. http://projects.nytimes.com/44th_president/new_team

    Apparently the New York Times doesn’t agree. Kirk isn’t even on the list of “potentials”

    @ 9:57 am on December 15, 2008
  5. Actually, the Obama rule is no FEDERAL lobbying in the past year. It is my understanding that Kirk has not engaged in any FEDERAL lobbying for at least 10 years. His recent lobbying activities have been pretty much confined to state issues, like TXU, etc.

    I have other concerns about Kirk though. I’m amazed, although I shouldn’t be, at all the folks who have commented that they think Ron Kirk was such a great mayor for Dallas. One person said under another topic that Kirk “governed Dallas” well. Huh???? Everyone knows that the mayor’s position is largely ceremonial and that the mayor is merely a figurehead in Dallas. Folks either have really short memories or they don’t really have a clue as to what was really going on. They are just looking at the surface. Sad!

    Not to mention the fact that anyone who has been around Ron Kirk, not only privately, but surprisingly, in public, as well, knows that he curses like a sailor! How unprofessional and unbecoming for someone such as Kirk to engage in such behavior. You think the Illinois governor (Blago) tapes were embarrassing???? Bleep, bleep, bleep.

    Oh, well, if he gets the Transportation Sec. position, we’ll see how it works out.

    @ 9:46 am on December 16, 2008
  6. Obviously, the NY Times list is not all that accurate. They have 2 candidates listed for the Dept. of Interior and Obama has selected Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado, who was not even on the NYT list.

    @ 9:49 am on December 16, 2008