Governor

In his op-ed in the New York Times today, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) tells executives at the struggling automakers to "Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms — all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat."

Sounds like he's on the same page with U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman of California who earlier today asked the CEOs from the Big Three testifying at a House committee hearing to "raise their hand if they flew here commercial." When none did, he continued: "Let the record show, no hands went up. Second, I'm going to ask you to raise your hand if you are planning to sell your jet in place now and fly back commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up."

The dust has barely settled on the 2008 elections -- in fact, in a few Senate and House contests, ballots are still being counted -- but possible presidential contenders are already building foundations they will need to put them ahead of the pack in time for the 2012 Iowa caucuses, a scant 38 months away. For Republicans, the early key to success is holding a governorship, and at least half a dozen chief executives are expected to at least consider a bid for president.

The government should not bailout the American auto-industry and should choose instead to let it fall into bankruptcy where it can restructure itself to more adequately compete in the global auto market, former Gov. Mitt Romney wrote in a New York Times op-ed Wednesday.

Romney, a Belmont Republican whose father was the president of American Motors, said by letting the industry slide into bankruptcy, auto companies can address two crucial problems.

First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors likeBMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota . Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.

That extra burden is estimated to be more than $2,000 per car. Think what that means: Ford, for example, needs to cut $2,000 worth of features and quality out of its Taurus to compete with Toyota's Avalon. Of course the Avalon feels like a better product - it has $2,000 more put into it. Considering this disadvantage, Detroit has done a remarkable job of designing and engineering its cars. But if this cost penalty persists, any bailout will only delay the inevitable.

More after the jump.

Newsweek's Michael Isikoff is reporting that President-elect Barack Obama is planning to tap Eric Holder to be attorney general.

Holder, who was a deputy attorney general in former President Bill Clinton's administration, has long been rumored to be on Obama's shortlist for the post, along with Gov. Deval Patrick.

Newsweek cites two sources close to the transition team for the information. One source confirmed that Obama has offered Holder the job and Holder has accepted.

Treasurer Tim Cahill recently refused to rule out challenging Gov. Deval Patrick in the Democratic primary for governor in 2010, the Boston Herald reports.

Cahill, a Quincy Democrat, told the Herald in an editorial board meeting that it is "most likely" he'll run for governor in 2010 if Patrick does not seek re-election. Patrick has said repeatedly the he will run for a second term and told the Herald in August that Cahill vowed not to challenge him.

But Cahill made no such promise to the Herald.

"I don't want to say either way, because I honestly don't know," Cahill told the Herald. "It would depend on the situation that the state faces. Obviously, you'd have to believe you could do a better job, but it's a huge uphill battle to challenge someone from your own party."

House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi said late Monday that he is open to considering new ethics proposals drafted by Gov. Deval Patrick and other legislators.

"The governor, legislative leaders of both parties and individual lawmakers are discussing thoughtful proposals to reform our ethics laws and, while Massachusetts already has among the toughest standards in the nation, any necessary changes proposed by these groups will be fully considered," DiMasi, a Boston Democrat, said in a statement.

The Speaker was responding a proposed ethics rule change submitted by state Reps. Martin Walsh (D-Dorchester) and John Quinn (D-Dartmouth). The proposal calls for a six-year term limit on House Speaker, public hearings of the House Ethics Committees and stiffer penalties for illegal lobbying.

Mitt Romney's former chief legal counsel said over the weekend that the appointment of Ben Clements, Gov. Deval Patrick's current chief legal counsel, as U.S. Attorney would be widely praised in legal circles.

"Ben Clements is a lawyer's lawyer with significant legal management experience as Governor's Chief Legal Counsel and prosecutorial talent," Dan Winslow, who is also a veteran local Republican strategist, told PolitickerMA.com. "His selection as US Attorney would be widely praised by the legal community and seen as a homerun by the president."

Several Democratic operatives told PolitickerMA.com last week that Clements should be considered for the U.S. Attorney post. U.S. Attorney's are appointed by the president and need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

While speculation surrounding who President-elect Barack Obama will appoint to his cabinet runs rampant, there are several local positions the Obama administration will fill as well.

Here is an early breakdown of some of the names we've heard as possibilities for U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshall, regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and regional administrator of the Small Business Administration, in no particular order. Most Democratic officials have said that it is too early to talk about specific candidates for federal jobs, but some have been willing to speculate about lists of potential appointees.

Who are we missing? Who shouldn't be on this list? Send tips to jeremy.jacobs@PolitickerMA.com.

U.S. Attorney

• Gerard Leone, Jr., Middlesex County District Attorney
• Daniel Conley, Suffolk County District Attorney
• Ben Clements, Gov. Deval Patrick's Chief Legal Counsel
• Garrett Bradley, State Representative of Hingham
• Andrea Cabral, Suffolk County Sheriff

Charlie Baker said Thursday that he is not interested in running for the U.S. Senate if John Kerry is tapped for a position in President-elect Barack Obama's administration.

Baker did not, however, rule out a future run for governor.

Baker, the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and former aide to Gov. William Weld, is widely considered to be the Massachusetts Republican Party's most viable statewide candidate.

"I won't be running for the Senate," Baker told PolitickerMA.com. "I haven't made any decisions beyond that."

Gov. Deval Patrick laid out his plan for restructuring Massachusetts' transportation Thursday morning in an editorial in the Boston Globe.

Patrick, a Milton Democrat, laid out his plan to consolidate transportation agencies, saying the "bureaucracy should be radically simplified."

"Multiple entities run different parts of our transportation system: the Turnpike Authority operates one highway while the Highway Department operates most others; Massport operates Logan Airport, the Tobin Bridge, and much of Boston Harbor; mass transit is divided among the MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities; DCR operates parkways," Patrick wrote. "Each has its own duplicative administrative overhead and strategy, personnel and pension systems, and maintenance programs."