Delegate Watch

The following is a list of Presidential Appointed positions to the Executive Branch. These positions do not require Senate approval. You can find our Presidential Appointment list requiring Senate confirmation here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book, the Transition Team as well as several other government sites. The list is not finished yet. We will add additional positions as quickly as possible.

White House Office
PositionNomineeDate



White House Chief of Staff
Rahm Emmanuel
11/6/08




Deputy White House
Chief of Staff
Mona Sutphen
11/16/08



Deputy White House
Chief of StaffJim Messina
11/16/08



Counsel to the President
Greg Craig
11/15/08



Counselor to the President






Asst to the President for
Presidential Personnel






Asst to the President for
National Security Affairs






Asst. to the President for Economic Policy
and Director, National Economic Council






Asst. to the President for Strategic
Initiatives & External Affairs






Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Jackie Norris
11/20/08




Asst. to the President for
Legislative Affairs
Phil Schiliro
11/15/08




Press Secretary
Robert Gibbs
11/6/08




Deputy Press Secretary






Asst to the President for
International Economic Affairs






Asst to the President for
Communications





Asst to the President for
Speechwriting






Asst to the President for Homeland
Security and Counterterrorism






Staff Secretary
Lisa Brown
11/19/08




Asst to the President for
Domestic Policy






Asst to the President for
Appointments & Scheduling






Special Counsel to the President






Deputy Asst to the President
for Legislative Affairs






Senior Advisor
David Axelrod
11/6/08




Senior AdvisorPete Rouse
11/16/08



Senior Advisor and Assistant to the
President for Intergovernmental
Relations and Public Liaison
Valerie Jarrett
11/15/08




Cabinet Secretary
Chris Lu
11/19/08




Director of Political Affairs
Patrick Gaspard
11/21/08




First Dog






Last updated: 11/21/08
Click here to see additional appointments and positions

Office of Policy Development
PositionNomineeDate



Deputy Asst to the President
for Economic Policy
and Deputy Director






Deputy Asst to the President
for Domestic Policy






Special Asst to the President
for Domestic Policy






Special Asst to the President
for Economic Policy





Special Asst to the President
for Economic Policy





Acting Director of the Office of Faith Based
and Community Initiatives






Acting Director of USA Freedom Corps






Special Asst to the President
for Domestic Policy





Last updated: 11/17/08
Office of Administration
PositionNomineeDate



Director, Office of Administration






Last updated: 11/17/08
National Security Council
PositionNomineeDate



Executive Secretary






Last updated: 11/17/08
Office of the Vice-President
PositionNomineeDate



Chief of Staff
Ron Klain
11/15/08




Counsel
Cynthia Hogan
11/21/08




Director of Administration
Moises Vela, Jr.
11/21/08




Chief of Staff for Dr. Jill Biden
Catherine Russell
11/21/08




Last updated: 11/21/08

We'll summarize all the rumored nominees here. Let us know who we've missed.

Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson
Secretary of the Treasury: Timothy Geithner, Paul Volcker, Larry Summers, Jon Corzine,
Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel
Attorney General: Eric Holder,
Secretary of the Interior: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Raul Grijalva
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce: Penny Pritzker, Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Bill Richardson
Secretary of Labor: David Bonior, Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health & Human Services: Tom Daschle
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Manny Diaz
Secretary of Transportation: Manny Diaz
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veteran Affairs: Max Cleland, Tammy Duckworth
Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano
Administrator of the EPA: Robert Kennedy Jr.
Director of Office Management & Budget: Peter Orszag
Director of National Drug Control Policy
US Trade Representative
Director, CIA: John Brennan
National Security Advisor: Marine Gen. James L. Jones (Ret.)
Director of National Intelligence: Admiral Dennis C. Blair (Ret.)
First Dog: Rex

We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation.

The Star Tribune (Strib for the locals) has an amazing page filled with every possible number you could want for the recount. We've embedded the summary below which will update automatically.


11/21 9:30PM: 64% in. Coleman leads by 120 votes
11/21 8:30PM: 56% in. Coleman leads by 157 votes
11/20 9:30PM: 46% in. Coleman leads by 136 votes
11/20 8PM: 31% in. Coleman by 142
11/20 3PM: Coleman by 156
11/19 PM: 21% in. Coleman by 174

Remember one important point: There are two types of challenged ballots. The first, we'll call Type A, are ballots which would have gone to the opposing side, but are challenged for some reason. These ballots get subtracted from the ongoing count - this is mostly what is causing the loss of votes for both candidates.

But there's another, we'll call Type B. These are ballots which would have gone to the "no vote" pile, but are challenged by a candidate to put them in their own pile. So Franken's challenged ballots consists of former Coleman ballots that Franken thinks should be "no vote" (or maybe even Franken), and former "no vote" ballots he wants in the Franken pile. There's no way to tell how many of each type are in the challenge numbers, which makes it really difficult to tell how the challenge numbers will work out.

From the Transition Team:
WASHINGTON – President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden today announced the following White House staff: Patrick Gaspard, Director of the Office of Political Affairs; Jackie Norris, Chief of Staff to First Lady; Catherine (Cathy) M. Russell, Chief of Staff for Dr. Jill Biden; Cynthia Hogan, Counsel to the Vice President; and Moises (Moe) V. Vela, Jr., Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President.

President-Elect Barack Obama said, “This group of public servants will bring decades of expertise to my administration, and I'll rely on their counsel and hard work as we fix our struggling economy and meet the great challenges of our time. Vice President-Elect Biden and I look forward to continuing our work with these outstanding individuals who have dedicated their careers to a better America.”

Vice President-Elect Joe Biden said, “These individuals all possess incredible integrity and an unmatched commitment to public service. Cathy Russell has a unique blend of policy and management experience, combined with an ardent commitment to ending injustices around the world. Cynthia Hogan is a brilliant lawyer who was instrumental in guiding the Senate Judiciary Committee though some of its most important challenges in both crime control and judicial selection, and has shown incredible legal acumen and integrity over her career. I’m grateful to have Moe Vela, a man with experience in White House management and broad outreach skills on my team. Their combined experience, diverse leadership and esteemed counsel will be essential in helping the Obama-Biden Administration bring the change we need to America.”

The White House Staff Announcements are below:

Patrick Gaspard, Director of the Office of Political Affairs
Gaspard currently serves as the Associate Director of Personnel for the Presidential Transition Team and served as National Political Director for Obama’s presidential campaign. Previously, Gaspard served as the Executive Vice President of Politics and Legislation for Local 1199 SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East, the largest local union in America, where he helped coordinate political activity and government relations on behalf of 300,000 members. In 2006, Gaspard served as the acting political director for SEIU International during the national union’s successful effort to help Democrats capture majorities in the House and Senate. In 2004, Gaspard was the National Field Director for America Coming Together. Gaspard worked for Governor Howard Dean’s presidential campaign and numerous congressional candidates, and campaigns going back to the historic Mayoral election in New York in 1989. Gaspard is a former community organizer around school reform issues. He is married with two children.

Jackie Norris, Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Norris joined Obama’s presidential campaign in January 2007 and served as the Iowa Senior Advisor during the caucus campaign, later serving as the Iowa State Director for the successful 2008 general election campaign in Iowa. Originally from Ossining, New York, Norris started her career in the office of Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter. She later served as Vice President Al Gore’s scheduler and events planner and as Director of Scheduling and Advance for HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo. Norris served as finance director for Governor Tom Vilsack’s 1998 gubernatorial campaign and as Gore’s political director during the Iowa caucuses during his 2000 presidential bid. In 2002, Norris became a classroom teacher for high school history and government at three high schools in Perry, Ames and Johnston, Iowa. Norris, a 1992 graduate of SUNY: College at Geneseo, obtained secondary education teacher certification in 2002 from Iowa State University and Masters in Political Science in 2008. Norris is the 2005 award recipient of the James Madison Fellowship and serves as Vice Chair of the Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa Freedom Fund Board. Norris and her husband John are residents of Des Moines, Iowa and have five-year-old twin boys, Hunter and Cole, and a two-year-old son, Sam.

Catherine (Cathy) M. Russell, Chief of Staff for Dr. Jill Biden
Cathy Russell is a long time advisor to Dr. Biden and advocate for the prevention of violence against women, both at home and abroad. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Ms. Russell served as Chief of Staff for Dr. Biden. Previously, she has been a Senior Advisor to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on international women’s issues. In the Clinton Administration, she served as Associate Deputy Attorney General. On Capitol Hill, she was Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee and also served as a senior counsel to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT). She received her J.D. from George Washington University.

Cynthia Hogan, Counsel to the Vice President
Cynthia Hogan has been a legal advisor to Vice President-elect Biden for nearly 20 years, first joining his staff in 1991 as his Counsel for Constitutional Law on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, then as Staff Director and finally as Chief Counsel, during his tenure as Chairman. During her time working for then-Chairman Biden (1991-1996), the Committee successfully passed the landmark 1994 Violence Crime and Control Act and the Violence Against Women Act. She also advised Chairman Biden during the Supreme Court nominations process for both Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. Cynthia Hogan is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. She graduated in 1979 from Oberlin College and received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1984, where she served as an editor on the Virginia Law Review. She clerked for the Honorable Edward Cahn on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and was an associate at the Washington, DC law firm Williams & Connolly. She currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband Mark Katz and their two children.

Moises (Moe) V. Vela, Jr., Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President
Moe Vela will bring a wealth of business management skill and outreach experience to the Obama-Biden Administration. From 1996-2000, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Advisor on Hispanic Affairs for Vice President Al Gore. Most recently, Vela was the founder and a partner at The Comunidades Group, a multi-family acquisition and operations company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Vela is a graduate of the University of Texas with a B.A. in Government, received a J.D. from St. Mary’s Law School and is a member of the State Bar of Texas. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado and is a Denver Civil Service Commissioner, appointed by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Vela is a native of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and hails from a pioneer South Texas family.

From the transition team:
Today, President-Elect Barack Obama delivered a taped video message to the European Olympic Committees (EOC) XXXVII General Assembly meeting in Istanbul, Turkey on behalf of the Chicago 2016 bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

President-Elect Obama has been a longtime supporter of Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Games. During today's EOC General Assembly meeting, the Chicago 2016 delegation presented their vision for the 2016 Olympic Games and gained feedback on Chicago’s bid to host the Games.

In the video message, President-Elect Obama said, “In the coming years, my administration will bring a fresh perspective on America’s role and responsibilities around the world. But if we are to truly meet our shared challenges, we must all work together. By uniting the world in a peaceful celebration of human achievement, the Olympic Games reminds us that this is possible.

“The United States would be honored to have the opportunity to host the Games and serve the Olympic Movement,” President-Elect Obama continued. “As President-Elect, I see the Olympic and Paralympic Games as an opportunity for our nation to reach out, welcome the world to our shores, and strengthen our friendships across the globe.”

The link to the entire video message can be viewed here: http://www.chicago2016.org/obama2016.aspx

Imagine how much different it will be to see President Obama watching the Opening Ceremonies instead of this?

From the NY Times:
Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public face around the world for the administration of the man who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination, two confidants said Friday. Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation. Mr. Obama’s office told reporters Thursday that the nomination is “on track” but Clinton associates only confirmed Friday afternoon that she has decided.
And a new name being rumored to fill a cabinet seat in an announcement on Monday:
NBC News has learned that the president-elect is preparing to roll out his economic team on Monday -- and will personally announce the team and answer questions -- part of an effort to reassure markets.

Barring last minute changes, the nominee for Treasury Secretary will be NY Fed President Tim Geithner -- a career Treasury official under both Bob Rubin and Larry Summers -- who actually had worked at the Treasury in three administrations under five Secretaries -- going back to 1988.

Geithner has been a key player in the current economic crisis -- helping Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and his team manage the wall street bailout. - NBC"Geithner has been a key player in the current economic crisis" Now THAT sounds reassuring!

We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation, as well as Cabinet rumors.

The Washington Post is reporting that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is in the mix to be the next Secretary of Commerce. Other Latinos in the mix are Miami Mayor Manny Diaz for Housing and Urban Development or Department of Labor, as well as AFL-CIO officer Linda Chavez-Thompson for Labor.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has emerged as a "serious contender" to head the Commerce Department under President-elect Barack Obama, according to a Democratic official close to the proceedings.

Richardson was originally in the mix to be the secretary of State but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is now expected be announced for that post after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Commerce was originally rumored to be going to Penny Pritzker, the finance chairwoman of Obama's campaign and a close friend of the Illinois senator, but she removed herself from consideration on Thursday due to an inability to extricate herself from a series of complex business ties. - Washington Post.

The Republicans lost in November. Big time. Not just the Presidential race, nor the Senate and House numbers, but they lost their way. And now, as we've posted about before, they are discussing which direction they should take to "return."

Gallup polled, and found that 61% of Americans (of all parties) have a poor opinion of the Republican Party. That number is the lowest (or highest, depending on how you view it) since Gallup began asking the question.

Look at the little bump. That matches up with the height of Spunky's popularity.

In case you were wondering, only 78% of the Republican party members have a positive opinion of their own party. Maybe it's just me, but perhaps those 22% percent should consider belonging to, hhhmmmnnn, a different party?

So where do Republicans want their party to go? 59% think it should become MORE conservative. There is no telling how that 59% correlates to those who approve/disapprove of their party.

The House Republican leadership, just elected this week, are from the conservative branch of the party. Boehner (re-elected Minority Leader) said that his caucus will be pushing for small government and "conservative root" issues. And this is going to play well with the Republican base. Maybe. "Small government" "Fewer government programs" "Less government intervention in everything except religious issues" may not sell so well to an electorate which is legitimately hungry.

While the incoming Obama administration is selecting moderates, in yesterday's selection of Waxman over Dingell for Commerce and Energy, the House took a decided step left. If the GOP moves decidedly right, and lacks the votes to overcome the majority, and the ideas of the majority work, it will be a bad 2010 and 2012 for the Republicans. They won't just lose AGAIN, but their base will shrink to wingnuts only.

Take something like environmental protection. The Democratic position is that air pollution is bad, water pollution is bad, protecting endangered species is good, and doing something about Global Warming is critical. A far-right GOP will have to sell TO THEIR PEOPLE the idea that it really is better to pollute more, it doesn't matter if species die, and Global Warming is just part of a long term pattern.

Seems if they want to remain any sort of organized party, the GOP should move to the center, jump on the bandwagon, and help to save America. But they won't. Nor will they even cling to actual Republican ideals, rather they've decided to adhere to the co-opted ones from the last 30 years that have led us to this sandy precipice on which we stand.

For those few of you who like to send me nasty personal notes questioning my dedication to, and sometimes membership in, the Democratic Party, I say this: these times we live in are uncertain and dangerous. I would rather work with moderate Republicans to find solutions than have to waste time arguing with right wing idiots ideologues elected officials.

You can check the latest numbers on the recount here, and we'll move it up later in the day after they've done some more counting out in Minnesota.

Until then, you can play along, courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio.

Make your selection, and then see how others voted on whether to accept or reject challenged ballots.

Instead of a poll this morning, there's a civics test.

Before you begin, here's the background:The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has run an annual survey to determine how well college students know civics. This year, they expanded their base to include just plain random American adults. In general, people know squat. To wit: 71% FAILED. The average score was 49% of the 33 questions asked.

Since you read DCW, I have high hopes that you shall not fail.

Once you take the test, it will list out which questions you got wrong (if any) and you will be able to click on the "table" link and see how your answers stacked up against the general public, and elected officials.

And no, there are no state capitols on the test. The big heartbreak for me was that slightly over 50% of those tested could not name the three branches of government.

Here's the test.

The chatter tonight is that it's now a done deal:ABC News can report that former President Bill Clinton's financial disclosure issues that once seemed an obstacle to Sen. Hillary Clinton's appointment as secretary of state have been worked out.

An aide to President-elect Obama says that everything is on track for Clinton's nomination to be the nation's top diplomat, though an announcement will not come until after Thanksgiving. -ABCPresident-elect Barack Obama plans to name Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as his secretary of state shortly after Thanksgiving, two senior Obama aides said.

The officials said they expect her to accept. Clinton aides had no comment. - Politico Also tonight, our thoughts are with Attorney General Michael Mukasey and his family; Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night and was being taken to a hospital. - AP

Update: "The Justice Department says Attorney General Michael Mukasey is "conscious, conversant and alert" after collapsing during a speech in Washington."-AP

With the resolution of Missouri for McCain and NE-2 for Obama, the final EV count is 365-173. Which makes the winner of our Presidential Forecast Contest reader Roger Lewis, who had the only entry which correctly guessed the exact number of Electoral Votes. (Full list of entries here). Interestingly, no one got all the states (even ignoring NE-2) correct. It was the MO/IN combination that was difficult - only two entries correctly gave MO to McCain and IN to Obama. Roger had the two states wrong, but still nailed the total EV count since both states had 11 EVs.

Johnny, tell Roger what he's won:

Roger, you've won an assortment of credentials to Democratic Conventions, both from this year and from years past. You've also won an official Obama-Biden yard sign, and other Obama "stuff".

Thanks to everybody for taking part.

If Hillary becomes Secretary of State, what happens to her campaign debt? She still owes about $7.6 million, and there is that little thing called the Hatch Act. That piece of legislation precludes her from soliciting any monies to pay off the campaign debt. If her campaign committee stays active, IT can raise funds, but history doesn't indicate that scenario would result in much success.

Then again, don't feel too bad: over $5 million of that debt is owed to Mark Penn.

The related question is: would this appointment really be a good idea? The thing that gets me is that for two years, the Obama machine was a lock-box where leaks were concerned. The Clinton campaign, however, was like a colander with really big holes. So, my guess is that we know from where the leaks, and the drama, is emanating. Leaks, especially where delicate intra-country negotiations are concerned, are very, very bad. **IF** the Clinton machine is trying to manipulate the Obama administration into giving State to Hillary, what does that say about her ability to tow the Obama line if ensconsed in office?

Floor is open.

On Friday, the Jim Martin for Senate campaign will begin airing a new radio ad statewide featuring President-elect Barack Obama asking Georgians to vote for Jim Martin. Obama says, "I want to urge you to turn out one more time and help elect Jim Martin to the United States Senate." The President-elect says that Martin will "help me change Washington and get America moving again."



"One More Time"

"I am honored to have President-elect Obama’s strong support," Jim Martin said. "I plan to go to Washington to work with Barack Obama to fix our economy and get our country moving for middle class Georgians."

From The Washington Post:
Incoming first lady Michelle Obama has tapped Jackie Norris, President-elect Barack Obama's Iowa state director to be her chief of staff. Norris, a high school government and history teacher and long-time Iowa Democrat, was former vice president Al Gore's Iowa political director in the 2000 presidential campaign and was finance director for former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack in 1998.We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation, as well as Cabinet rumors.

Metro spokesperson Steven Taubenkibel confirmed that the commemorative SmarTrip cards should be available for sale in early January, while special paper Metro farecards marking the inauguration will be sold somewhat earlier, in late December.

There was some discussion at the board meeting about the cost and availability of the commemorative SmarTrip cards. Currently, Metro plans to sell them for $10 per card, with no value added to the card at the time of initial purchase, which would make them $5 more expensive than regular SmarTrip cards. They may also be hard to come by, as Metro will only have an initial order of 35,000 on hand to begin with, though Taubenkibel said the agency hopes to have more available as time permits. The short time period during which the cards have had to be ordered, produced, and eventually shipped to D.C. and processed was cited as the main reason for their higher price and small number. - DCist

Anybody in DC kind enough to send us one of these will be added to the DemConWatch Wall of Fame (not yet constructed).

I just got an e-mail from Colorado's next Senator...
First off, thank you again for all your hard work to make my election to the Senate possible -- I could not have done it without you.

I have turned my full attention to addressing the pressing issues facing our state and nation, and I'm committed to making sure we have the votes we need to pass critical legislation on the economy, health care, and renewable energy. But that could all hinge on the outcome of Georgia's unresolved Senate race, where Jim Martin faces right-wing incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss in a runoff election just twelve days from now.

Jim Martin is trailing by just 3 points in the latest polls, but he's up against the same relentless onslaught of attacks that I just faced in my race for Senate.

What we do in these final days before the special election could be the difference in bringing the change our country needs. Please contribute to Jim today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/Udall4Martin

Jim Martin has spent his life serving others -- as a soldier, legal aid lawyer, and Georgia state legislator. His opponent, Saxby Chambliss, has spent his career in Washington serving the special interests.

Jim served in Vietnam, and would be a strong advocate for America's veterans in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, his opponent obtained six deferments to avoid military service, and in 2002 had the gall to run the now infamous television ad using Osama Bin Laden's image to question the patriotism of former Senator Max Cleland -- a triple amputee and decorated Vietnam veteran.

Max is a true American hero, and those ads against him were disgusting. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel called them "beyond offensive," and John McCain said they were "reprehensible." But they worked, helping elect Chambliss to the Senate in 2002.

Now Chambliss is at it again, with all too familiar attacks on Jim Martin that exploit the memory of September 11. Only we're not going to let him get away with it this time.

Help Jim Martin beat back the shameful attacks by making a contribution to his campaign today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/Udall4Martin

We made huge strides on November 4, but we can go even further by electing Jim Martin -- and possibly even achieve a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate. This is a winnable race, but only with your help.

Thank you for lending a hand to Jim Martin in this critically important contest.

Not a bad consolation prize for not getting Attorney General:
President-elect Barack Obama’s top choice for secretary of homeland security is Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, multiple Democratic sources close to the transition told CNN on condition of anonymity. - CNN
and
Also, multiple Democratic sources say billionaire Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker is Obama’s choice for commerce secretary. The sources say she will accept the job, which would be formally offered after vetting is complete. Pritzker ran Barack Obama’s record-breaking fundraising effort, serving as the campaign’s finance chair. - CNN
We're keeping track of all of the Presidential Appointments that require Senate Confirmation as well as Presidential Appointments Not Needing Confirmation, as well as Cabinet rumors.

Update: Pritzker has pulled her name from consideration.

Come January, how many states will have all-Democratic Congressional delegations? (Both House and Senate)

How many states will have all-Republican Congressional delegations? (Both House and Senate)

For true political junkies: name them!

Back in the days before encrypted technology, the Secret Service used to attribute code names to the First Family for security purposes. They no longer serve as a security function, but the Secret Service still grants names for brevity and tradition. This list reveals code names for the incoming administration:

President-elect Barack Obama: Renegade

Michelle Obama: Renaissance

Malia Obama: Radiance

Sasha Obama: Rosebud

Vice President-elect Joe Biden: Celtic

Jill Biden: Capri
Traditionally, Secret Service code names are common terms which are easily understood. Typically the First Family names all start with the same letter.

As an aside: ever wonder why Secret Service agents seem to always wear sunglasses? Part of the reason is the same reason we all wear sunglasses - to reduce glare. But they also serve as a screen so that would-be assailants have a harder time figuring out exactly where the agents are looking.