Obama Proposes to Add a 'Secretary of Business' to Cabinet

It’s a scathingly brilliant idea. Let’s create a cabinet level department dedicated to promoting American business.

President Obama says he would like to establish a “secretary of Business” if he wins a second term.

In an interview with MSNBC, the president said he wants to consolidate a number of business and trade-related agencies, creating a “one-stop shop” for oversight.

“I’ve said that I want to consolidate a whole bunch of government agencies. We should have one secretary of Business, instead of nine different departments that are dealing with things like giving loans to SBA [the Small Business Administration] or helping companies with exports,” he said in an interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough.

Obama’s statements amount to a late-campaign effort to burnish his business credentials against Republican Mitt Romney, who has highlighted his success as a private equity executive throughout the presidential race.

The Romney campaign responded to the idea by accusing the president of stifling the private sector.

Great idea. I’ve got the particulars already worked out for you sir:

The Department of Business will be concerned with promoting economic growth. The mission of the department is to “promote job creation and improved living standards for all Americans by creating an infrastructure that promotes economic growth, technological competitiveness, and sustainable development”. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for business and government decision-making, issuing patents and trademarks, and helping to set industrial standards.

Wait a minute…there’s something very familiar about that department. Can’t quite put my finger on it…

I know I’ve seen that before somewhere. Wait! It’s right on the tip of my tongue. It’s … it’s…

Thanks for the idea, Mr. President, but we’ll have to pass on that. Your confusion is understandable, though. You’ve forgotten to name a replacement for John Bryson, who took a medical leave of absence back in June and subsequently resigned. With no permanent secretary of commerce, I can see how you could have forgotten what the department is for.

But keep those ideas coming, Mr. President. Input from the help is always welcome.