All hell broke loose Wednesday over MLG's possible ascension to the Biden cabinet. When the dust settled it appeared her national political ambitions were sent into hibernation and New Mexico would not see a leadership switch to Lt. Gov. Howie Morales. 

The frenzied day started with a CNN report that made out MLG's appointment as cabinet secretary for the Health and Human Services Department as a done deal. The network called her a "leading contender" and that her appointment could be announced "as soon as next week." 

Then came the firing squad. Other media, including Politico and the Wall St. Journal, obviously prompted by the Biden transition, shot holes in the CNN report, basically saying MLG was through. CNN started walking back.

Politico came with the eyebrow raiser that MLG was offered the Secretary of Interior post by Biden staffers and turned it down, even as two other New Mexicans are vying for the job. They quoted the Biden camp as saying that the rejection hurt MLG's chances for any other post in the administration. Former Sandoval County Democratic Party Chairman and veteran DC hand David Montoya came with the analysis:

The MLG camp put a different spin on it: 

Kids, that's high stakes political poker.

Gov. Raimondo

Politico also speculated that MLG may have blown herself up, raising the question of whether her camp was the source of the leak to CNN that momentarily put her in the driver's seat, alienating the Biden forces and ending up in a car wreck. 

Whatever the case this was a borderline media frenzy with few other cabinet posts thus far causing so much public dysfunction for Biden. As the dust settled, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo emerged as the leading HHS contender, even though she concerns progressives. She has played a quiet public hand in squeezing by MLG.

NM Sen. Tom Udall and ABQ Congresswoman Deb Haaland continue to be mentioned as possibles for Interior. 

With MLG apparently staying for the duration of her term the nascent gubernatorial dreams of Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, AG Hector Balderas and Sen. Martin Heinrich will vanish  and Republicans will have certainty as to who they need to beat in 2022.

For the Governor, the road to recovery from the mishap is success fighting the pandemic and turning in a solid legislative session beginning next month. Meanwhile, her Fourth Floor crew might want to stay out of her way for a while as she licks her wounds and wonders just what happened and what might have been.

MLG would be the third New Mexico Governor in a row to fall short of fulfilling hopes for a role in national politics. 

Democrat Bill Richardson came close to the Potomac when Obama nominated him for Secretary of Commerce, but the nomination was taken off the table when a state financial scandal broke. 

For years Republican Susana Martinez was played up as a potential VP candidate or cabinet pick but it never went anywhere. An ill-fated pizza party was her coup de grâce.

And today MLG's broken dream--at least for now. 

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die 

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly. 

Hold fast to dreams 

For when dreams go 

Life is a barren field 

Frozen with snow. 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020