Will Hillary Clinton make Bernie Sanders her Secretary of State after she wins the 2016 Election just like how Barack Obama made Hillary Clinton Secretary of State after the 2008 Election?

Answer 1

It is impossible to know how Hillary Clinton actually intends to assemble her cabinet. However, there are two reasons to be dubious that Clinton would appoint Bernie Sanders to the position of Secretary of State, should she win the election in November 2016.

Primarily, Hillary showed with her nomination of Tim Kaine to the vice presidential position that she intends to govern as a centrist Democrat or a conservative Democrat. She seems rather disinterested in making a strong pivot to the progressive Democratic platform. It may be that this is a ploy to attract conservatives who are wary of Trump, who would be more willing to endorse a more conservative Democrat instead of a reality television candidate, and would get Hillary the necessary votes to win the Presidency before becoming more progressive. However, Hillary has consistently been a centrist or conservative in her political career and was pulled towards a more progressive platform in order to capture more Democrats in the primary period. It is unlikely that a shift towards the progressive platform is what she truly desires.

Secondarily, the Secretary of State position in particular is a horrible match with Bernie Sanders's experience and interests. The Secretary of State position is the equivalent position in most foreign countries of the foreign minister and is responsible for coordinating US responses to foreign relations matters and issues. If there is any political issue that Bernie Sanders could not care less about, it is foreign policy. He is very interested in universal healthcare, decreasing costs of education, opposing trade deals, supporting labor unions, and a number of other domestic policies. Bernie Sanders would be a much better fit, should Clinton choose to bring him on, for positions like: the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, etc., but not Secretary of State.

Answer 2

We cannot know whether she will until she is elected and announces her cabinet. The elections are in November 2016.