| Get Jonathan Bernstein's newsletter every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe. With the election approaching, and former Vice President Joe Biden holding a large polling lead, it's not surprising that we're starting to see speculation about his cabinet and other administration positions. It's also not surprising to see a backlash to those stories — I've seen some from Democrats upset that the media is jumping the gun when people should be focused on the election, and I'm sure we'll see some from Republicans accusing Biden of measuring the drapes and taking voters for granted. So the first thing to know about such stories is that it's essential for all major-party nominees to begin working on the transition months before the election. Under the law, candidates (other than incumbents) establish a transition team separate from the campaign, and the current administration must cooperate with them as they prepare for personnel choices and policy planning. The good news? So far, at least, it appears that Donald Trump's administration is handling this process well. As much as the campaign may want to pretend that nothing happens until Election Day, preparations are in fact underway and have been for some time. Typically, the transition team doesn't leak much unless it wants to. But that doesn't slow down the speculation. People who want jobs let it be known that they're interested, in the hopes that party actors will support them and let the transition staff know it. Other party actors may get involved in the personnel fight by targeting personal or ideological opponents. See, for example, Kara Voght's story at Mother Jones about progressive pushback against two potential White House chief-of-staff candidates — and acceptance of the likely frontrunner for the position, Ron Klain. And then there's a third type of story, in which pundits speculate about names, typically for cabinet positions. Personnel decisions are important. Biden is likely to be a mainstream liberal president, planted squarely in the center of his (liberal) party. But presidents don't get involved in every decision, and while they may set the policy agenda, there's still plenty of leeway for others. My suggestion in following these stories is to focus in and down: "In" as in within the White House, and "down" as in those who will head subcabinet agencies and occupy the ranks right below cabinet officials. Jobs within the White House and the "presidential branch" are critical in normal administrations — the chief of staff, director of the Office of Management and Budget, national security adviser and the top players on the White House economic team are among the most important people in the incoming administration. But executive-branch departments and agencies are important as well, and too often the focus is just on the cabinet. Party actors who understand how agencies work and care about particular policy areas have no doubt been busy lobbying for and against various candidates for these positions, often either within the transition team itself or through their contacts on the team. And remember: Parties are permeable, so individuals and groups who have been active within the party tend to have contacts within the transition group — or are part of it themselves. "Insiders" have clout in these situations, but insiders can be a huge category involving thousands of people. And it's not just party actors; unaligned interest groups try to weigh in as well to protect their policy preferences. Bottom line: These stories may be annoying or feel like a sideshow when the election is still underway, but the process is extremely important — and those with a stake in policy know it. 1. Chris Galdieri at Mischiefs of Faction on carpetbagger candidates and the possibility of a Senate run for Donald Trump Jr. 2. Rick Hasen on how things might look on Nov. 4. 3. Elena Barham at the Monkey Cage on regulating cocaine in South America. 4. My Bloomberg Opinion colleague Clara Ferreira Marques on protests in Thailand. 5. Vivian Schiller and Garrett M. Graff on best media practices for covering the election. 6. And Amanda FitzSimons on Wendy Davis, the Democrat running in my U.S. House district in Texas. Get Early Returns every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe. Also subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more. You'll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, the Bloomberg Open and the Bloomberg Close. | 
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