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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis Diversity Charge is Bunk
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2013/1/10/95139/7638This Diversity Charge is Bunk
by BooMan
Thu Jan 10th, 2013 at 09:51:39 AM EST
This is just wankilicious (from Chuck Todd's shop):
The second-term cabinet shuffle has been an unforced error so far. (The reason why the White House is receiving criticism for a lack of diversity is that it has nominated three consecutive white men for cabinet posts -- John Kerry, Chuck Hagel, and today Jack Lew -- but without a high-profile woman or minority thrown into the mix. And that doesnt include John Brennan at CIA and a likely white male to be the next White House chief of staff.) Indeed, you could argue that the Romney folks thought a lot more about staffing a Romney administration over the next four years than Team Obama did about a second-term administration. In fairness to the White House, its top officials were so focused on the fiscal-cliff talks in the past two months. Whats more, this kind of disorganization isnt unusual for a second term, especially after winning a hard-fought race for re-election. And finally, its a process story. At the end of the day, its likely that Obamas second-term cabinet will have plenty of diversity and top-notch names. But the process hasnt been pretty. Question for the White House: Why didnt it have a second-term transition director? Someone whose full-time job was to keep an eye on the optics of how and when to announce, on the leaks etc.?
I'll concede that there has been so sloppiness surrounding the announcement of nominees for the new cabinet, but let's look at this diversity charge. So far, the administration has replaced a white man at Defense with a white man at Defense. They've replaced a white Christian man at Treasury with an Orthodox Jew who faithfully observes the Sabbath (he sure as shit don't fucking roll). He's (for now) retained Eric Holder, a black man, as his Attorney General. He's retained Eric Shinseki, of Japanese ancestry, as head of Veteran's Affairs. He's retained Kathleen Sebelius as head of Health & Human Services. The single appointment that can be described as getting less diverse is John Kerry's replacement of Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State. Yet, if you think about it, Kerry and Clinton share something different in common. They are the two most prominent members of the Democratic Party who have never been president. Kerry, like Clinton, was selected for his stature, not his gender or race.
It could wind up that Obama's second term cabinet is less diverse than his first. Considering that, in addition to those mentioned above, his first term cabinet included an Asian-American at Energy, Latinos at Labor and Interior, blacks as EPA administrator and as U.S. Trade Representative, and women at Commerce and Homeland Security, it would be hard to get more diverse.
Under the circumstances, it is totally premature to characterize the diversity of the new cabinet, but it's also a contextually-challenged charge. If the most diverse cabinet in history gets a little less diverse, that isn't exactly surprising. The thing is, based on the appointments that have already been announced, it really hasn't become less diverse at all.
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This Diversity Charge is Bunk (Original Post)
babylonsister
Jan 2013
OP
I think President Obama is more interested than hiring the best people for the jobs
Nye Bevan
Jan 2013
#3
+1 and relative to previous admins he's checked the boxes a lot more than them
uponit7771
Jan 2013
#6
sadbear
(4,340 posts)1. Susan Rice?
babylonsister
(171,065 posts)2. What about her?
Last I checked, she's still working for this admin unless I missed her resignation.
uponit7771
(90,339 posts)7. Moron Joe this morning was a crock, conservatives hate facts so much
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)3. I think President Obama is more interested than hiring the best people for the jobs
than in checking off boxes.
babylonsister
(171,065 posts)4. Agree totally, and
that's where his attention should be. The lazy m$m must be bored.
uponit7771
(90,339 posts)6. +1 and relative to previous admins he's checked the boxes a lot more than them
uponit7771
(90,339 posts)5. Yeap, his CURRENT cabinet is STILL...STILL one of the most diverse even if it's a little less divers
...than the first.
Conservatives hate perspective...and facts
tblue
(16,350 posts)8. I'd give up all diversity of race and gender
for a bonafide, principled liberal progressive in the cabinet. I am a nonwhite woman, and there's not much I would rather see than an ideological shift leftward among the president's top advisors. Dicersity of race and gender don't guarantee diversity of perspective. Just look at Clarence Thomas. If you can stomach it.