Congressional Black Caucus Warns Obama Over Lack Of Diversity In Cabinet

[Purveyor]

By Agence France-Presse
Monday, March 11, 2013 19:17 EDT

The Congressional Black Caucus complained to President Barack Obama on Monday about his lack of diversity, highlighting his failure to nominate any African-Americans to his second-term cabinet.

“As you continue choosing your critical advisors, we want to stress the importance of ensuring every community has a seat at the table,” CBC chair Marcia Fudge, a Democratic congresswoman from Ohio, said in a letter to Obama, the first black US president.

“The absence of diverse voices leads to policies and programs that adversely impact African-Americans.”

The frustration about his homogeneous handful of top advisors and department heads is “compounded” due to the overwhelming support from blacks — about 93 percent — that Obama received at the ballot box last November, Fudge wrote.

MORE...

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/11/congressional-black-caucus-warns-obama-over-lack-of-diversity-in-cabinet/

[TwilightGardener]

1. What are Susan Rice and Eric Holder, chopped liver?

[Drunken Irishman]

2. What the hell is Obama?

[TwilightGardener]

3. Yup. I understand the push for diversity, but what is Obama supposed to

do now, fire whites in his cabinet to make room for more blacks and Latinos? It's not that easy to find qualified people who pass the vetting and WANT the job, no matter what color or gender they are.

[Drunken Irishman]

4. I think Obama has proven to be the most diverse president in American history.

1. He's black. I mean, that right there trumps everything and anything done before him.

2. He's appointed two female Supreme Court Justices - the first president to do so.

3. He appointed the first Hispanic Justice to the Supreme Court.

4. He had a female Secretary of State - only the third in U.S. history.

5. He appointed the first black attorney general in U.S. history.

6. He's appointed a record amount of openly gay officials to government roles.

This doesn't even get into the policy, things he's accomplished as president, that have benefited minorities and women - like the Lilly Ledbetter Act and being the most vocal president in his support of abortion rights.

Yeesh. I get the need for diversity, but these attacks seem to fall flat.

[Empowerer]

15. It sounds as if you're saying that whites are entitled to these positions while blacks and other

minorities would be pushing those white folks out of jobs.

The CBC is not suggesting that white cabinet officials be fired. They are pointing out that none of the vacant positions have been filled with blacks. But, as I said in another post, I have no doubt that many of the same people who are so blase about this would be singing a different tune if the vacant positions were all filled with black folk - we'd be hearing all kinds of questions raised about "qualifications."

Unfortunately, too many people are comfortable with the assumption that white people are qualified by default while minorities must prove they are qualified in order to be considered for the same positions.

[TwilightGardener]

16. No, what I'm saying is, ONCE they are chosen, it's best to assume they

are the best candidates available, rather than carp after the fact about how they're not a different race or gender. The time to suggest diverse/female candidates is before nominations are announced.

[Empowerer]

20. The CBC - as they stated in its letter - DID recommend minority and female candidates before the

the nominations were announced. Yet none of them were selected - and the CBC says that they weren't even given serious consideration.

This isn't about "carping" about the fact that the nominees weren't a different race. This is about raising a concern that, so far, no nominees have been black. And telling people to assume that an all-white slate of nominees represents the "most qualified" is not an appropriate response. What exactly constitutes "qualifications" for a cabinet position? Isn't that an enormously subjective determination?

Unfortunately, the argument you are making is the same argument that is often made to justify systemic discrimination. And I have no doubt that such an argument would NOT be made if all of the nominees just happened to be minorities.

[TwilightGardener]

21. It's not an all white slate. It's not an all male slate.

And it's good that the CBC recommended people--which is really all they can and should do, but Obama didn't choose them. That's the way it goes sometimes. Too much is being made of this.

[Empowerer]

22. How is "too much" being made of this?

A polite, respectful letter expressing disappointment about what has happened so far and urging the White House to select an African American for one or more of the still-available positions is a problem for you? The CBC is supposed to just shut up and not say anything because "that's the way it goes sometimes?"

Would you say the same thing to women's groups if no women were selected for the cabinet?

Wow. Lord protect us from the folks on our own side ...

[TwilightGardener]

23. One more time. There are African Americans in Obama's cabinet.

Obama may choose another. Or he may not. It's not a crisis.

[cloudbase]

5. Too bad that Meta is gone.

They could have aired their grievances there.

[craigmatic]

6. I'm black and I say fuck the cabinet. How about a real black supreme court justice?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. Black woman chiming in. I'd say choose Kamala Harris. She's way qualified. (If she wants it.)

http://oag.ca.gov/about

[1StrongBlackMan]

7. Like I posted ...

in response the Drone Records demand thread ... I recognize that this is a BIG deal; but can't us Democrats get our timing down a little better? Can't we allow President Obama a little space to deal with this fiscal thing, before we throw more poo on his plate?

[zipplewrath]

10. Not that much time

In politics, waiting is basically losing. Obama has about 2 "useful" years left. As it is he has a hard time making appointments that will get confirmed.

That said, the reality is that the way this is handled is to provide those infamous "binders full" of candidates and then push for them not just at the cabinet level, but "all the way down". In the last two years there will be alot of people leaving for various reasons, and there will be alot of opportunities for "acting" and "interim" appointments/promotions. THAT'S how you build those critical masses.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. Kristen Gillibrand upset last week because Obama invited Republicans and not women

to have lunch with. Sigh...

Once again, we Democrats know how to beat ourselves up and this couldn't be a better time to do so.

[mgcgulfcoast]

8. its a little late now

worry more about legislation.

[Arkana]

9. This kind of thing irritates me.

This isn't central casting--we find the best person for the job and we go from there.

[Empowerer]

13. Unfortunately, it is often assumed that white people are per se the best people for the job while

hiring minorities means that standards are being lowered.

I tend to think that if President Obama stacked his cabinet with a majority of black folk, people would be screaming about how he has let "diversity" trump "qualifications." Yet when it's pointed out that white people are overrepresented in the cabinet, those pointing it out are shot down as "whiners" - and usually it's white folks who are doing the shooting down, as if they are the arbiters of when and how race and diversity are to be discussed.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. Exactly. To presume (or assume) that white = more qualified is in itself racist. It's easy to see.

[onenote]

14. "warns"??

Sorry, I saw the expression of a concern, maybe even a complaint. But if there was a "warning" issued, I missed it.

[mgcgulfcoast]

17. i didnt see a warning either

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

19. We're talking about the Corporate Media here. :(