
McCain's hands were tied- he would only consider a pro-life woman. Were not for that, he could have picked form any number of qualified Republican women.
Just as Obama is not the only person who could be a good president, there is not only one person who could be an excellent Secretary of the Interior. It's naive to think that is the case. |
I was not suggesting that only one person serve in a cabinet position - but I think that the person not only has be be qualified, but also some that Obama trusts and can work with - these are going to be his inner circle. The genius of his campaign was that he had a cohesive team and I think that he will try to do the same for the cabinet. Given that, I would not expect him to stick his finger in the air and pick a person solely for the purpose of having a diverse cabinet. |
Samantha Powers and Caroline Kennedy were both big surrogates and will both likely get positions. |
Yes, but not cabinet positions. Caroline Kennedy is going to get an ambassadorship somewhere. Good luck to Sammie Powers. |
Going out on a limb here, but what cabinet positions do you think would be appropriate for Ms. Powers and Ms. Kennedy? |
I'm sure Samantha Powers could do any job Bill Richardson could do, and better.
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I didn't say cabinet positions, just positions. |
PP here. Also what's with the "Sammie" Powers? Sexist much? |
I posted earlier in the thread and I'd just reiterate that all of Obama's closest campaign staff were white men: David Plouffe, David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs, Joel Benenson, Larry Grisolano. Several of my husband's staff were also moonlighting for Obama and they were struck by how completely white men dominated the upper echelons of the campaign. (Full disclosure: All these staff had previously worked for HRC so the difference would have been especially striking to them.) Yes, he had two foreign policy advisors who are women, and Valerie Jarrett is a powerful behind-the-scenes advisor to him, but his campaign was completely run by white men. Two of those men have already accepted White House positions. I'm sure he will have women and other "diverse" people in his cabinet, but so far his track record is of relying heavily on white men. Is that bad? No. But many women like me want to see women in important positions in the Obama Administration. I'd also like to see racial/ethnic diversity (though Bill Richardson's persistent sucking-up behavior gags me). I'd like to see an openly gay or lesbian cabinet member, too.
Women Count, the group that formed to monitor sexism in the campaign, has a petition asking President-elect Obama to create a commission on women during his first hundred days in office. Signing it is a way to express your views about the importance of women in politics. Even after this week's election, women will comprise only 17% of Congress -- but we're 51% of the population. Let's do better, President Obama! Here's a link to the petition: http://womencount.org/if_not_now_when |
I have to say that if Obama had white men running his campaign, more power to them. Those white guys did a hell of a job.
I am with the previous posters who wants to see qualified, effective leadership regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. It will be wonderful if Obama picks a crackerjack, diverse Cabinet, but it does us no favors to select someone strictly on the aforementioned bases. That is as wrong as exclusion on the same criteria, in my opinion. And, who's to say that these women whose names are being floated in this thread want these Cabinet positions? I don't know them or their plans. There are other ways to serve in an administration. Ambassadorships are important and desirable. It's not necessarily a slight on Caroline Kennedy if she gets one of those rather than a Cabinet slot. The main thing, though, is that it's awfully early to be so pessimistic. |
With the whole country to choose from, surely there are some qualified and effective potential cabinet members with breasts.
Anyone who has done hiring knows that personal preference and cultural compatibility play a huge role in hiring decisions. Creating a culture of accountability regarding gender balance needs to start at the top. Let's not forget that every one of these appointees will be bringing in their people to sub-cabinet political posts. |
I can't believe this discussion is continuing and so many people are so disappointed and disapproving of his Cabinet choices already, when he hasn't even appointed his Cabinet.
The OP started off this thread by criticizing Obama preemptively for not appointing any black people, Jewish people, or any women... when his first appointee is Jewish. Fine, maybe that's not technically a Cabinet position. It's more powerful than some of the Cabinet spots and Emanuel will no doubt be helping in the Cabinet selection. Other posters subsequently criticized Obama for not having enough prominent supporters who are women. Someone mentioned Caroline Kennedy and that she would get a post; a poster retorted that she would get an ambassador spot and not a Cabinet position. Her likely appointment will be Ambassador to the United Nations. Like the Chief of Staff, even if this isn't technically a Cabinet position, it's extremely high-level, high-profile, and critical. I'm sure there are qualified and effective leaders from all walks of life. I trust Obama to make it his priority not just to appoint a qualified and effective person, but the person he believes is most qualified and effective. I hope that some of these people are from different demographics, but I will not consider his Cabinet (fifteen people) to be the be-all, end-all representation of everything he has done or will do regarding the support and nurturing of women and minorities. My guess is that these early naysayers are former Clinton supporters who have yet to get over the loss and that nothing Obama does will be enough. Maybe he will disappoint, but how could we possibly know that yet? Let's wait and be mad later if necessary and just enjoy the victory for now. |
OP here. PP I'm not sure you read my post.
I started the thread talking about women falling off the radar of the media, teachers, general public, etc. I used Summers as an example, not because he is male, but because he has shown a very public contempt for women. I wasn't even talking about Obama himself. That said, I do want more women in the Administration. |
Sorry, OP -- I was (mis)remembering the PP who said that s/he won a bet that Obama would have no women, black people, or Jewish people as the original post. My mistake! |
Yes, please, let's hold the hyperventilation over the perceived injustices in Obama's cabinet until.... he actually nominates a cabinet official or two!! Names being floated or the perceptions of people from a few seconds of news coverage are not the equivalent of the actual substance here. Case in point: anyone (like one of the PPs) who thinks Bill Richardson is likely to get a more central foreign policy job than Susan Rice has absolutely no clue. And I still say it's policies that matter, not ticking the boxes.
Moreover, for all those PPs complaining about the dearth of senior female political operatives (as opposed to policy advisors), does that accurately reflect this field?? If so why is that the case?? And would you prefer Mary Matalin and Karen Hughes masterminding this campaign? |