Presidents have always awarded loyal supporters through political appointments. Ever since Andrew Jackson, the spoils system (the system by which the party who wins appoints loyal patrons to government office) has been used to fill government offices. The spoils system has become more complicated though in the evolution of the American political scene. It is now not only a reward to loyal patrons, but a prediction of presidential policy. Presidential appointments now help to signal the policy of a president toward certain groups. Through the number of appointees and the importance of their positions, it is often possible to recognize the intended policies and sensitivity of a president to certain groups. Thus, the choosing of president-elect Obama’s cabinet should help us predict the importance of minority issues to his agenda.
Most obviously, the nomination of Bill Richardson to the cabinet position of Secretary of Commerce is a very notable nomination. Richardson is the man at the forefront of Latino politics. His nomination for Secretary of Commerce marks an accomplishment for the Latino community as does it help ensure that their economic needs will be served. By appointing Richardson to his cabinet, Obama is (indirectly) telling the world that he holds Latino minority interests and will hear the opinion of the Latino community via Bill Richardson.
However, one must always ask the question: is this a "token" appointment? Is Obama simply putting Richardson on his cabinet to appease the Latino community? Will he actually listen to what Richardson has to say and implement into his agenda setting and policy?
The fact that Bill Richardson was overlooked for Secretary of State, a much more powerful and important position than Secretary of Commerce, lends credibility to this argument. Furthermore, when being asked this exact question, Obama responded, “Well, commerce secretary is a pretty good job, you know. It’s a member of my key economic team that is going to be dealing with the most significant issue that America faces right now, and that is how do we put people back to work and rejuvenate the economy.” [1] Obama’s response here, being the great speaker he is, also does nothing to reassure me that Richardson is not simply in his cabinet as an appointment (however, I must admit that this argument is completely speculative).
One way to help reassure the Hispanic community that their economic concerns will be heard will be to nominate Xavier Becerra to the United States trade representative. Becerra “is known as a defender of workers’ rights.” [2] Becerra would be the second Hispanic on Obama’s cabinet, and would, thus, give Hispanics much more pull on economic issues, as well as other issues. Moreover, the appointment of Becerra would demonstrate a benign Hispanic mentality, as well as take away from the argument that Bill Richardson was a “token” appointment.
In conclusion, the fate of Hispanics and other minorities (for that matter) is still very unsure. Bill Richardson, despite being very qualified, is still appearing as a sort of “token” candidate. However, a Becerra appointment would be a huge step in the Obama administration declaring that they support minority and Hispanic issues. We will still not know how Obama will treat minorities until he is actually president, but a Becerra appointment or not, will be a very important harbinger of presidential opinion towards minority issues in the future.
For further reading:
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/us/politics/04richardson.html
[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/us/politics/05becerra.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment