I have been somewhat delinquent on this the last couple of days, but there are three recent cabinet picks I haven't said anything about:
- Shaun Donovan, Housing and Urban Development: The chatter I have heard on Donovan from progressives behind the scene is generally positive. Seems smart, earnest, and perhaps a bit of a technocrat. I would put Donovan in the "cautiously optimistic" category.
- Arne Duncan, Education: Given that Obama has generally tried to avoid factional fights, Duncan seemed like the obvious pick. He was the only candidate who was short-listed by both the "efficiency" faction and by the teachers. Combine this with his Chicago background, and he made perfect sense. Not sure if I am "meh" on this one or "cautiously optimistic." I guess if I am not sure, than I am "meh."
- Tom Vilsack, Agriculture: As I noted before, there was never much hope for a progressive agriculture pick. I am wary of Vilsack, who was one-time chair of the DLC. However, he doesn't appear to be in the egregiously bad category that I was afraid of for this post. A bit of a disappointment but, considering my expectations for this post, not much of one.
Overall, there is a clear pattern where Obama is working to avoid any sort of factional fights within the institutional progressive / Democratic ecosystem with his picks. The strategy appears to be steering clear of rocking any boats within the broader media and political establishment as well. The basic policy seems to be conflict avoidance, above all else. This is, of course, exactly how Obama said he would govern during 2007-2008. While I am disappointed that more sweeping progressive change does not appear to be on the agenda, it is still striking change from the Bush / Cheney years. Obama is basically fulfilling his promises.
More left-wing Democrats will dominate the House leadership, and also be involved in the conservation among White House senior staff. Developments in the Senate are far less encouraging (Lieberman as committee chair, Reid still ineffective, Bayh forming Blue Dog Senate caucus). Still, while I am not terribly excited about the cabinet and the Senate, with a decent array of progressives among the White House senior staff and House leadership, progressives should have a voice in all major policy decisions during the next two years of the trifecta.
Hope is infectious when you are out of power, and the reality of taking power rarely meets your ideals. This is especially true if you are a left-wing Democrat, since your own party often works to distance itself from you. However, like a supermajority of Americans, I still hope that what the Obama administration ends up doing will turn the country around. Things are so bad right now, that even if I end up disagreeing with some of the legislation or appointments that the Obama administration makes, I still really really really hope everything they do works.
Update: Link added with more on Vilsack pick.
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