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Obama short on Southerners in Cabinet appointments
The South may have inched toward Democrats in November, but that progress isn't showing in President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet selections. Obama hasn't nominated a single Southerner among his 15 Cabinet secretaries. So far, Obama's only pick from the region is a borderline Southerner in a relatively low-profile position: former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk for U.S. trade representative.The disparity isn't an accident -- critics already are calling it a snub -- and that perception could slow the pace of recent electoral gains Democrats have made below the Mason-Dixon line. "Southerners need not apply," said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga. "It's hard to believe that there wasn't anybody qualified for something from the South." The South accounted for nearly half of the 22 states Obama lost to Republican John McCain on Election Day. Still, Obama won surprise victories in North Carolina and Virginia. Democrats also won key congressional races in other Southern states, including Alabama and Mississippi, renewing hopes that the party can spread its success if it pays closer attention to the region. Obama's appointments could leave him without a high-profile Southern surrogate, not just for his own re-election bid but also the midterm elections in 2010, which could prove critical for his agenda. Betsy's Page points out that one other excluded group has been persons of business experience. The most business experienced person is Rahm Emmanuel who was on the board of Freddie Mac. Oh, oh. Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-12-21 |
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