I hardly ever agree with Pat Buchanan on any issue. In fact, I scratch my head to see how he can come up with some of his opinions at all. That said, Buchanan makes astute political observations. He said yesterday that Pres.-elect Obama should make his next cabinet appointment someone who will please his white liberal activist base--"to give someone to the Daily Kos ... the people who supported and elected him."
Much as that crowd sometimes annoys me, Buchanan is right. Pres.-elect Obama should reward those of his coalition who worked hard to get him where he is today. Several of them are already getting the jitters because they see so many former Clintonites in the administration, and, of course, the Clinton-hating wing is especially agitated.
This seems whacked to me. In the first place, where are you going to go to find people who know something about policy and issues. You're quite naturally going to look to veterans of the last Democratic administration. Secondly, the attitude that these folks are always going to be primarily loyal to the Clintons is absurd.
Making a cabinet appointment that "gives one" to your base would be a good idea for Pres.-elect Obama right now. It would quiet some of his own troops, and give them what is rightfully their due anyway.
It seems to me that Obama's reliance on former Clinton people (inevitable to some extent as of course he would have to call on people from the last Democratic administration) and Senate colleagues might have been predicted, given that he is only a few years out of a state senate and thus cannot call upon a mafia or kitchen cabinet of his own. He just hasn't been around long enough. Why this comes as a big shock to certain parties is not clear to me.
Posted by: Hypatia | November 19, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Daschle at HHR is a good start on some things what you call us "High-Leftists" really want. Now how about Bonior for Labor?
Posted by: Frank Glenn | November 19, 2008 at 12:40 PM
H., me neither. I chalk it up to CDS.
Frank, Daschle and Bonior would both be excellent. Plus, they've both been with Obama all along.
Posted by: John Petty | November 19, 2008 at 01:18 PM