Joe Biden has one outstanding quality that has either used or harmed him in the presidential election campaign – depending on the clientele: he is an old, white man.
Not only that: he’s been in politics for decades. With so much establishment behind them, it was difficult to reach the ethnic minorities in the election campaign and at the same time win over liberal, young voters. The Democratic Party has a decisive disadvantage compared to its republican competition: the potential voter pool is filled by extremely heterogeneous groups.
From a political point of view, it was obvious that Biden had promised to put together an extremely diverse cabinet. Biden made an early commitment that he would choose a woman as vicin. With Kamala Harris, it has also become a representative of the Afro-American and Indian minorities.
And most of the other personnel decisions that have come to light to date also reflected Biden’s promise to put together a cabinet that looks like the United States. Say in which women and ethnic minorities are represented to a greater extent.
So far, Biden has delivered. The former teacher Miguel Cardona, whose parents come from Puerto Rico, was nominated for the Ministry of Education. The politician and health expert Xavier Becerras has Mexican roots. And of all things, the Ministry of Internal Security (comparable to the European interior ministries) goes to someone who was born in Cuba and only immigrated to the USA with his parents: Alejandro Mayorkas. This would mean three Latinos for top positions – more than in any other administration.
More than lip service
With Deb Haaland, a native American woman has even been nominated as minister for the first time. Haaland, who belongs to the Laguna Pueblo tribe, would be responsible for the administration of federal land and natural resources as interior minister. African-Americans are also represented more strongly in the Biden administration than before. MP Marcia Fudge will hold the Department of Housing and retired General Lloyd Austin will take over the Department of Defense. The nomination of Austin causes controversy, he also needs an exemption from Congress. His flaw: There is less than seven years between his active military service and his appointment to the Pentagon, which is the minimum distance. Such an exemption had already been granted in 2016 under Donald Trump for Jim Mattis when he was appointed Secretary of Defense.
Austin’s nomination also disappointed many women in the military who had hoped for a woman to head the Pentagon. On the other hand, according to observers, this may open up another top position for a woman. For the first time ever, the nominations reflect the fact that women make up 50 percent of the population.
After Harris becomes the first female vice president, former Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen is the first woman in the Treasury Department, Jennifer Granholm is the first woman minister of energy, Fudge is the first woman minister for housing – and Avril Haines is the first woman to head national intelligence (Department of National Intelligence). Haines was the first woman under President Barack Obama to become at least a deputy CIA director.
The Department of Transportation goes to Joe Biden’s former presidential competitor: Pete Buttigieg will become the first openly homosexual minister in the United States.
Antony Blinken, an experienced diplomat, has been named for the State Department, who also served Vice-President Biden as an advisor on national security during the administration of ex-President Barack Obama.
Otherwise, this time does not leave the new cabinet unaffected. For example, Tom Vilsack is nominated as Minister of Agriculture, who has held exactly this post for eight years under Obama. Incidentally, Vilsack’s nomination has met with the least enthusiasm. Because Vilsack is considered to be too friendly to large-scale farmers. Small farmers fear they will be hit by the wheels.
And a couple of old friends
In the second row there are even more faces from the Obama era. For example, former Secretary of State John Kerry, who is now the special envoy for climate issues. Or Susan Rice, a former UN ambassador who will become a White House advisor.
What the second-tier candidates have ahead of the ministers is the fact that they do not have to be approved by the Senate. And that’s a crux with many nominations. Only with the result in Georgia is it finally clear what the majority in the Senate will look like.
This is another reason why Biden has put together a group that is outwardly diverse, but internally very centrist.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are licking their wounds that the nominees have no candidates from the left wing. Former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren made no secret of her interest in the Treasury, and many people also dreamed of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in the administration.
Biden has made a moderate cast for the Justice Department. Merrick Garland previously worked at the US Federal Court of Appeals in Washington and does not belong to any political party. In 2016, the Republicans denied him his appointment to the US Supreme Court.
Gina Raimondo is planned for the post of Minister of Commerce. Her area of responsibility includes the trade disputes with China and the regulation of large internet companies. Raimondo has proven herself as governor of the east coast state of Rhode Island since 2015.
![[기상센터][날씨] More snow than the last 6 days… 15cm heavy snowfall on the way to work tomorrow](https://image.ytn.co.kr/general/jpg/2021/0117/202101171754116752_t.jpg "[기상센터][날씨] More snow than the last 6 days… 15cm heavy snowfall on the way to work tomorrow")
