US revision: American Cabinet

One of the modern features of American cabinets is its role in reaching out to the people and representing the diversity evident in the USA.  Here are some notes on Obama’s.

Bill Clinton said that he wanted a Cabinet that looks like America, and since then any successive president would be expected to follow this pattern of making Cabinet a portrait in miniature of the USA.

Obama ties with Clinton in have four women: Sebelius (HHS); Napolitano (Homeland Sec); Solis (Labour); Clinton (State).  This is less than Bush who had five women in his first Cabinet.

There are three Asian Americans: Chu (Energy); Shinseki (Veterans); Locke (Commerce).

Two Hispanics (there would have been more if Richardson had not withdrawn): Solis and Salazar (Interior).

Further hyphenated Americans can be listed if we include La Hood (Transport) who is a Lebanese American and Napolitano, an Italian American.

Holder (AG) is African American - and the first black to become America’s chief lawyer.

We should also note that Obama has reached across the aisle in appointing two from the GOP: Gates (Def) and LaHood.

Regional interests also come into play, as increasingly politicians seek to portray their interests as lying not just in the traditional power centres of the north east and Washington DC.  Vilsack (Agr) hails from the very important farm state of Iowa.  In fact the midwest is very well represented by including Salazar (Colorado), LaHood (Illinois) and Sebelius (Kansas) and the west fares reasonably through Solis (California) and Locke (Washington), and we could include Napolitano (Arizona) also.

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Obama’s political history told through YouTube [22 Sep 2011]
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White House 2012 [4 Sep 2011]
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No, Prime Minister: a new road map for government [17 Dec 2010]
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WWOD? [11 Nov 2010]
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Obama and the State of the Union [1 Feb 2010]
Obama’s first State of the Union [28 Jan 2010]
Obama’s approval ratings [24 Jan 2010]
Extra Obama [20 Jan 2010]
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Obama links [15 Jan 2010]
Schama on Obama [12 Jan 2010]
The president and the American political system [31 Dec 2009]
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Media Monday Motown [2 Nov 2009]
Who’s that guy? [28 Oct 2009]
Pick of the papers [20 Sep 2009]
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Obama health check [19 Jul 2009]
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Sotomayor and being sleepless in Seattle [18 Jul 2009]
Obama and race [18 Jul 2009]
Obama lacking leadership? [18 Jul 2009]
Obama and Africa [14 Jul 2009]
Checking out? [11 Jul 2009]
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Obama and Russia [6 Jul 2009]
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US foreign policy milestone [30 Jun 2009]
FPTP - June/July 2009 [25 Jun 2009]
Book for the beach [23 Jun 2009]
Change to come in America? [19 Jun 2009]
Useful Obama links [16 Jun 2009]
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Post AS: A2 American delivery [3 Jun 2009]
AS last minute updates [2 Jun 2009]
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American Politics revision: separation of powers [22 May 2009]
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Washington Post catch up [16 Apr 2009]
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Reality strikes for Obama? [31 Mar 2009]
The politics of nudge [24 Mar 2009]
Obama: first and last [21 Mar 2009]
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Larry Sabato [5 Mar 2009]
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Obamapectations [9 Feb 2009]
More Obamawatch [9 Feb 2009]
Obamawatch [7 Feb 2009]
Advice and consent [3 Feb 2009]
Dealing with the Senate [2 Feb 2009]