Obama’s Pick of Solis Cheers Progressives

by Randy Shaw via Beyond Chron

Fri, Dec 19, 2008 7:34AM

Friday, December 19, 2008 : In selecting California Congressmember Hilda Solis as his new Labor Secretary, Barack Obama has given progressives -- and all who care about working people -- someone to wildly cheer. Solis was elected to Congress in 2000 after defeating a Democratic incumbent in a primary where organized labor recruited her as a challenger; as I discuss in Beyond the Fields, Los Angeles labor chief Miguel Contreras was looking for a “warrior for working people” who would side with labor “not 80 but 100%” of the time.

That warrior was Hilda Solis, who had already compiled an outstanding state legislative record (Obama’s own challenge to an incumbent Democratic congressman that year fell short.) SEIU described Solis’ new cabinet position as “the culmination of a lifetime of action serving as a voice for people who work.” Some progressives have been disappointed over Obama’s Cabinet picks, but the President-elect hit a political grand slam by nominating Solis, who personifies the Change we Need.

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§Not yet disappointed (too soon to tell)

by Mike Novack

Fri, Dec 19, 2008 8:59AM

I have seen lots of posts registering disappointment with Obama's picks (covering a broad spectrum of the Democratic Party)

I'd say far too soon to be able to tell what that means. Let's wait and see the POLICIES put forward.

Our political system bears little resemblence to a parliamentary democracy where party leaders can exert strong control. So in order to push STRONGLY (if that's what Obama intends) he would absolutely need to have on board the entire potential base. No "friends" acting as enemies sabatoging the effort.

Some of you would prefer that he made the cabinet up of all "progressives"? You'd think that'd be a GOOD sign of getting more of the "progressive" agenda IMPLEMENTED? Not just introduced for show but then failing to get adopted. See I'd look at that, were it happeneing as a BAD SIGN that he judged he wasn't going to actually get all those nice sounding ideas implemented, just put them forward in a pretense.

So I'm going to wait and see what happens. I do NOT know what these less progressive appointees to the cabinet agreed to in exchange for the appointments, whether they will follow "marching orders". So this MAY turn out badly. But I can tell you, seeing all "progressive" apppointees I would KNOW goging to turn out baddy.

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§why would anyone want your support

by ????

Fri, Dec 19, 2008 2:02PM

You make it sound like you are on the same side as those you are arguing with on some issues, but running a google search on your posts to this site:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Mike+Novack+site%3Aindybay.org&btnG=Search
show you tend to post all right leaning comments defending Bush, Republicans, Fox News, Israel, Capitalism, etc...

You always post how "we" shouldn't attack things we disagree with for this or that reason and that you are a progressive but happen to thing the Left needs to rethink thing... but I'm guessing you supported the invasion of Iraq because you believed in WMD and were wrong.... you supported the Patriot Act and were wrong... you supported deregulation of financial institutions and were wrong.... so why should anyone listen to you?

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