Comments on The 7-10: Palmer on Politics: Criticizing the Criticism of Obama's Cabinet

Anthony, I agree with the substance of your commen...

2008-12-28T12:44:10.091-05:00

Anthony, I agree with the substance of your comments, but we must also recognize how important "symbolic" these cabinet positions are. Quite frankly, even the strongest of personalities can have difficulty moving the direction of great, big federal bureaucracies. We all know this. This makes the appointment of the department head merely symbolic. And, to a seasoned political observer as yourself, this might seem inconsequential, but to most Americans (causal observers of politics at best, completely ignorant at worst), Cabinet appointments matter because of the symbolism. So, we can't just wish away the critics.

SWA,I've always thought of Obama as a liberal-lean...

2008-12-26T16:29:14.900-05:00

SWA,

I've always thought of Obama as a liberal-leaning pragmatist. I think he realizes that a lot of what he may ultimately want to accomplish may not be feasible in his first few months of office, but it may be possible in time if he builds up enough trust with the electorate. Look for women and gays to be very, very happy with him by the end of his term. But it seems that a lot of these groups want him to give them everything now, but that's just not possible and that's not who Obama is. I think everyone should just relax and wait until his policies get put into effect before they go and blast him for betrayal. The fact that moderates, most liberals, and even conservatives are praising his Cabinet should tell him that he's doing something right.

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Khaki,

And a belated Merry Christmas to you and your family as well! Be well, and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year.

I'll have plenty to criticize later, but for today...

2008-12-25T10:50:35.109-05:00

I'll have plenty to criticize later, but for today . . .
Merry Christmas, Anthony!

I agree wholeheartedly. I saw a story on some wome...

2008-12-25T01:11:59.167-05:00

I agree wholeheartedly. I saw a story on some women being miffed and said to myself, that figures. Then, I saw a story pointing out the complete lack of a southerner among Obama's Cabinet choices, and I gagged.

I understand the identity politics where a struggling minority speaks up for its place at the table. That's integral to American history. By and large, it's been good for various struggling minorities and for the country as a whole. However, I just don't see the South as a struggling minority.

I also don't understand mindless carping and backbiting because a president hasn't gone down a checklist of groups, being oh so careful not to leave any of them out.

We're sure to hear more sturm and drang from liberals with their nose out of joint because of something Obama has or hasn't done. The man is just not a doctrinaire liberal. The reality is that he's a pragmatic moderate activist with some liberal leanings.

That should come as no surprise, considering his record and the campaign he ran.

How ironic that conservative Republicans distorted Obama's politics for their own purposes, and some liberals evidently bought into the Republicans' distortions. The lesson to take from this is that it pays to listen to what Obama says, because he's remarkably up front about his M.O. and intentions.

BTW, I would've preferred to see Obama appoint Richard A. Clarke director of Homeland Security, and Gen. Wesley Clark as director of national intelligence. That's not because of their age, color, ethnicity or choice of power ties. It's because they're both excellent men and exceptionally well qualified for those posts.