Latinos to Obama: Richardson Is Great, But We Want More
It’s no secret that the Latino vote came up big for Obama; they came out and voted in droves. And just like the other special interests, they expect something in return. Understandable, as this is politics. And it appears that he has rewarded them by tapping New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson to be Commerce Secretary, as expected. But the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is expecting more. Alot more:
Bill Richardson’s nomination as Commerce secretary won’t satisfy top Latino lawmakers, who sent President-elect Barack Obama’s transition office a letter yesterday afternoon recommending a slate of 14 Hispanics for the remaining eight Cabinet slots.
“We’d definitely be disappointed,” if Richardson, 61, a former energy secretary and United Nations ambassador, were the lone Latino in Obama’s Cabinet, said California Representative Joe Baca, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He warned that Obama’s legislative agenda could be jeopardized if the president-elect doesn’t nominate additional Hispanics.
“If it’s just one, he’s going to have to answer to a lot of the issues that come before us,” Baca said in an interview.
But not everyone is happy. As is the case when you pander to special interests to gain votes, you’re bound to ruffle some feathers, even when it appears you are making the right choice.
More from the Adventures of the Coconut Caucus blog.
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(UPDATE)
Play guess that party with The Other McCain
(UPDATE 2)
This entry was posted on December 3, 2008 at 11:40 pm and is filed under The Obama Administration. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Commerce Secretary, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Hispanics, Latinos, special interests
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