Thread: 'Latinos' Not Getting Enough Appointments Leaders Say

Latinos unhappy with some Obama picks

Gebe Martinez – Sun Nov 30, 12:04 pm ET

FOXBusiness AFP – US President elect Barack Obama(C) arrives to nominate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (L) as US Secretary …


If there is one message President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team has broadcast about Cabinet picks, it is that ethnicity and gender will not be the first considerations when filling the slots.

Credentials over tokenism, after all, was a fundamental principle of Obama’s presidential campaign that highlighted his ideas and community values over his African-American background. Still, if all goes as planned, Cabinet members with hefty resumes will present a picture of diversity.

Hispanic political leaders agree. Their expectations for seats at the president’s top policy table are not about meeting quotas, but about advancing the reality that within this fastest-growing ethnic group are seasoned policy experts who understand the economic, foreign and domestic policy concerns shared by everyone.

Obama promised hope and change, and Hispanics hoped for the usual two Latinos in the Cabinet. And heck, why not three or four? Now that would be a change.

But at this early stage in the appointments process, there is a trickle of disappointment running through the Latino community.

First, the most prominent Hispanic leader, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, lost the plum secretary of state assignment to New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Last spring, Richardson angered the Clintonistas by backing Obama over Clinton during the heated Democratic Primary contest, only to now see her being offered the top diplomatic post.

“There’s nobody more prepared and experiencedâ€

When you complain that there are fewer in relation to the population do you include illegal aliens in the count?

So are we supposed to be like Iraq now--so many Shiites to represent the Shiite population, so many Sunnis, so many Kurds, so many Christians, etc.??

Should we go through and see what percentage of Italians, Irish, Greeks, Chinese, Germans hold public office and make sure that those numbers correlate to the general population? Sheesh! Aren't we supposed to be AMERICANS? And aren't our elected officials supposed to represent CITIZENS, regardless of race or ethnicity?

Originally Posted by Richard

When you complain that there are fewer in relation to the population do you include illegal aliens in the count?

Of course they do!

Now I want to complain also. Where are the Navaho Indian, South Ossetian, Guamanian, and Algerian American appointments? Why aren't they and the 200 other ethnicities present in America being represented? And what about Kenyans and Indonesians, Obama at some point had Kenyan and Indonesian citizenship (maybe still does), why aren't they represented?

When you complain that there are fewer in relation to the population do you include illegal aliens in the count?

They do here.....it's the new buzz word.....according to "demographics". Unfortunatly when you consider the vast growth of that segment of people has been recent, most aren't legal, have an education etc......I don't know how they expect to have it all in such a short time. They are certainly represented in other areas of government in greater numbers than others......but it seems the idea of earning your post and paying your dues isn't as important as just getting one of your own in. I mean we have anchor babies in power, so it's not like anyone is keeping them out. How many other groups of people can say my parents came here illegally and I have a position in government? If they aren't getting much support by the public is because they are quite outspoken in only dealing with Latinos and not considering the rest of the people who are here and facing the same issues.

We have alot of groups of people who aren't represented in major government positions. Alot of people qualified for the positions as well. They cry and use their minority status when it's convenient and then shove everyone else out when they become the majority. Can't have it both ways.

This is pretty darn racist statement by our Hispanic political leaders. I thought with the election of Obama all of this racial descrimination BS would end. While I can't stand Obama, I am sure he is hiring the people he feels will make him look the best. That should be his right as an employer. This business of hiring special interest groups just to meet a quota has been a big problem. I think it is about time that affermative action is ended. This law has been abused for long enough.

Had hoped this kind of talk would settle down now that the elections are over.

How anyone can lump such a large group of people as if they are one is beyond me.

These complaints about no representation in the cabinet and other posts is no more than childish whining by OBL groups. It seems Obama, with his appointments so far, has struck down partisanship and questions of race.
It is beginning to seem that he doesn't care if a person is black, white or purple, as long as they are the best of the lot, have experience and a brain. His appointments are not made by quota of party or race representation.

growth of Latino political empowerment

You don't get much more racist than that.