Disappointed Democrats

Just in time for his vacation in Hawai’i this Saturday, President-elect Barack Obama has finished assembling his new cabinet – in a record time of only six weeks, just like he had planned. Not all of his followers are happy about the new team, however. Certain liberal circles are slightly irritated about the fact that Obama, the celebrated man of change, decided to choose a middle-of-the-road government while mostly leaving the Democrats at the sidelines.

Sure enough, none of the assigned liberals really stand out as a shining star: from Hillary Clinton as the designated secretary of state to Eric Holder as attorney general and finally to Robert Gates, the Republican pentagon chief who will stay in office. Most experts, in fact, agree that Obama’s new cabinet is a cabinet of pragmatics and technocrats rather than a cabinet of idealists. Now, even the Republicans, who had expected much worse, applaud the future president – and therewith even further alarm the political left.

In the meantime, Obama’s motives are obvious to most political analysts. Not only does Obama as the future president of the United States inherit an ailing economy with millions of unemployed people, but also has to deal with two major wars – serious challenges that require radical measures. “And for that he will need a broad coalition that goes beyond his own basis,” comments the Boston Globe.

Murmurs among the Democrats started when Obama, shortly after his election, filled many of the adviser positions with previous members of Bill Clinton’s administration. Democrats pulled an even longer face when the ex-first lady – a former supporter of the Iraq war – was awarded the position of secretary of state. The more liberal Susan Rice, on the other hand, ended up becoming the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Only this Friday, and at the very last moment, Obama cheered up the disappointed crowd by making Hilda Solis, an activist in the trade union movement, his United States Secretary of Labor.

Only then, and for the very first time, did the Democratic Party loudly applaud Obama for his choice. “They have been appeased, but are still not entirely satisfied,” comments the Los Angeles Times. This unhappiness is also reflected in the words of many internet bloggers, who continue to express their concerns about Obama’s “Clintonism-recycling.” At least they are still willing to wait and see how the new cabinet will acquit itself in practice.

One thing is obvious: it is an administration of the “stars” and the experienced – characters that are well versed in their newly designated fields. They are also battle-tested in political debates, even though they often did not come forward with radical pro-reform-positions or ideological sharpness.

Next to Hillary Clinton, these experienced characters include Bill Richardson, known as the “global troubleshooter” who used to help with the freeing of hostages and is now about to be named commerce secretary, Tom Daschle as future secretary of health and human services, and Rahm Emanuel as the White House chief-of-staff.

Obama also added some intellectual greatness such as Noble Prize winners to his inner circle of leaders. A CNN commentator is convinced: “Together, these personalities guarantee a vivid and open exchange of ideas that the Bush administration lacked.”

But with only five women in his cabinet, Obama disappointed many of his female followers. With this number, he exceeds current President Bush by only a single position and draws level with Bill Clinton. Concerning the ethnic mix, however, Obama is clearly ahead: 45 percent of his cabinet members come from minority groups; compared to Bush’s administration with 27 percent.

Experts consider this ethnic mix as a proof of Obama’s aspiration to be not only the bearer of hope for “change-seekers,” but also to be a bridge builder. But there are also some cautionary voices. Peter Wehner, a former Bush advisor, fears that the Obama-team could appear shapeless if there is too much emphasis on pragmatism and no visible ideological basis.