from Breitbart.com
| Obama short on Southerners in Cabinet appointments |  |
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| Dec 19 03:33 PM US/Eastern By BEN EVANS Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The South may have inched toward Democrats in November, but that progress isn't showing in President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet selections. Obama hasn't nominated a single Southerner among his 15 Cabinet secretaries. So far, Obama's only pick from the region is a borderline Southerner in a relatively low-profile position: former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk for U.S. trade representative. The disparity isn't an accident—critics already are calling it a snub—and that perception could slow the pace of recent electoral gains Democrats have made below the Mason-Dixon line. "Southerners need not apply," said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga. "It's hard to believe that there wasn't anybody qualified for something from the South." The South accounted for nearly half of the 22 states Obama lost to Republican John McCain on Election Day. Still, Obama won surprise victories in North Carolina and Virginia. Democrats also won key congressional races in other Southern states, including Alabama and Mississippi, renewing hopes that the party can spread its success if it pays closer attention to the region. Obama's most recent Democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton of Arkansas, did that in part by littering his Cabinet with fellow Southerners and mobilizing them to promote the party's agenda in the region. Obama's appointments could leave him without a high-profile Southern surrogate, not just for his own re-election bid but also the midterm elections in 2010, which could prove critical for his agenda. Dan Carter, a political historian at the University of South Carolina, said the shortage of Southerners among top White House aides is highly unusual and could invite criticism. Presidents dating back to at least Dwight Eisenhower have had at least one Cabinet secretary from the South. "I'm sure some people will say that despite all the talk of trying to appeal to the South and running a 50-state strategy, (Obama's) certainly not rewarding it," Carter said. | |
