Meet the Cabinet: A Zagat-inspired Primer
There is no shortage of information on the internet about Obama's new cabinet, but it's scattered in a lot of different places, and sometimes it's a bit much to digest. So, like the nice folks at Zagat, we've taken the scattered ephemera of the 44th cabinet and collected it below, in an easy to digest format.
AGRICULTURE
Name: Tom Vilsack
Age: 59
Education: Hamilton College, Albany Law School
Previous job: Governor of Iowa
What he's supposed to do now: Make sure farmers are happy, and the food we eat is safe.
Survey says: Tom Vilsack served as the "40th Governor of the state of Iowa" before "kicking off his 2008 presidential run." While considered a "shoo-in" for confirmation, sustainable agriculturalists worry that "You can’t be a politician from Iowa and not be identified with a pro-corn, pro-ethanol stance," and that he "promoted the interests of large agribusiness."
Name: Robert Gates
Age: 65
Education: College of William & Mary, Indiana University (M.A.), Georgetown University (Ph.D.)
Previous job: Director of the CIA; President of Texas A&M; Secretary of Defense (under George W. Bush);
What he's supposed to do now: Coordinate all the functions of the United States's armed services.
Survey says: While some lament the "stay-the-course feel" of keeping Gates on in his current capacity, and that appointing a Republican to this positions "makes [Democrats] look like they’re too wimpy to be trusted to run the building," many agree that "it suggests an awareness of the importance of continuity at a time of war." Obama-bonus: Gates "would not have to be reconfirmed by the Senate."
Name: Arne Duncan
Age: 44
Education: Harvard
Previous job: Professional basketball player (Australia); C.E.O. of Chicago Public School
What he's supposed to do now: Foster educational excellence.
Survey says: Playing basketball in college, Duncan was described as "one of the most talented players in the city whom no one ever heard about." In Chicago, he and Obama used to play pickup games that "flowered into frequent discussions of education policy." He brings seven years experience working as the head of the nation's "third-biggest school district," though critics worry he has "little of the national political experience that education secretaries often need in representing the White House’s educational agenda before Congress."
Name: Steven Chu
Age: 60
Education: University of Rochester, University of California, Berkeley
Previous job: Nobel Prize-winning experimental physicist
What he's supposed to do now: Deal with energy policy, especially nuclear development and nuclear safety.
Survey says: Chu "gets the urgent need to act on global warming," which has scientists and politicians alike dancing in the aisles as another member joins "Obama's Green Dream Team." While he has limited "experience inside the Beltway," he is a hardcore nerd who recognizes that we need to deal with climate issues, because "there's nowhere else to go."
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Name: Tom Daschle
Age: 61
Education: South Dakota State University
Previous job: U.S. Senator from South Dakota
What he's supposed to do now: Improve the health, safety, and well-being of all Americans.
Survey says: Daschle brings "A knowledge of Congress, especially the Senate, far deeper than President Obama," along with some "snazzy red glasses"(though some argue that "It's all the geek with none of the chic.") His Senate office was targeted with "the strain of anthrax that caused a skin infection" in 2001, but everything turned out fine. "Health policy wonks and universal health care advocates celebrated the move."
HOMELAND SECURITY
Name: Janet Napolitano
Age: 51
Education: Santa Clara University; University of Virginia Law School
Previous job: Governor of Arizona
What she's supposed to do now: Protect the United States from terrorist attacks and respond to natural disasters.
Survey says: Named one of America's "5 best governors" in 2005, Napolitano is postpartisan to a fault, "even if it infuriates the left and the right." She brings "law-and-order experience from her stint as the Grand Canyon State's first female attorney general," though some Republicans are still pissed about her role "as an attorney representing Anita Hill."
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Name: Shaun Donovan
Age: 42
Education: Harvard
Previous job: Head of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development
What he's supposed to do now: Execute policy on housing and cities.
Survey says: Obama's pick of Donovan signals his understanding that "HUD can play a big role in the economic recovery" of the country. With his "hands-on experience managing the vast bureaucracy and special interests involved in housing in New York City," he should transition nicely to a federal agency that is derided by critics as "a dysfunctional mess." He also has the "shortest Wikipedia page of any cabinet nominee."
Name: Ken Salazar
Age: 53
Education: Colorado College; University of Michigan Law School
Previous Job: U.S. Senator from Colorado
What he's supposed to do now: Manage and conserve all federal land.
Survey says: People love this man. This sort of says it all "He is respected in Colorado by politicians of both parties for his measured approach and is praised as an honest broker, particularly by environmentalists, but also by business interests." He often wears a dope "cowboy hat ... and bolo tie."
Name: Eric Holder
Age: 57
Education: Columbia
Previous Job: Deputy Attorney General; attorney at Covington & Burling
What he's supposed to do now: Enforce the law, and ensure fair and impartial administration of justice.
Survey says: Holder holds (nyuck nyuck) "a heavyweight résumé bursting with legal and law enforcement credentials." His role in the "infamous Mark Rich pardon" has divided democrats and republicans somewhat, but during his confirmation hearing, "witnesses prais[ed] Holder despite past disagreements."
Name: Hilda Solis
Age: 51
Education: Cal Poly Pomona
Previous Job: U.S. House of Representatives, California
What she's supposed to do now: Enforce and suggest laws regarding unions and the workplace.
Survey says: Solis has "A reputation as an advocate for low-wage workers" and is also a big time union booster ("I know that my seven siblings and I would not be where we are today without the wages and other protections my parents earned with the help of their union"). Solis would be tasked with implementing the Green Jobs Act, which she faught to "smuggle through" a hostile Congress in 2007.
Name: Hillary Clinton
Age: 61
Education: Wellesley College; Yale Law
Previous job: First Lady; U.S. Senator from New York
What she's supposed to do now: Be the United States's diplomat-in-chief.
Survey says: Described as "a naturally gifted diplomat," Obama's appointment of Clinton was seen as an example of his ability to "turn a rival into a partner." Some wonder if "Hillary's appointment as secretary of state could pose a conflict of interest" with her husband's numerous business and philanthropic contacts the world over, most just agree that "Hillary is seriously popular" right now.
Name: Ray LaHood
Age: 63
Education: Bradley University
Previous job: U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois
What he's supposed to do now: Make our transportation system fast, efficient, and up to date.
Survey says: Most regard Obama's appointment of LaHood as a "surprise;" "It appears as though others with longer, more distinguished résumés were bypassed." Even so, LaHood brings "a centrist reputation and a proven ability to work across party lines." The Republican congressman from Illinois would "play a major role in overseeing the huge public works program the administration plans to implement to stimulate the flagging economy."
Name: Timothy Geithner
Age: 47
Education: Dartmouth; Johns Hopkins
Previous job: International Monetary Fund; President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
What he's supposed to do now: Manage government revenue (or lack thereof).
Survey says: "Tim Geithner, this mess is yours." Thankfully, he seems equipped to handle it: he has "a deep understanding of monetary and fiscal policy and broad experience in international trade issues," and is "smart but not arrogantly so and has a wry sense of humor."
VETERANS AFFAIRS
Name: Eric K. Shinseki
Age: 66
Education: U.S. Military Academy; Duke
Previous job: Four-star general
What he's supposed to do now: Administer benefits for veterans.
Survey says: He and Obama share the view that "the Iraq war was botched by the Bush administration." He is seen as hero to troops for his insistence that you would need a force "on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers" to successfully occupy postwar Iraq.
The Inauguration Index
GOOD Blog
Microblogging Change, Live!
