According to USA Today (12-10-04, article by Susan Page), With little fanfare and not much credit, President Bush has appointed a more diverse set of top advisers than any president in history. If this had been Clinton, Kerry or the dems, the move would be hailed as progressive and commendable. However, since it is Bush making history, there is little fanfare and not much credit from either the media or the dems. So, to the DegreeInfo subculture, I shall say Bravo to Bush.
I'll back your bravo despite my distrust of the President. I've never really cared who does it, but I think the government needs to be more representative of the people. I think we have the white male corporate shills pretty well covered.
My insiders-outsiders thesis explains that pretty neatly. The Democrats are the outsider's coalition. To Democrats, the word 'diversity' refers to the broad collection of people who feel estranged for one reason or another. The Republicans are the insiders coalition. They group together those who, regardless of their race, sex or religion, feel identity with the nation and with the mainstream, however that's defined. So despite their African ancestry, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice and Clarence Thomas aren't really black people at all. It's not really a matter of race, it's all sociological and psychological. It's identity politics. Powell, Rice and Thomas identify themselves simply as Americans and don't make their skin color into the foundation of their political identity. Compare them to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. That suggests that no group of Republicans can possibly be diverse, simply by definition. The problem is that they identify with the larger system, rather than with the multitude of alternatives to it.
Bill, This is very interesting and true as well. I would love to get a copy of the thesis. I am conservitive myself and almost always vote Republican.
Oh, people, there's nothing deep about this. Those "diverse" people are not held as diverse by non-neo-cons because those people are religious puppets of the "regime". Ever heard of "House Negro"? They were despised by the slaves, just as certain Bush puppets are despised by the people of this country. Evil has faces of color, too.
There will be those who discount this because of the political philosophy of the appointees. As if a conservative to moderate president is going to appoint liberals and radicals. Presidents appoint those to positions who share their basic political philosophy in order to carry out the agenda elected on. Bill Clinton, when running, said his Cabinet would reflect what America looks like. He failed. Bush succeeded. Enough said.
What an insult to someone like Condie Rice who is one of the most educated and articulate persons in American politics. Be prepared now, she will be president. Cheney will resign, Dr. Rice will be his replacement and the subsequent GOP nominee and the next commander-in-chief.
Oh please. Why is it that white men and women are never referred to as "articulate"? Your white liberal guilt is shining through.
Heehee. I can see it now. Colin and Condi bust out into Ebonics at the next press conference...."What up! We be hangin' in E-rock fo da nex' lil' bit, we letchall know tha deal on the flipside!"
"Never" is a strong word that is simply used inaccurately here. I have heard numerous whilte men and women referred to as "articulate." FDR, JFK, Henry Cabot Lodge, Adlai Stevenson, and others from our nation's history were articulate, Currently, Mitt Romney, Dick Cheney, Madelin Allbright, Marc Rasciot and others are articulate. From outside politics, Robert Schuller and Barbara Brown Taylor are very articulate. "White liberal..." I am not sure what you mean here. I am not a liberal in the contemporary sense. I could be called a "Bobby Kennedy-Nelson Rockefeller liberal" but they are in short supply and some in the GOP are former supporters of Bobby-Rocky. Guilt? Sorry, I have none here. Guilt is either real or false. I have no real guilt regarding our subject matter for which to repent of nor do I have false guilt that keeps me awake at nights. Anyway, who cares whether one is black or white?
Hey, fine. Just don't use "articulate" when you are face to face with an articulate black person. It smacks of condescension. Thank you.
Actually your post is condescending. You are implying blacks do not have a high enough self-esteem to accept a compliment without suspecting underlying ulterior malevolent motives.
