The latest addition to Obama’s future cabinet this week was New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who will be the next Secretary of Commerce. This seems to be a wise choice and I believe he will be a strong and loyal ally of Obama, as exhibited by Richardson when he publicly switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Obama in the primary campaign.
What alarmed me when this hit the news was the reaction from the Hispanic community. They believed that after the support given by Hispanics in ensuring Obama’s election to President, that there should be a strong representation of Hispanics in Obama’s senior staff, particularly the role of Secretary of State. According to some Hispanics he possessed far higher qualifications than actual nominee Clinton and felt they were owed something for getting Obama into the White House.
This seems utterly ridiculous considering the current climate. Since arriving in America I have observed that the whole country is divided up into different races, colors, minorities, sub-cultures, parties and various other useful labels, despite the emphasis on being truly ‘American’. Everyone is ‘owed’ something and it is not because of their skills or competency but rather from the group they originate from. It seems the debt owed to these various groups far exceeds the more than one trillion dollars of debt America now has.
I would think that with the desperate economy being the way it is, Obama should choose the best candidate for the job and not someone from a special interest group in Obama’s campaign. We need talented people in government at all times, but particularly now. If only Americans were able to put aside their vested interests then we might be able to get some actual work done.