As millions celebrate president-elect Joe Biden’s victory, the festivities in the days following almost feel bitter sweet. The common goal amongst so-called progressives and liberals was to get Donald Trump out of office. Now, left with our democrat nominee the question begs what can we do differently? Democrats have prided themselves as the more diverse party option. And while they have made admirable strides in involving more people, I’d argue there is still a lot of work to do.
Biden, in the end, is still a white man. A very old one at that. He’s an establishment choice, someone safe who can mingle with the work class and but still appease the bourgeoisie. Of course no one can predict what his presidency will bring, perhaps there could be real change under his administration. But in order for Biden to begin paying back the millions of Black Americans and people of color who voted for him, he needs to start putting them in office.
Sources familiar with Biden’s transition efforts said Louisiana representative Cedric Richmond will be joining his administration according to reports by NBC and Bloomberg Monday. Richmond represent’s the state’s second district, which includes most of New Orleans and is expected to make an official announcement Nov. 17.
Richmond isn’t a radical choice, but he is a refreshing one. He served as the chairmans of the Black Congressional Caucus from 2017 to 2019, and is the only democrat in congress for the state of Louisiana. Reports say he was named the co-chair of Biden’s transition team, and possible he will continue serving as a senior advisor to the president.
Biden tapped his longtime aide Ron Klain as his chief of staff for the white house Nov. 11. Klain is also a safe-choice. He was chief of staff to Al Gore’s failed presidential run, and served Biden when he worked as Vice President.
“Ron has been invaluable to me over the many years that we have worked together, including as we rescued the American economy from one of the worst downturns in our history in 2009 and later overcame a daunting public health emergency in 2014,” Biden said in a statement.
Former national security advisor Susan Rice is rumored to be another establishment pick for Biden, as she is already familiar with the White House. She was on his original short list for a potential running mate before going with Kamala Harris. She served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013. And worked for President Obama as national security advisor from 2013 to 2017.
She also recently called out the Trump administration for refusing to meet with Biden’s transition team ahead of January’s inauguration.
“Instead of acting in the national interest to orchestrate a responsible, democratic transition, Mr. Trump and many Republicans are spending time sowing false doubts about the legitimacy of Mr. Biden’s election.” Rice said in an op-ed published by the New York Times Nov. 13.
Biden’s preliminary list is a good first step. While Trump’s cabinet has become a revolving door of white men, to see more women and non-white people shows promise. However, we have yet to see if Biden will truly be the establishment pick he’s thought to be, or will he be willing to challenge his own platforms. Will we see a self-proclaimed progressive who may differ in opinion on climate change, fracking or student debt? Will Biden choose more moderate republicans in order to appease the other side on his frail promise of unity amongst the parties? Democrats should remain vigilant.