Despite our current president’s refusal to concede, over the past few weeks, president-elect Joe Biden has been releasing the names of many of his chosen staff members. Staying true to their promise, Biden and Harris have been emphasizing diversity to the same extent as talent and experience while appointing staff members, aiming to create a White House staff that “looks like America.” The stats and resumes are impressive, but no team can be perfect, and Biden’s staff is no exception. The president-elect has created a team, albeit diverse and educated, of his own buddies, while trying to keep both political parties satisfied, and realistically, pleasing neither.
Some of the most notable differences in Biden and Trump’s overall missions are their plans for Covid-19, which is reflected by their respective “Coronavirus Task Forces.” While under the Trump administration, those who make decisions concerning the Coronavirus lack medical experience (Vice President Mike Pence, who is responsible for Indiana’s HIV outbreak, and President Trump himself). Biden has created a team filled with successful medical researchers, journalists, physicians, and commissioners. The lineup looks incredibly promising and is certainly a team that can help with Biden’s goal to calm the pandemic within the first 100 days of his presidency.
President Trump has been heavily criticised for creating the most male, white-dominated staff since Ronald Reagan. With the rise of social justice movements and a recent twitter thread circulating the internet titled, “What if We Removed Men From Political Pictures,” now more than ever, it’s imperative for America’s government to be more diverse and inclusive. Breaking barriers and creating many “firsts” in politics, Biden’s communications team is composed entirely of women, and the president’s economics team is directed by a woman of color. These teams can bring about small, but significant changes in society. Women and members of minority groups throughout the United States may see themselves having a chance in politics. Biden has made an intelligent choice in choosing to listen to the political revolution being led by younger generations.
However, Biden himself is not the face of the progressive, left-moving direction of the democratic party. Compared to other candidates of the democratic primary, such as Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, Biden is very much a centrist, and has put together a center-left administration, in which the major decisions will be made (as historically have been) by white men. In the top-notch positions (i.e. chief-of-staff, counselor to the president) there is no far-left liberal in sight. Biden’s administration, although more inclusive than Trump’s, very much mirrors our society today — a backbone of minorities, with white men making more significant decisions.
Biden’s administration looks like the administration of many presidents before him: predictable. He has chosen middle-of-the-road people for his staff, and candidates who have been in politics for many years. However, some argue that this was a smart move for Biden on multiple fronts. By aiming to keep the GOP relatively happy, he can gain Republican votes and get his Cabinet picks elected to the Senate. However, more liberal politicians argue that by choosing “safe” team members, America does not have a chance of moving in a more progressive direction. This argument alone demonstrates that the democratic party is quite a fractured one due to some members, like Biden, being centrist, while others remain on the far left end of the spectrum. A middle-left leaning government may be the best compromise.
Aside from the problems that come with choosing “basic” candidates, a major critique of the Biden administration is its ignorance of Abraham Lincoln’s goal: a “team of rivals.” The New York Times argues that “perhaps the most important criterion for landing a cabinet post or a top White House job appears to be having a longstanding relationship with the president-elect himself.” Due to the majority of appointees having had connections with Biden for many years, the system of checks-and-balances may be lost under the Biden administration. However, in history, it’s very rare that a president’s chosen staff is made up of their own enemies, and after comparing the Biden staff with others throughout presidential history, this argument should be taken with a grain of salt.
One of the most popular meme captions today is “modern problems require modern solutions.” Biden has been a presence in politics for nearly fifty years, and his staff is full of the buddies he’s made during that time period. Biden’s most important staff members may not be able to deal with the complex problems of today, as they may not be the voices of change that much of America wished for.
However, Biden has stayed true to the promises he made throughout his presidential campaign. He created a staff with more diversity than ever seen before, and he is keeping the health of American citizens during this pandemic one of his top priorities. America has a president that keeps his promises past election day. Shouldn’t that be worth something?
https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/09/biden-transition-team-unveils-members-of-covid-19-task-force/
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/20/guide-to-trump-administration-coronavirus-response-team/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/us/politics/biden-cabinet-personal-relationships.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/17/joe-biden-appointments-jen-o-malley-dillon
This was a really great article, I for one am very excited to see what this new presidency does when it gains power tomorrow morning. I think it will be good.
Thank you so much Liam!