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Progressives pressure Biden on Cabinet picks


President-elect Joe Biden speaks about jobs at The Queen theater, Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President-elect Joe Biden speaks about jobs at The Queen theater, Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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President-elect Joe Biden was not the first choice for most progressive Democrats but the activist base of the party rallied behind him and helped turn out a record number of voters on Election Day.

Now, according to some on the left, the honeymoon is over.

Biden has already chosen about a dozen people to serve in his administration, including several Cabinet positions and top advisers. Though he has mostly avoided picks that progressives consider unacceptable, many are disappointed and looking for a seat at the table.

Jamie Henn, the director of the environmental group 350.org's Fossil Free Media, spoke out against Biden tapping anyone with ties to the fossil fuel industry. "The honeymoon ended at the altar when the networks pronounced Biden president-elect," Henn told Reuters. "It's Biden's call if he wants that pressure with him or against him."

Environmental activists have criticized Biden's selection of Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana as an adviser due to his longstanding ties to the oil and gas industry.

Other groups called on Biden to ensure his administration is free from corporate influence and lobbyists. The Justice Democrats, a group founded to oust moderates, warned that if Biden made "corporate-friendly" appointments, he risked "fracturing the hard-earned goodwill his team built with progressives to defeat Donald Trump." The group noted that half of the Democratic seats in the House of Representatives are held by progressives and they should receive "adequate representation" in a Biden White House.

Biden has pushed back against claims that his administration will be too moderate. According to reports, he is working with lawmakers and organizations on the far left of the party. Before the election, Biden signed onto a progressive policy blueprint with Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.

"I have a very ambitious, very progressive agenda," Biden said last month while revealing his economic policy team. When asked if he would select Sens. Sanders or Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren for economic policy positions, Biden told NBC News that there was "significant representation among progressives" in his administration, prompting some on the left to question his sincerity.

It will be a difficult balancing act for the incoming administration. On the one side, Biden may be dealing with a Republican-controlled Senate—depending on the outcome of the Georgia elections. On the other, he has ideologically divided Democrats, with moderates blaming the far-left for election losses in the House and progressives frustrated at the alleged incrementalism of centrists.

"The hope among moderate Democrats is that this relationship will function as more of a joint than a fracture," said Kris Parker, an attorney and former regional director for the Obama 2012 campaign in Florida. There's hope that the two factions can collaborate, though it remains to be seen.

"There will undoubtedly be friction within the party on most policy decisions as President Biden will have to walk a narrow line to keep the party moving in one direction," Parker advised.

Progressive groups are also watching Biden's national security picks with interest and concern.

Early reports indicated that Michele Flournoy was a front-runner to be Biden's Defense secretary. The Pentagon veteran would be the first female to serve in the position but her ties to the defense industry, aggressive foreign policy recommendations and ties to WestExec Advisers invited backlash.

On Monday, Biden selected retired four-star Gen. Lloyd Austin to lead the Department of Defense. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus had urged Biden to pick Austin and increase the diversity among top Cabinet posts.

Biden's rumored pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency has also raised alarm among Democratic senators and anti-war groups. Michael Morell, whose name has been floated for the position, is a career intelligence official who served as CIA deputy director under Barack Obama and was George W. Bush's intelligence briefer on Sept. 11, 2001. He was also a staunch defender of the CIA's post-9/11 torture program and drone warfare.

Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Morell would be a "non-starter." Wyden told The Daily Beast, "No torture apologist can be confirmed as CIA director." At least two other Democratic senators have reportedly voiced their concerns about Morell to the Biden campaign.

Several progressive groups have drawn up wish lists for Biden's Cabinet. Data for Progress recommended New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for the top Pentagon post, as well as Thomas Countryman, a former nonproliferation official at the State Department and chair of the Arms Control Association. For CIA, the group recommended Sen. Ron Wyden or Rep. Jackie Speier of California.

"Biden owes progressives big time—but he won't be able to pay them back very much in the immediate future," said Vlad Davidiuk, a conservative political analyst. Democrats have a much narrower majority in the House and Republicans still have a shot at controlling the Senate after the special elections Jan. 5.

According to exit polls, Biden's critical swing state victories in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan were largely driven by progressive, young voters turning out in record numbers.

"We won this election for Joe Biden," Nikayla Jefferson, a young organizer for the Sunrise Movement told NBC. "We’re not going to let that go. He definitely owes his administration to us."

At the same time, Biden is also under pressure to guarantee racial and ethnic diversity in his administration.

On Monday, members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus met virtually to express concerns about a lack of representations in top administration positions, according to The Washington Post. So far Biden has tapped two Asian Americans to serve in his administration. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, whose mother was born in India, will be the first Asian American vice president. Neera Tanden, selected to lead the Office of Management and Budget, is also the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzales called last week for Biden to appoint at least five Latinos to Cabinet-level position, saying "We're very, very concerned as a community, as a Latino community."

Before Biden selected Gen. Austin to be Secretary of Defense, members of the Congressional Black Caucus were urging for more Black leadership in the administration. Last month, Rep. James Clyburn, the South Carolina Democrat who is credited with saving Biden's primary campaign, said he was open to watching the selection process unfold, "But so far it’s not good."

During a Friday speech, Biden addressed his critics, vowing to assemble the "single-most diverse Cabinet based on race, color, based on gender, that’s ever existed in the United States of America."


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