Politics: LaHood causes some dissent in the liberal ranks
Posted in Politics with tags obama, Ray LaHood, transportation on January 17, 2009 by Billy DennisRay LaHood spend his entire Congressional career getting dissed by conservatives who complained he was a RINO — a Republican in Name Only. It’s a complaint based on arrogance and ignorance. First, it assumes that only conservatives can be real Republicans and completely ignores the party’s origin as an pro-labor anti-slavery party. But why waste time trying to teach right-wingers anything.
LaHood — who despite other problems I have with him — earned my respect for being willing to fight to keep the state party out of the hands of the right wingers, and for being willing to tell the president things his handlers didn’t want to hear.*
His opposition to the far right hasn’t earned him any slack from the left, however. Consider the following, which first appeared on the site Worldchanging:
… his appointment is a profoundly uninspiring vote for business as usual at a time when we need change, and an strong indication that the administration doesn’t get that energy policy, technological innovation, urban planning, environmental sustainability and transportation are all bound up together, and no solution to our problems can be had without tackling them all together.
LaHood’s appointment is so disappointing to transportation advocates who’ve been waiting eight years for change, that they’re boiling with indignant disbelief, branding him “an unbelievably disastrous pick,” “Status quo we can believe in” and “same.gov” (a dig at the Obama transition site, change.gov). As one insider summed it up: “It’s a real read-it-and-weep moment.”
And the article goes on for many more words describing how we need more public transportation, not new infrastructure. There’s a lot of it I agree with. I’ve love to see a ton of money going into public transportation. But I also know that the infrastructure needs some work, and THAT is a legitimate function of government. And I’m worried that too many of the “shovel ready” projects being discussed are more about spreading the wealth around than essential services.
But methinks the writer isn’t really getting it. Yeah, LaHood has little administrative experience. But cabinet secretaries really aren’t managers. They are politicians. Their are figureheads. Once the appointment has been made, half the work is done.
LaHood’s role probably isn’t going to setting policy so much as it is to get the bills through Congress. And as a former member of the Appropriation’s committee, he knows how to get bills through the system.
No, that’s not exactly “change.” But it is how things get done. Barack Obama knew then when he appointed LaHood.
* I’ll have links up as soon as my other site is back up.
