JOE Biden’s cabinet choices will define how the President-Elect intends to govern – so will the Democrat opt for bipartisan ‘consensus’ picks or offer a real olive branch to the left?
While his finalised picks will materialise next week, the Biden-Harris transition team has maintained a fairly tight ship about specific names. The closest we’ve got is that the next Treasury Secretary will be “someone who will be accepted by all elements of the Democratic party, moderates and progressives”, according to Biden.
Sources have also told American outlets that Rahm Emanuel, who served under Clinton and Obama, may also be back in the spotlight soon enough. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said such a move would signal “a hostile approach to the grass-roots and the progressive wing of the party.”
But he has been warned by major progressive legislators, such as Bernie Sanders, about the consequences of sticking to the centre.
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“It seems to me pretty clear that progressive views need to be expressed within a Biden administration,” Sanders told The Associated Press.
“It would be, for example, enormously insulting if Biden put together a `team of rivals’ — and there’s some discussion that that’s what he intends to do — which might include Republicans and conservative Democrats, but which ignored the progressive community. I think that would be very, very unfortunate.”
It all depends on whether Biden listens to the Kasichs of this world – who immediately chasisted the left, who held their nose to oust Trump in record numbers, or looks at the progressive, Medicare-for-all underdog campaigns which continue to unseat moderate Dems and Republicans.
On the foreign policy side, however, experts are upbeat that Biden can stem far-right demagogues and bring some form of stability.
Declan Carey and Kit Roberts spoke exclusively to political analysts about Washington’s potentially changing relationship with Brazil and Iran.
US-Iran relations can be fixed after testing Trump years – but Biden must make concessions to Tehran
WEST BANK
Shadow Minister Wayne David exclusive told Redaction that Biden and other world leaders must unite with Britain to call for an end to illegal settlements in the West Bank, or risk two months of accelerated construction.
Labour: Britain must oppose West Bank settlements immediately – or risk accelerated construction until January
XINJANG
MPs have also called on the British government to step up their response in Xinjiang.
British MPs call on UK government to sanction Chinese officials over human rights abuses
LOOKING FORWARD
Biden’s cabinet choices are obviously on the menu – as is his team’s proposed plan for the vaccine rollout. If the British government – albeit with a centralised health system already in place – has a plan, Biden must show the competency moderates promised all along.
Voters will head to the polls today in Burkina Faso for just the second election day since Blaise Compaore – notorious betrayer of Thomas Sankara – was overthrown in 2014.
President Roch Kabore and his centre-left party are expected to be re-elected.
Featured Image: Obama-Biden Transition Project @ Flickr
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