Dec 18, 2008 2:18pm
Obama to Choose Solis for Labor Secretary
EmailABC NEWS’ SUNLEN MILLER REPORTS:
President-elect Obama will choose Congresswoman Hilda Solis, D-Calif., as Labor Secretary, a Democratic source close to the transition team confirms.
Solis is currently serving out her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the first Latina appointed to the committee on Energy and Commerce.
Solis is Obama’s third Hispanic choice for his Cabinet: following Gov. Bill Richardson for Commerce, and Sen. Ken Salazar for Interior.
Obama’s transition team will likely make a formal announcement on Friday, when Obama is also expected to announce Ron Kirk as his U.S. trade representative and Karen Gordon Mills as his pick to lead the Small Business Administration.
- Sunlen Miller
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This will make for Obama’s 5th cabinet selection of a woman.
That is more than the current President in his 1st term and equal to Bill Clinton.
It is also contrary to the lying right wing meme that Obama is a stiffing women from cabinet positions including the absurd notion that Nixon had more women in his cabinet.
Posted by: Ryan C | December 18, 2008, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
How much did the SEIU donate to Solis’s campaign?
Posted by: MayBee | December 18, 2008, 2:48 pm 2:48 pm
Workers of the world, unite.
Posted by: 12_angry_men | December 18, 2008, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
“How much did the SEIU donate to Solis’s campaign?”
Over the course of her career she has received $31250 from the SEIU.
She is popular with many different unions.
Posted by: Ryan C | December 18, 2008, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm
I don’t know much about her, but will start digging. I think the fact that he picked a latina woman is really good news. I hope she is a woman of integrity!
Posted by: cpad | December 18, 2008, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
LET THE WORLD UNITE!
THE EARTH IS BUT ONE COUNTRY,
AND MANKIND, IT’ CITIZENS
Posted by: sugar | December 18, 2008, 3:24 pm 3:24 pm
Wikipedia has a nice article on Solis
Looks like a solid pick to me. I like her principled stance on progressive issues. She seems to have moxie too.
Posted by: Robin from Colorado | December 18, 2008, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
This is a huge victory for the environment. Solis has a history of backing environmentally friendly business. It’s important for us to support business of the future. One of those sectors will be ‘green business.’
Posted by: Clark | December 18, 2008, 4:27 pm 4:27 pm
Michelle Obama will have to give up her high paying day job, to be First Lady in the White House. I think it would be nice if they double her pay, so she could buy food and stuff.
Posted by: Rick | December 18, 2008, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
She’s a great choice!!
Posted by: Joan | December 18, 2008, 8:19 pm 8:19 pm
I hope he’s not just choosing her because she’s a minority. She’d better just be capable of the position.
Posted by: AMy S. | December 18, 2008, 11:37 pm 11:37 pm
Another extreme left pick by an extreme left president. Do we really need somebody that is this pro-criminal immigrant and this pro-union leading the labor department? Americans are having trouble finding jobs, and this woman wants to let in more and more illegal immigrants. Businesses are having trouble paying the employees they have.. and she wants to jack up labor costs until they’re forced to close.
But.. she fills a couple affirmative action check boxes, so it’s a great pick..
Posted by: howwouldiknow | December 19, 2008, 8:59 am 8:59 am
dear howwouldiknow
another xenophobe’s rant.
imagine this: someone in our government looking out for the workers!
If you haven’t noticed the paychecks of most of us working stiffs has declined over the bush years, you’ve been drinking too much of the ideological ice tea ! Relax, we’re in such a stinking mess, it will take Obama 8 years just to get us back to normal. Then you and your swift boat friends can have another chance to screw things up.
Posted by: Johnny B | December 19, 2008, 9:28 am 9:28 am
it’s BS that Solis had to speak part of her acceptance speech in SPANISH..!! I didn’t hear the new Energy Secretary talking in Chinese
Posted by: susan | December 19, 2008, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
“it’s BS that Solis had to speak part of her acceptance speech in SPANISH..!! I didn’t hear the new Energy Secretary talking in Chinese”
Keep up right wingers, xenophobia worked wonders for you in 2008.
Posted by: Ryan C | December 19, 2008, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm