From: ww@nyxfer.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.activism
Date: 31 Dec 92 13:06 PST
Subject: OPIN:Slick Willy's Business Team
Nf-ID: #N:R6gNwB3w165w@nyxfer.uucp:165817866:000:3590
Nf-From: nyxfer.uucp!ww    Dec 31 13:06:00 1992


Subject: OPIN:Slick Willy's Business Team
From: nyxfer!ww (Workers World Service)


Via The NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit


CLINTON'S BUSINESS TEAM

Now that Bill Clinton has completed his Cabinet and sub-Cabinet 
selections, a few words are in order.

First it should be noted that the establishment media have, for 
the most part, supported Clinton's selections. This reflects a 
general tendency within the ruling class to back Clinton for the 
time being. The bourgeoisie hopes that Clinton will either be 
able to quell the raging capitalist economic storm or at least be
able to keep the masses' anger in tow. 

Of course, whenever the bosses' representatives are supportive of
someone, that alone should make poor and working people 
suspicious.

Nonetheless, many will still look with hopeful eyes to Clinton's 
appointing more African American, Latino and women candidates to 
high-level government positions than any previous U.S. president.
From the point of view of political representation, the 
selections certainly reflect the many struggles the 
disenfranchised have waged over the decades for at least a 
semblance of representation in government. 

But as Clinton himself made clear, none of this means he's for 
affirmative action. He stated categorically that he is against 
"quotas." Clinton even called groups like the National 
Organization for Women a bunch of "bean counters" for demanding 
adequate representation.

More important, however--and this really goes to the heart of 
political representation--is that not one of the selections is 
poor, not one is a worker. Every single Cabinet and sub-Cabinet 
pick has a corporate or high-paying managerial background.

Workers, unemployed and employed, are the vast majority in the 
country. Yet they're nowhere to be found in Clinton's 
cabinet--which he indicated would "really reflect America." The 
reason for this is simple: We live in a capitalist society. And 
as such, the government, especially on the Washington level, is 
always filled to the brim with servants who are faithful to that 
system.

In the 200-plus years of U.S. capitalism, the cabinet and 
Congress have never reflected America. The Clinton administration
will be no exception.

It is noteworthy that when it came to vital political, economic 
and military posts like the secretaries of the treasury and 
defense, Clinton stuck with "insiders" favorable to Wall Street 
and the Pentagon. But when it came to picking personnel to head 
up departments that deal with the more social issues, like Health
and Human Services, Clinton selected women and Third World 
people.

As Clinton has admitted, the capitalist economic crisis is not 
bound to go away soon. Therefore more attacks on poor and working
people are on the way. Clinton's Cabinet picks show that he is 
going with the status quo when it comes to managing the more 
important matters of the capitalist state--like money and 
weapons. On the other hand he's selecting women and Third World 
candidates to soft-sell the inevitable cuts in living standards 
and take the flak of the inevitable anger.

In other words, it's capitalist business as usual.

                               -30-

(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if
source is cited. For more info contact Workers World, 46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; email: ww%nyxfer@igc.apc.org; "workers"
on PeaceNet; on Internet: "workers@mcimail.com".)


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Newsgroups: alt.activism