Diversity at the Expense of Excellence

The Executive Branch should be a group of the most competent individuals that can be brought together. Whether it is financial, energy, transportation, or any other department working with the President, the people counseling the President and formulating policy need to be the elite. America and her people deserve no less. Like a well-staffed company, the goal should be to find the best person for the position without concern for any other criteria.

Joe Biden disagrees with this method of staffing. He showed this when he won the nomination to be the Democrat candidate to run against Donald Trump. He had the opportunity to select the best person available to be his running mate. That was not Joe’s plan. He said from the get-go that his Vice President candidate would be a Black Woman. The percentage of black women in the U.S. workforce is 9.3%. It was in this small slice of the pie that Biden decided to narrow his search. That is how we ended up with Kamala Harris, a heartbeat away from the most powerful position in the world. This decision is how we settled for a Vice President who boasts a 28% approval rating after ten months in office.

Biden used the same methodology when he selected his Cabinet nominees. It was more important that he had the most diverse people in his Cabinet, not the best minds in their fields. It was more critical for Biden to have men and women of color, gay, transgender, Latino. There are 26 cabinet positions. These are some of the stats on the make-up of the Biden Cabinet.

The Mix

• 5 Black
• 2 Asian or Pacific Islander
• 1 Native American
• 4 Hispanic
• 1 Multi-Racial
• 13 White
• 12 Women
• 14 Men

Firsts

Kamala Harris

• First woman, first Black, and first South Asian vice president

Lloyd Austin

• First Black secretary of defense

Deb Haaland

• First Native American Cabinet secretary

Alejandro Mayorkas

• First Latino and first immigrant to lead the Department of Homeland Security

Pete Buttigieg

• First Senate-approved Cabinet secretary who publicly identifies as gay and first millennial Cabinet secretary

Avril Haines

• The first woman to lead the U.S. intelligence community

Xavier Becerra

• First Latino to lead the Department of Health and Human Services

Are these people qualified for the job? Maybe. Are they the best for the position? Maybe. Is maybe good enough? No.

I think there is proof we could have done better. We already pointed out Kamala Harris’ approval rating and the many leaks about the divide between her and Biden. Lloyd Austin showed weakness in the handling of the Afghanistan pull-out and subsequent hearings before Congress. Alejandro Mayorkas is failing miserably with the Border crisis, and the calls for his resignation or replacement are mounting. Pete Buttigieg was off on three months of Family Leave as the country dealt with the worst supply chain issue in our lifetime. Diverse, yes. Capable, not really.

With Biden and Harris at 38% and 28% and a weak Cabinet of advisors, can this administration right this ship and regain the confidence of America? Very doubtful. There is no indication that Biden will hold anyone accountable for poor performance. He would rather ride this horse than make a change. That may prove to be his worst decision, and that is saying something.