I think it was Bill Clinton's Cabinet that was first referred to as the Rainbow Cabinet. When Bill left office, we worried how the new Republican president would construct his cabinet.
Whether you support President Bush or are counting the days until 2008, you must acknowledge this: Mr. Bush has achieved more ethnic and gender diversity among his top advisers than any president in history.
He is about to do something many in the country wouldn't have imagined possible in their lifetimes. He's replacing the first African American man to serve as secretary of state, Colin Powell, with the first African American woman to hold the post, Condoleezza Rice. – Hartford Courant
No the Bush years, under either Bush were not fun, but we weren't as afraid then as we are now of how backwards we may become.
We've watched many presidential cabinets being built over the years without 1/20th of the issues we are finding during Trump's debacle of a presidency. The next bump in the road is his nomination for Army Secretary, Mark Green.
One good thing about this appointment is that Green actually has some experience in the type of work Trump is appointing him for. I know, shocker! The state senator is also a former Army Lieutenant Colonel, an Army physician, completed three combat tours in the Middle East, received the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and other medals.
Even though his experience is there, how well does he work with others?
His nomination has prompted some scrutiny. The American Military Partner Association, a leading group advocating for LGBT troops and their families, said Tuesday it was "deeply concerned" about Green serving as Army secretary.
"Green has made a shameful political career out of targeting LGBT people for discrimination," Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the association, said in a statement. "Based on his vicious, anti-LGBT record, Mark Green cannot be trusted to ensure all those who serve have the support they need and deserve."
If confirmed, Green would succeed Eric Fanning, the first openly gay service secretary.
Green is Trump's second pick for Army secretary, after business executive Vincent Viola withdrew from consideration in February due to his vast financial holdings. – thehill.com
Being from Tennessee, how anti-LGBT can Green be?
Green is the lead sponsor of several of Tennessee’s many anti-LGBT bills. Here are some of the bills he’s pushing this session alone:
- SB 127, which would ensure businesses can enforce discriminatory policies without facing any consequences from state or local government.
- SB 771, which would require schools to discriminate against transgender students when it comes to bathrooms, locker rooms, and similar facilities.
- SB 14, which would give teachers the right not to teach content that violates their conscience. This could easily be interpreted to mean that teachers would not have to provide accurate information about LGBT identities or that they would not have to protect LGBT students from bullying based on their identities.
Last year, Green also supported SB 1556, which is now a law protecting counselors and therapists from having to serve clients in ways that violate their consciences — i.e. so they don’t have to affirm LGBT people. He also led an effort to support a lawsuit challenging President Obama’s guidance protecting transgender students in schools. – thinkprogress.org
Surprise! Green is not a good friend of Dorothy. If his nomination does prove to be true, we'll have to watch another white male defend his anti-LGBT record. But then again, it won't matter since that's not too important to Republicans.
h/t: thehill.com, thinkprogress.org