Mitra Ebadolahi Ebadolahi is a
third-year international development studies and history student
who wonders, "Why is everyone so quiet? Is this the democracy we
wanted?" Tell her what you think at [email protected].
Click Here for more articles by Mitra Ebadolahi
How’s this for a headline? “Objections
Aside, a Smiling Gore Certifies Bush“ (Jan. 7, 2001, Los
Angeles Times, Web Site). Yep, it’s true: a little over a
week ago, our country’s favorite deadbeat Democrat officially
certified George W. Bush’s electoral college votes, cementing
his concession of the presidential race.
I, for one, have yet to understand how Al Gore, whose vote was
counted, was the person we all turned to for closure on
America’s election debacle. Somehow I figured that we
should’ve asked all those voters in Florida, who wasted an
entire afternoon in some smelly gymnasium casting a ballot that
would never be counted anyway. If anyone is qualified to grant a
concession, it’s these guys, right? On the other hand, maybe
I’m too concerned with figuring out the truly democratic
thing to do.
Apparently, I need to move on. After all, Gore was smiling; I
guess everything’s going to be OK. And so far, plans to
incorporate Georgie-boy into an American reality are going
smoothly, now that all that tired election hoopla is finally over.
Our president-elect has spent the last few weeks compiling nominees
for the “perfect Cabinet,” complete with Gen. Colin
Powell for Secretary of State, ultra-conservative John Ashcroft as
Attorney General and even a Democrat, Norm Mineta, thrown in for
good measure to take over the Department of Transportation.
And so, as our beloved Bush prepares for his $30 million
inauguration, it’s time for us to familiarize ourselves with
the outstanding politicians who will soon be part of the executive
branch. Since the Senate confirmation hearings should be a breeze
(after all, they’re mostly a technicality, like voting turned
out to be), this eclectic bunch is just weeks away from taking over
some of the most powerful positions of authority in the United
States.
 Illustration by CASEY CROWE/Daily Bruin First up is
Republican Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan, Bush’s chosen
man for Secretary of Energy. Ironically, back in 1999, Abraham
co-sponsored an unsuccessful bill to eliminate the Department of
Energy altogether. Last year, Abraham was ranked first among all
current senators in contributions accepted from energy industry
donors. In fact, in his failed bid for re-election, Abraham
received nearly $400,000 from the energy industry. All told, over
80 energy corporations have contributed to Abraham’s
campaigns, including Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum (of
U’wa infamy) and Chevron.
If Bush has his way, Republican Senator John Ashcroft of
Missouri will join Abraham at Cabinet meetings for the next four
years. Nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney General and to head the
Department of Justice, Ashcroft stands poised to take over the
executive branch of America’s legal system. As a senator,
Ashcroft divided his time between giving interviews to white
supremacist magazines and successfully blocking Ronnie White, the
first black justice on the Missouri Supreme Court, from attaining a
federal district court seat.
But that’s not all we have to look forward to where
Ashcroft is concerned. In the 2000 elections, Ashcroft received so
many campaign contributions that 42 companies ranked him as one of
the top 10 recipients of their corporate donations. Among his top
supporters are the Sprint Corporation, Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto
(the company responsible for our genetically-mutated string beans
and corn), General Motors, Verizon Communications, Ford Motor
Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers; many of these and other
industries happen to have anti-trust matters pending before the
Justice Department. Do I smell a conflict of interest?
For the Health and Human Services Secretary, Bush Jr. has
nominated Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin. In his
service to the people of Wisconsin, Thompson has cut welfare rolls
dramatically and placed thousands of families in a precarious
situation. According to Carol Medaris, project attorney with the
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, “a lot of
families are doing very poorly. For a large group of poor people,
welfare reform has been too harsh.” If Thompson wins the
position, he will have authority over the Food and Drug
Administration, which recently approved the abortion drug RU-486
and is investigating fetal-tissue research. As an avowed
anti-abortion advocate, Thompson could use his influence to reverse
these advances in women’s reproductive rights and health.
But Thompson is more than just a menace to the poor and to
women. He also happens to be the campaign contribution darling of
health industry professionals, who contributed more money to his
last race for governor than any other industry. And, of course,
this is the man that would be Secretary of that very industry:
Health and Human Services.
Bush did surprise the political analyst brigade when he
nominated Norm Mineta, a Democrat, to serve as the Secretary of
Transportation. Partisan opponents of the Bush-Cheney crew have
paused momentarily, silently relishing the one Democrat infiltrator
in the Republican camp. But a closer analysis of Mineta’s
past positions and present campaign contributors indicates that our
friend Norm is really no different from Abraham, Ashcroft or
Thompson before him.
It just so happens that the transportation industry donated more
to Mineta’s last House race in 1994 than any other industry.
Mid-session, Mineta resigned from his House seat and became the
senior vice president and managing director of Lockheed Martin, one
of the primary defense contractors for Reagan’s Star Wars.
(Coincidentally, Lynne Cheney, the wife of our new VP, is on
Lockheed Martin’s board of directors.) If awarded a seat as
head of the Department of Transportation, Mineta is sure to
deprioritize funding for his own department in favor of more
defense money. That means that our buses, subways and public roads
will sink further into their outdated, underdeveloped mire.
For me, these revelations are tragic and disgusting, not only
because they flaunt any notion of integrity in high office, but
also because they indicate just how far removed from true public
participation our so-called democracy is. The truth is, public
participation does not count in this system. Money does.
Everyone will suffer from the legacy of this fraudulent
election. But some people will suffer more than others.
America’s communities of color, immigrants, women and the
poor will pay a heavy price for Bush and his chosen cronies, who
will cater to their own interests and the desires of the big money
supporting them.
This administration will increase corporate profits by cutting
educational funding and welfare, privatizing social security,
attacking reproductive choice, enacting xenophobic regulations and
ignoring public transportation and environmental racism. It is no
coincidence that the Americans who will be most impacted are those
whose votes were overlooked in the first place, first by Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush and then by our own Supreme Court.
Perhaps we should consider all these realities the next time we
attempt to show other countries how to be more
“democratic.” Given the depth of election fraud last
November, and the breadth of corruption and breaches of integrity
demonstrated by George W.’s cabinet nominations, we simply
cannot claim to have a democracy, much less to have the ability to
help other countries develop this system of government. Until we as
students and citizens demand campaign finance reform, abolish the
electoral college and protest until every single ballot cast is
counted, our country will continue to be plagued by corrupt
politicians who compromise our priorities.