>> We have some good news when it comes to Joe Biden's cabinet for once. So for one,
he chose Deb Haaland for Interior Secretary. This is actually important. This is great news.
Just to give you a little bit of background, climate justice and Indigenous rights advocates
actually commended this decision to put the progressive Native American congresswoman
from New Mexico in charge of the department overseeing 500 million acres of federal land.
Calling the move promising for the responsible development of clean energy infrastructure.
And for the reversal of the fossil fuel industry's harmful legacy and extraction and pollution
on land belonging to the United States public and tribal nations. Now, we've seen the Trump
administration sell off public lands to private companies, specifically fossil fuel companies.
We've also seen the Trump administration literally just snatch up land from various Native American
tribes throughout this country. And so to see the current Interior Secretary leave,
and someone progressive like Deb Haaland come in, is certainly promising news.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reacted to it by saying this is a big deal.
Historic appointment, a visionary Native woman in charge of federal lands.
Unequivocally progressive, Green New Deal champion, exquisitely experienced. Deb Haaland,
sister, you are going to do such a great job, I'm so proud of you
and the movement. And the Sunrise Movement is also in favor of this, which is also fantastic.
They released a statement saying, Haaland is a fierce ally of our movement, who has
fought for renewable energy job creation in the House. And was one of the first
Congress members to endorse the vision of the Green New Deal. With a progressive leader at
the helm, we can make real progress on stopping climate change and ensure
sovereignty and dignity for all Native people, and justice for all.
And she's also been a very strong advocate, she's on the Natural Resources Committee for the House.
And she's been a strong advocate for things like the Green New Deal, and ensuring that we protect
public lands. She also won the congressional race in new Mexico's 1st District in 2019.
She's the one leading congressional efforts to accomplish the goals set
forth by the Thirty by Thirty Resolution to conserve at least 30% of the ocean, and 30%
of the land within the United States by 2030.
And all of this is great news. This is actually a fantastic pick as I've talked about before.
I also like Xavier Becerra as the pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
So we have those two that I think we can be happy and optimistic about. Obviously lots of picks I
did not agree with in the Biden administration, but I wanted to hear what you guys think.
>> Yeah, we really can't downplay the historic nature of this pick. I mean,
this would be the first Native American appointed to a Cabinet.
And we're talking about somebody who is overseeing public land.
I mean, oftentimes people on the left will be hypercritical of diversity in Biden's cabinet.
And for good reason because really it's all just for show,
there's no diversity of thought or ideology in that cabinet. But this is a pick here,
where not only is it historic in nature, because this is the first Native American
appointed to a cabinet. It's also what she stands for, what she has fought for.
She stood with activists on Standing Rock fighting against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This is
somebody who is not only somebody who is just a Native American, but someone who's fought for
people, fought on the right side of the issues. And I'm honestly shocked that she was picked. And
this was also the top pick for the climate mandate from Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats.
Deb Haaland was their top pick for this position and she
actually got it. So I'm surprised and happy. >> Yeah you talk about the diversity of ideas,
cuz it's not always just about gender or race, but it's background, it's where you come from.
So things about Deb Haaland, she was a single mother, she volunteered at her kids school.
She was on food stamps as that single mother. She and her daughter are still paying off
college loans. This is insane, she's 60 years old. So she's lived the life of many Americans.
So, we talked about how Mark Warner is this multimillionaire, worth $90 million dollars.
You can't connect with regular people if you don't know how regular people live.
She has, and like you said, she's been at these protests. The land actually means something to
her, rather than just a place to hand off to some contractor. So they can make more money off it,
and promote your political career. There's a reality behind it. And these are type folks once
you see people, who represent their constituents, cuz they were once just like their constituents.
And then there's a way they'll legislate throughout their career, and actually now, get
a position in cabinet. And we have opportunity, I can't say for sure. We have an opportunity for
a real person to do real things in a position. >> Yeah, I totally agree. And I think that you
guys both make such strong points about, it's not just about the appearance of diversity.
It's also about diversity of opinion, diversity of thought,
and also diversity of lived experience. Because one of my biggest issues is that when you look
at the tremendous amount of wealth among our congressional lawmakers. Do we have
representation of ordinary Americans in Congress when you have people, again, worth $90 million?
Most people are not worth $90 million, obviously. And so, it does lead to a disconnect between
what most Americans are dealing with on a daily basis, and what their lives are like in Congress,
right? So I love this, I love that she is a fighter. She's proven her chops as a fighter.
And one other really positive component of this story is that,
it's not only unlikely, we now know for sure, that Rahm Emanuel and Eric Garcetti
will not be part of Joe Biden's cabinet. I am elated about that news. So,
I want to share some details with you because Politico reported on Rahm Emanuel recently.
And a senior Democrat, who's actually advising the transition,
told Politico the following. Rahm has former colleagues and friends
who are involved and respect him, but no one's worth that sort of headache.
Okay, no, no, no, it gets better, I love it. >> The statement continues, Labor didn't want
him at Transportation, civil rights groups didn't want him, Progressives didn't want him.
>> There simply is no constituency for Rahm Emanuel at this point. Sorry, sorry
>> Body blow, body blow, body blow. >> It shows you there's even a limit
to the most beloved members of the establishment. I mean,
even they have a limit. And their limit, honestly, I think was Laquan McDonald.
I think that's exactly what they couldn't stomach. And there has been enough activists pushing
back against Rahm Emanuel, and have made this fight public enough that they can't touch him,
and thank God for that. >> Well, and here's the
blueprint potentially. We talk about Progressives trying to push Biden,
and even Progressives like us, who are like okay Biden's in office, now it's time to work.
You're never gonna get to work with the guy, you never gonna push him in any direction.
I do remember when Kamala and Joe Biden were both asked, where are these progressives,
I think Jake Tapper asked him, where are these progressives in your cabinet?
We just got started, we just got started, we just got started.
So they felt the pressure. And they're like okay, we gotta figure something out,
because they do know who Progressives are. They don't not know, they know who they are,
they just have to start utilizing them. >> It is interesting though, because
two issues that are incredibly important to Progressives, the environment and healthcare.
And so it is interesting to kind of take a step back from the cynical lens and look at how Biden
has chosen Xavier Becerra, someone who's on the record multiple times, and it seems genuine,
supporting Medicare for All. When he was in the House, he fought against tax cuts for the rich.
And so Becerra as a pick to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, I think,
is great news. Then you have Deb Haaland, as Secretary of the Interior,
which is fantastic news when you consider all the activism and work that she's done on climate
change, fighting back against the Keystone pipeline, as you mentioned earlier, David.
And they, yeah, there are some pretty awful people within the cabinet. I don't like the picks when it
comes to the defense department at all. They're pretty terrible. But it seems like Biden is able
to feel some pressure and react to it, because yeah, people were 100% against Rahm Emanuel.
I was worried that there wasn't enough backlash against Eric Garcetti, but clearly there was
enough. And Eric Garcetti is dealing with a number of headaches, a number of scandals.
Los Angeles is a complete and utter disaster right now with
its homelessness. So I'm glad that he has been cut out of the cabinet as well.
That's overall, really, really great news. And so, don't underestimate what pressure can do.
And as we know, Bernie Sanders went on the record multiple times and said, no, I'm not seeing enough
progressives, I'm not seeing enough progressives. And maybe the pressure is working a little bit.