Wait an Ag Sec: Getting real about who will head the USDA
Head on over to The Ethicurean to read my guest post about the race for Secretary of Agriculture. Here's an excerpt:
The excitement of the recent election has worn off. In its place, a new horse race has emerged. The media is now obsessed with who President-Elect Obama will pick to help lead his government of change. We in the sustainable food, rural and agriculture community are particularly susceptible to this when it comes to suggesting nominees for Secretary of Agriculture.
In our enthusiasm, however, there is a tendency of some to lose their heads and forget that, new era or not, this is still politics and the rules still apply. Realism is still a prerequisite.
As soon as Obama won, I witnessed a flurry of emails and blog posts suggesting Michael Pollan, Fred Kirschenmann, Denise O’Brien, Willie Nelson (albeit that was a joke), and a host of other stalwarts of sustainable agriculture.
I would cheer if (most) any of these people were actually being considered, but this is not the reality of the situation. There are times to dream, and dream big, but the bigger you dream, the more you need to strategize and organize, and the further into the future you must plan.
Understanding the process
The process of becoming Secretary of Agriculture begins long before a presidential election. Candidates typically have myriad political connections and make themselves useful in the campaign of the eventual winner. By election time, the list of possibilities is already well-established.
See who I think is on the well-established list over at The Ethicurean.
Obama's Elimination of the FSA County Committee System
President-elect Obama's plan to totally eliminate the farmer-elected FSA county committee system, replacing it with a directly appointed cadre of minority socially disadvantaged farmers, will finally help bring social justice to a myriad of minority, women and socially disadvantaged farmers throughout the country.
I vote for Willie :)
Reality: Pressure Affects Politics
I take issue with your putting the kabash on efforts to float the names of individuals from the sustainable ag community for consideration as Sec. of Agriculture. Politics is always a game of influence. I can tell you that if enough just plain folks were to bombard the transition team with the names and qualifications of our heros in the movement, they would be forced to take our sentiments into account when making their decisions. It just might be enough pressure to sway them away from making the worst decision and towards making a less worse decision.
I also think it's important to acknowledge that many of us are not just thinking about who would be best for the job of Secretary, but who among our preferred choices could be considered also for some of the lower level appointments-- Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; Under Secretary for Food Safety; Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics; Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; Under Secretary & Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment; Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service; Chief, Natural Resource Conservation Service.
No one should ever dissuade a citizen from telling the government what s/he thinks is the right way to go, based on the unlikelyhood of their position carrying the day. Heck, Barack Obama would not be President-Elect if people fell for that.
Using limited energy wisely
Thank you for your comment, Chrys. I encourage readers to go to Ethicurean and read the whole post. Towards the end is the following:
I am working on that next post now. Then, in the comments, I bring up the following:
I would never try to dissuade an individual from telling the government what they believe is right. Multiple times in the post I ask people to weigh in with their elected officials. I am passionate about helping people figure out ways to make the most impact with this endeavor, because people who feel like they've been heard are more likely to speak again.
With these posts, I try to direct people's energy to where my experiences tell me it will be most effective given the point we're at in the process. I saw a lot of energy being focused towards suggestions for Secretary of Agriculture, and I encouraged people to voice support or dislike for candidates already put forward.
In order for unlikely candidates to win, they need to plan far in advance and organize many voices to advocate for them. Unfortunately, there isn't that kind of time. A lesson we should all learn for next time.
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