Memo: Progressive Cabinet Project - Shaping a Progressive Administration
By Aidan Smith Electoral Analyst, Data for Progress
Input provided by Billy Fleming, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Nikhil Goyal, Sean McElwee, David Segal, Jeff Hauser, Elizabeth Beavers, Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Austin Frerick, Marcela Mulholland,
Tarak Shah, Emily Chatterjee, and Bob Kopp
For the first time in generations, the American Left has a real chance at winning power. Since the election of Donald Trump, progressive, grassroots-funded candidates have seen success in elections at every level of government. Should Trump be defeated in November, progressives should be prepared for the task of working with Joe Biden’s team to curate the most progressive administration in history. This will be a challenge given that progressives have long been excluded from high positions in government, think tanks, and elsewhere in civil society. This document will try to ease the challenge by providing an in-depth analysis of what qualifies an individual to hold a particular cabinet office as well as a list of suitable names for them who align with the progressive movement on matters of policy.
There is no doubt that sketching out a progressive administration that looks like and is representative of America is a challenging task. The purpose of this project is to make this task less difficult and prepare the progressive movement for the realities of government, and is a living document aimed to highlight which potential choices for posts in the next administration most closely aligned with the values of the progressive movement.
This memo will explore the potential appointees to the following cabinet offices:
