1/03/01 4:05 p.m.
The Chavez Pick
The Left launches a campaign of lies.

By NR’s John J. Miller & Ramesh Ponnuru

he sharp attack on Linda Chavez comes as no surprise. President-elect Bush’s choice for Secretary of Labor “is smart and talented” and “a forceful and effective advocate” for her views, as the National Council of La Raza put it in a statement. Because these views are generally conservative, La Raza deems her nomination “disturbing.” The Left would very much like to deny her a seat in Bush’s cabinet.

That will be a tough task. Not only is Chavez an outstandingly competent person who has a compelling personal story and Bush’s full support, she is a former Democrat who used to work in the labor movement.

But make no mistake: Chavez will be opposed fiercely. The AFL-CIO’s John Sweeney already has resorted to lying about her record. “She is a strenuous foe of anti-discrimination measures including affirmative action,” he said in a statement.

It is true that Chavez opposes racial quotas and preferences. But it is a bald-faced lie to say she does not support “anti-discrimination measures.” Throughout her career, she has made of habit of saying she believes in strong anti-discrimination laws. She did it again yesterday, during her remarks in Austin: “I intend to vigorously enforce the department’s regulations to guarantee nondiscrimination by federal contractors.”

Sweeney also said Chavez “has been a vociferous and aggressive opponent of the federal minimum wage.” Again, this is not true — and intentionally deceptive. Chavez has criticized raising the minimum wage in her syndicated column. (She also humorously proposed hiking it to $100,000 an hour, to make a point.) But this is not the same thing as being “a vociferous and aggressive opponent.” In fact, skepticism about increasing the minimum wage is a mainstream conservative position, and it’s grounded in concern about employment and job growth.

The Sweeney broadside is a sign of desperation. Having lost big in November — no President Gore, no Speaker Gephardt — Sweeney apparently has concluded that he must block a nomination or two in order to be perceived as a powerful political broker. And if, on top of it all, a Big Labor chief can’t stop the Labor Secretary, he is a weak man.

Chavez will have an opportunity to answer all the criticisms of her during her confirmation hearings, and she will answer them well because she tells the truth and has nothing to hide. It’s too bad that Sweeney can’t be held equally accountable.

The Bean Counters
Here’s how the New York Times sums up Bush’s final cabinet picks, in an editorial today: “The three choices definitely broaden the new cabinet’s ethnic composition. Mr. Abraham is Arab-American, Ms. Chavez Hispanic, and Mr. Mineta Japanese-American. What they do not add is significant ideological diversity.” In other words: They may look like America, but (sigh) they don’t think like Manhattan liberals.

On the Site
Mark Levin on Ashcroft and the judge.