One pattern seems to be that Obama thinks the most appropriate people in the exec. branch are people who have worked in the legislative branch - Biden, Clinton, Salazar, Daschell, Emmanuel, Hood, and now Solis. Why? Is it a liaison thing? Promise to enforce the laws as they were intended? I'm not complaining (at least yet), but I would like to understand the philosophy.

"Holis has described herself as a "daughter of a union family".

In other words, the liberal pattern of nepotism continues.

Steve, it's Solis, with S.... :-)

Al strikes again...nepotism? Read your Funk and Wagnalls.

It matters where they put progressives. Labor is one of the best places.
I'm most happy with pragmatists, myself.

I am sick and tired of this harping on "diversity" and some Republicans delight in calling Bush's cabinet the most diverse evar! Which is bullshit, there has like been no cabinet with LESS diversity of thought than the Bush Administration, race and gender be damned. Obama has both kinds of diversity, but the diversity of thought is by far the more important.

Is this too little too late? A somewhat unknown congresswoman, the last major cabinet announcement, a good liberal. With the problems facing workers right now, I would have wanted to see her linked heavily to the stimulus package and its roll out - that will have a greater effect on what happens to american workers in the next four years than anything at the DOL. I am disappointed it wasn't a heavier weight pick, done earlier and linked to the fixing of the financial crisis.

More of a heavy-weight? This woman is smart and courageous.

fiera - not a criticism of her, she is herself great. Her victory against an incumbent pro-trade dem sent terrific shocks through the establishment. But Steve's own comments "I'm only vaguely familiar with Solis' background" point out that she's not that well-known. Compared to the more centrist members of the cabinet, she's not at their star power, (which is unrelated to ability). It will matter when workers' interests do not coincide with wall streets.

Hilda Solis is my Congresswoman and I absolutely love her. She was a big Hillary supporter and moved over to Obama after the primaries. All 3 of my congressional reps are strong women that do a fine job for us in California. I am delighted that she is to be the new Labor Secretary. Maybe I should consider running for her district.

Yes, sounds good! Obama looks better now, I was worried for awhile. But I still think he wussed out on the Rick Warren bone.

"We haven't heard too much lately about the lack of genuine, unapologetic liberals in Obama's cabinet, but for those who've been worried about ideological diversity on the president-elect's team, Holis should make progressives feel pretty good." - Steve

Well, we haven't gotten to the confirmation process yet.

I am worried about her standing on the H-1B issue. It seems she has no problem with replacing the U.S. professional white collar labor market with even more H-1b and L-1 workers from Asia.

U.S. Department of Labor Strategic plan Fiscal Years 2006-2011 (pg. 35) states:

"... H-1B workers may be hired even when a qualified U.S. worker wants the job, and a U.S. worker can be displaced from the job in favor of the foreign worker."

http://www.dol.gov/_sec/stratplan/strat_plan_2006-2011.pdf

Will Solis embrase this job killing strategy, or will she change it?