Another Chance

Now that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn himself from consideration for Secretary of Commerce, we have another chance to see President-elect Obama pick the first openly gay member of the cabinet.

A Gay Rights group called Equal Rep is lobbying the transition team to pick the former Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Fred Hochberg, for the job. This was the same group that was behind the push for Mary Beth Maxwell as Labor Secretary, so hopefully they will be more successful this time around!

Here's what the founder of Equal Rep had to say:

"It was devastating to learn that gay Americans wouldn't have a seat at the table within Barack Obama's Cabinet administration. They are the only minority group to have never been appointed in the history of the United States," Paul Sousa, Equal Rep's founder, said in a statement. "Fred Hochberg is supremely qualified and this opening is the perfect opportunity for our President-elect to show gay Americans they have not been forgotten and he is truly committed to equal representation."

If you'd like to help lobby for the first openly gay member of a President's cabinet, click this Equal Rep link for a phone number and e-mail address to make yourself heard.

I'll be back to blog about today's As the World Turns later tonight.