Secretary of State
Noam Chomsky
As the best-informed and most insistent critic of U.S. foreign
policy over four decades, this MIT professor is the clear choice to
foster a new relationship with the rest of the world.
Secretary of Defense
Ron Dellums
A 17-year veteran of the House Armed Services Com-mittee, this
former Bay Area congressman knows what’s wrong–and what’s
right–with America’s military.
United Nations Ambassador:
Jesse Jackson Sr.
Our most consistent voice for justice and human dignity, he’s
proven his diplomatic skills everywhere from Chicago ghettos to
Balkan battle zones.
National Security Advisor
Hazel Henderson
A longtime advocate of sustainable development in Southern nations,
she knows that true security comes from environmental protection,
global understanding, and a more equitable distribution of the
world’s wealth.
Attorney General
Ralph Nader
Thanks to his legal expertise, America is a safer, greener, fairer
place. Imagine what he might do for us with the resources of the
Justice Department behind him. (In the happy event Nader is elected
president, the post should go to Joel Rogers of the University of
Wisconsin Law School or to Andrew Kimbrell of the International
Center for Technology Assessment.)
Secretary of the Treasury
Amy Domini
Founder of one of the first and best-performing socially
responsible investment funds, she knows that a truly ‘good’ economy
depends on more than the Dow Jones average.
White House Council of Economic Advisors Chair
Herman Daly
Research scholar at the University of Maryland and former economist
at the World Bank, he argues that economic growth along current
lines is not in the best interest of either the environment or the
average person.
Federal Reserve Board Chair
Robert Reich
No one is better prepared to steer our dynamic, changing economy in
a direction that benefits all Americans than this Brandeis
economics professor and former Secretary of Labor.
Secretary of the Interior
Winona LaDuke
A veteran environmental and Native American activist, she sees
protecting our land as a sacred duty. (If LaDuke becomes vice
president on the Green Party ticket, activist Julia Butterfly Hill
or architect and industrial designer William McDonough should get
the job.)
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Lois Gibbs
A Love Canal homeowner turned environmental expert, she brings a
keen understanding of the human costs of pollution and toxic
contamination.
Secretary of Agriculture
Jim Hightower
As Agriculture Commissioner in Texas for eight years, he proved
himself an effective champion of family farmers, sustainable
agriculture, and innovative government initiatives.
Secretary of Commerce
David Morris
Co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Morris has 25
years of experience in showing how healthy communities promote a
vital economy–and vice versa.
Secretary of Labor
Juliet Schor
Harvard professor, economist, and author of the best-selling The
Overworked American, she knows that less is more when it comes to
working hours.
Secretary of Health and Human Service
Maxine Waters
No one in Washington will be able to ignore the needs of everyday
Americans with this feisty L.A. congresswoman heading the
department.
Secretary of Transportation
Earl Blumenauer
As founder of the Congressional Livable Communities Taskforce, this
Portland congressman understands that cars, trucks, and planes are
not the only way to go.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Myron Orfield
This Minnesota state legislator has devised an ambitious agenda to
revitalize inner cities and blue-collar suburbs that’s stirring
excitement across the country.
Secretaries of Energy
Hunter and Amory Lovins
Veteran environmental activists, the founders of the Rocky Mountain
Institute are ready to launch an energy-efficiency revolution.
Secretary of Education
Deborah L. Meier
Founder of New York’s acclaimed Central Park East Secondary School
in East Harlem, Meier is now working to improve Boston’s public
schools. She tirelessly promotes the idea that good teachers,
adequate funding, and small schools are the key to successful
students.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Ron Kovic
A decorated and disabled Vietnam vet born on the fourth of July,
Kovic knows how to reward America’s veterans without glorifying
war.
Postmaster General
Ann Landers
Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night stops her from answering
our letters with insight and kindness.
Surgeon General
Andrew Weil
A doctor who can spread the message that preventive measures and
natural healing are as important to our health as high-tech medical
wonders.
FBI Director
Bobby Rush
A former Black Panther and community activist, this Chicago
congressman knows the perils of police oppression as well as the
steady toll in human life and dignity that crime imposes on poor
neighborhoods.
Drug Czar
Ernesto Cortes Jr.
As the founder of community organizations across the Southwest, he
knows firsthand the damage that both drugs and the drug war can
do–as well as how vital neighborhoods offer people a way to just
say yes to something bigger than themselves.
White House Press Secretary
Ray Suarez
The popular radio host and television commentator will make sure
that communication between the White House and the American public
is a two-way street.
National Endowment for the Arts Chair
Robert Redford
His Sundance Institute boosted independent film to new heights.
Let’s put him to work on American theater, art, music, and
literature.
National Endowment for the Humanities Chair
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The Harvard Afro-American studies department head brings both a
scholarly and a populist enthusiasm to the idea that American
culture is a rich stew cooked with ingredients from all over the
world.
Poets Laureate
(a two-year post
Gwendolyn Brooks and Gary SnyderThese writers have evoked the
essence of America out of very different experiences–the tough
city streets of Chicago and the wild mountains of the American
West.
Presidential Prayer Circle
Just as Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter relied on Billy Graham for
religious counsel, the first president elected in the 21st century
needs an interreligious council of spiritual advisors: Milwaukee
Catholic Archbishop Rembert Weakland, the Dalai Lama, American
Muslim leader W. Deen Mohammed, Rabbi Michael Lerner, minister
Marianne Williamson, pagan priestess Starhawk, Native American
spiritual leader Oren Lyons, and African Methodist Episcopal Bishop
Vashti McKenzie.
