Is it time for a US Shadow Cabinet?
By Bob Small
The Shadow Cabinet is a long-standing concept in the UK and Canada. In the UK it goes back as far as 1915.
The Shadow Cabinet though it can be traced back to 1836 and Sir Robert Peel Robert Peel. , founder of the London Metropolitan Police, knowledge for those of you addicted to British mysteries.
In the US it’s now being championed by Congressman Wiley Nickel (D-NC).
He says “We have to say what we’re for, and that’s what’s really behind this idea, to get folks there to counter every cabinet agency, every position that Trump appoints.”
He mentioned that the Shadow Cabinet from the out-of-power party which mirrors the government party’s cabinet members. He added “They watch the Cabinet closely, publicly challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas,” Nickel said in his op-ed. “It’s democracy’s insurance policy.”
We’re not saying that Democrats are necessarily bad losers but Wiley has suggested this initiative in print and on various media.
He posits that “New times require new solutions.” He clearly adds that the Dems need to make clear what they stand for “something we didn’t do enough this election cycle.”. Lastly, as he says “With a shadow cabinet, there is no hiding.”
“This is about putting a point person for advocacy groups, for the public, a lead messenger ‘we need to organize our opposition,” he says.
This is not the first iteration of this concept. An article in 2017 says shadow cabinets get public money to hire researchers and develop policy and time in Parliament to rebut government statements. Previously, one Mark Green is mentioned as organizing a previous “shadow cabinet” but there’s scant further information on this except in his Wikipedia article (see above). See Shadow congressperson for a previous history and for a “bias analysis”, see Democrats propose ‘shadow government’ to oppose …
Anyone for a “shadow” Delaware County Council? Just asking.
