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Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.)
House Republicans don't exactly excel in the diversity department. The caucus is led by a white male Speaker, white male Majority Leader, and white male Majority Whip. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee is a white male, and next year, he'll be replaced by another white male.
Making matters much worse, this week, the House GOP leadership assigned 19 committee chairmanships, which went to 19 men -- 18 white guys and one guy of Lebanese descent. It was almost as if House Republicans were going out of their way to make the caricature of their party that much more accurate.
But wait, there were still two open committee chairs that had not yet been assigned. Today, after digging through their binders full of women, Boehner & Co. apparently found one.
NBC News has learned that Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) will be named chair of the House Administration Committee. Miller did not serve on the committee during the 112th Congress. [...]
The House Administration Committee deals with the pertinent administrative business of the House. The committee can decide such mundane things as whether or not the House cafeterias will use paper or Styrofoam plates -- or more serious matters such as benefit packages for congressional workers and how the Library of Congress operates. The Committee also monitors the expense accounts of House members.
In an amusing twist, usually committee chairs are elevated from within the committee, but Boehner had a problem: in the two remaining committees, there were no Republican women on either. In this case, Miller will be the chair of the House Administration Committee despite not having served on the House Administration Committee.
Regardless, this move was clearly about public relations, and Republicans were apparently shamed into taking diversity at least a little seriously.
Update: My colleague Tricia Mckinney notes that Miller did serve on the Administration Committee a few years ago, so she'll at least be familiar with its duties. Miller hoped to become the first female chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, but the position instead went to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
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So basically they made her the hall monitor.....
There is a lot of talk of these 20 male and 1 female heads of these committees, but there has not been any talk of was there Minority or female republicans with experience and the qualifications to chair one of these committees available and then were still passed up for a white guy or what?
Come on 2014...
So I guess the Republicans believe in Affirmative Action after all.
Trying to remember: was it Dennis the Menace or the Little Rascals who had the "He Men Women Haters Club"???
She'll be in charge of the cafeterias???? Well, I suppose, for some Republicans, that sounds like it could be a "lady place". Representatives with heartburn - the greatest threat to our national security so far.
Wonderful! I am wondering,, what is the hourly wage of these people? How does it compare to folks who actually WORK? No wonder they care nothing for the good of the country, & only for their OWN "job". Who votes for these people?
around 85 an hour.
but that's a full 2080 hour year.
Will they allow her flexible hours so she can go home early to finish her chores?
Notice that Speaker Boehner (he's earned the right to be addressed by his title followed by his surname) kept referring to Representative Miller (she's earned the same right) as "Candice". Oh well, off camera he probably calls her Candy.
With John Boehner appointing Candice Miller to chair the House Administration Committee, the article should have been titled, "Boehner Appoints Candice Miller as Lunch Lady" since she will now be in charge of the Cafeteria...