Recent studies by Knight Ridder and the Brookings Institution show the percentage of women nominated to high level positions decreasing sharply in recent months. Of Clinton’s first 512 appointments, 37 percent were women. Of Bush’s first 264 nominees up for Senate confirmation, only 69 (26.1 percent) are women. Roselyn O’Connell comments, “It’s discouraging to me as president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, but even more so as a pro-choice Republican woman. There are so many, many qualified women-but we’re not even able to make the case for them as we have with other Presidents.”
Nominations of African-Americans have also decreased. The Brookings Institution recently found that only 24 of Bush’s 264 nominees are African American. In contrast to Clinton’s 15 percent African American appointment rate, Bush has only nominated African-Americans to 9 percent of comparable positions. The National Journal has found that 6 percent of Bush’s 300 high-level appointees were Hispanic, and 3 percent were Asian American.
