March 29, 2024

Obama picks Emily’s List boss as head of communications

A sign of the difference between the two administrations
Ellen MoranMore tea leaves: is President-elect Obama’s choice of a vigorous pro-choice campaigner as his director of communications a sign of his position on bioethics? Ellen Moran is currently executive director of Emily’s List, the lobby group devoted to electing pro-choice women. Since it was founded in 1984, it has raised more than US$240 million and helped elect hundreds of pro-choice Democratic women to positions in federal and state politics.

Ms Moran is an experienced political operator who has also worked in the AFL-CIO and in the Clinton Administration. During the primaries, she campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton. The contrast with President Bush’s counterpart, Kevin Sullivan, could not be more marked. He is a sports journalist who worked in public relations for the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.