IT'S NOT A pROGRESSIVE PARTY:

Ideological, racial and ethnic considerations and tensions are normal in the presidential transition and appointment process, particularly for Democrats, who are a much more racially diverse party than the GOP. But the Biden team's choices in navigating them tell us a lot about the current distribution of power within the party -- or at least how Biden and his top advisers see it. So far, based on Biden's choices, three trends are clear.

Both the Black establishment and the Latino establishment within the Democratic Party have real clout, able to essentially force Biden to pick some Black and Latino appointees for key posts and to block some people they don't want.

The progressive wing of the party doesn't seem to have enough clout to get its people key jobs, but does have enough power to prevent Biden from picking people they strenuously oppose.

And other blocs in the Democratic Party, most notably anti-Trump Republicans or former Republicans who backed Biden, don't have a lot of clout in the appointment process, at least so far. (We should note that this article refers often to stories first broken by The American Prospect and Politico in particular, as both outlets have done stellar reporting on Biden's transition process.)

Let me unpack those ideas a bit more, starting with the power of the Black and Latino establishments.

I chose those words carefully. It is not clear that rank-and-file Black or Latino voters particularly care who Biden chooses for these top administration roles, or play a big role in this process. It is also fairly clear that the people Biden and his team are really trying to placate are more center-left establishment Black and Latino elites in the party, such as Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, rather than more left-wing Democrats who are also people of color, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

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