Daschle to Take Health Care Czar, HHS Position

[kpete]

Daschle to Take Health Care Czar, HHS Position
by: Matt Stoller
Wed Nov 19, 2008 at 12:07

And here we go.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/30285-1.html?ET=rollcall:e3282:80065226a:&st=email

Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has been offered the job of Health and Human Services secretary by President-elect Barack Obama and has accepted the job, according to a Democratic source close to Daschle.

Daschle, who served in the Senate until he lost his re-election bid in 2004, also is set to take on the position of "health care czar" in the Obama White House, ensuring that he does not get bigfooted on matters relating to health care policy, according to this source.

http://openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=10026

[IndianaJones]

1. good pick. nt.

[ogneopasno]

2. Good for Daschle.

[FLAprogressive]

3. What are his qualifications....Dr. Dean would have been better!

[Barack_America]

5. Have to agree there.

I'm interested in hearing more about this (especially confirmation that it is true).

[Skwmom]

13. He a DLC, corporatist Democratic. What other qualification do you need?

Without the DLC, the Democratic Party would be nothing. How do you think they got back in power?

[Sebass1271]

19. Not true. they got back in power because of us that

work tirelessly every day to make Obama election a reality.. DLC did not do a freaking shit..

[IndianaJones]

20. heh. nt.

[Skwmom]

31. Oh, but they are the ones who are getting all of the rewards.

It's simply amazing how that's worked out.

[Bicoastal]

33. Skwmom, Daschle is not, has never been a member of DLC.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I've been looking all over the internets for proof that he was ever a member.

After some research, I must conclude that you're talking out of your ass.

[Skwmom]

39. Hmm... but he considered them the next generation of Democratic Leadership....

Daschle speaking to the DLC in 2001: We often look to those larger-than-life figures of our past for wisdom and guidance, but if I had to put my faith in something, I'd put it in the people at this dais, and the people in this room, the people who have come to Indianapolis for this national conversation (OF THE DLC). Assembled here is the new generation of ideas and the next generation of our leadership.

So the DLC is the next generation of our leadership? Oh, no. He doesn't sound like DLC to me. How could I have been so mistaken.

http://www.dlcppi.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=106&subid=122&contentid=3675

[Bicoastal]

46. This is when he was Majority Leader. They invited him to speak.

What's he going to do, stand up there and insult them?

BTW, how come we never hear this kind of thing directed at DLC MEMBER Al Gore?

[Skwmom]

49. Because as Gore likes to say he is a recovering politician.

Gore let his decent side win out. How refreshing.

[Sebass1271]

4. wHAT DOES HE KNOW ABOUT HEALTH CARE?

TO ME, he is another wimp..he won't confront republicans.. he lost his senate seat because of lack of cojones.. I wanted Howard Dean in that position.

When is Obama goign to think about Howard?

[Thrill]

10. Daschle has written a book on Health Care

[Skwmom]

11. But he has great lobbyist connections and knows how to play the game.

Did you really think the way things were going that Dean was going to get anywhere near that job?

[Sebass1271]

15. what do you mean the way things were going?

Howard Dean did everything Obama asked him to do. Howard Dean was and IS the mastermind of the 50 states strategy. Yes, Obama had the flow and knew how to "sell" his brand, but Howard was the brains behind it, obama and campaign managers all they did was delivered it.

So, please explain.. what you mean by that statement.

[Skwmom]

22. I agree. Dean saved the Democratic Party. But for some reason, the Democrats seem

hell bent on destroying it again.

What I'm saying is that Dean is much to qualified and ethical to ever be considered for that position.

He would have been great and done great things for this country but he is not a Corporatist Democrat, and that is who truly controls this party.

[mvd]

26. If Dean wanted it, he would have been a great choice

Not that he's so much more liberal than Daschle, but Dean has represented new ideas for moving the party forward. He could likely do it on health care, too. I don't know why he gets little respect.

Daschle is an ok choice I guess, though.

[FLAprogressive]

14. He stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night. nt

[nyc 4 Biden]

47. Well Done.

[ProSense]

18. He wrote one of the key health care plans debated during the 90s.

More here and here.

[last_texas_dem]

27. I disagree with your take on why he lost his Senate seat

He lost his Senate seat b/c he was up for re-election in 2004 in a state that voted 20%+ for Bush. He was demonized by the right-wing as an extremist, "far left" "obstructionist," despite the fact that, to anyone with a brain, making this claim about Tom Daschle is laughable on its face. The Repugs nationalized the campaign, similarly to the way that they defeated Cleland in GA in '02. Daschle wasn't defeated b/c he was milquetoast but because the Repugs were able to ridiculously caricature him into a socialist baby-killer who wanted Americans to die- and a slight majority of South Dakotans turned out to vote against that caricature.

[Sebass1271]

36. Part your are correct, but I remember Daschle NOT

defending himself forcefully agains those charges. He didn't want to win it, He lost it because he didn't put any resources to fight back, his attitude towards those lame accusations was inept. He probably thought he was save in that seat.. obviously, when you don't fight from your heart, you get beaten.

[theboss]

50. Nothing was going to help Daschle in 2004

He was Target #1 in a Republican Year.

The Repubs did to him what we did to Santorum in 2006.

[Thrill]

6. CNN just confirmed this

[nichomachus]

7. I think that we need to give Obama very high marks

for recycling.

[Bread and Circus]

8. I like Daschle, but as a primary care physician, I wish he would have chosen Dr. Dean

[Botany]

12. I think Dr. Dean wants to be a Dr. again

Maybe your practice can hire him?

:rofl:

[democrattotheend]

16. I can understand why he didn't

My understanding was that he wanted someone with experience and connections on the Hill to help get a health care plan through Congress, which makes sense, given what happened with the Clinton health care debacle in 1993.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. Ugh

[thewiseguy]

23. Why is Obama campaigning in Florida. We are going to lose there anyway.

Your previous concerns were noted. :eyes:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

53. wow - let go of the disruptive hate

[Mass]

17. Another leak. Why cannot they wait until it is done and let Obama announce these nominations.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

29. "they" is Obama.

[Mass]

30. No clue who is They. Just asking because it is getting ridiculous. Announce them or keep them secret

Dont leak by anonymous Democratic officials.

[sufrommich]

21. Well, that's cool. I like Daschle. nt

[Skwmom]

24. Are those who said Obama should reward supporters happy now?

He was waiting to reward a supporter who had the right credentials - i.e., corporate Democrat. And you thought the DLC was out of power.....

[IndianaJones]

25. heh. nt.

[Sebass1271]

32. i am sorry, but you shouldn't feel so proud of your group

your group has destroyed the Democratic party.. Where is Howard Dean? Why isn't he being considered for any post?

[IndianaJones]

35. its a big conspiracy against him. nt.

[Skwmom]

45. Amazing. To be so proud of a group that has led to the economic and financial

devastation (that has really only begun) of this country. It's really mind-boggling.

[Versailles]

28. Dang...

I was so hoping for a Dean appointment. :( That let my day down.

[MadBadger]

41. Do we even know if Dean was interested?

[Fire_brand]

43. since when do we have to "know" things around here?

[Versailles]

52. No, however...

I don't know that he was interested, but with all his hard work and his ability to lead, I was hoping that he'd get a chance to be a part of the administration and the HHS appointment seemed like a good fit and there were rumors that he was in the running.

Dean is one of my heroes and I just want to see him do as well on a national stage as he did for us in Vermont.

[Alter Ego]

34. Good choice. Daschle's a huge proponent of UHC.

[changemonger]

37. So Dean was snubbed .

Daschle was one of the first high-profile supporters of Obama and he's certainly more than qualified for the Job.

Good pick.

[theboss]

51. Did Dean even want the job?

Daschle has passed health care legislation at a national level before.

[jillan]

38. What are his creds for this position?

Not really a Daschle fan, so hopefully someone can explain to me what makes him qualified.

[JamesA1102]

40. Great News!

He's a good man who was unfairly demonized by the right and then unfairly abandoned by the left.

[Fire_brand]

42. He was chosen because he knows how to move legislation

which, I beleive, was the primary reason behind the Rahm Emmanuel pick and, to a lesser extent, the Biden pick

Obama's healthcare bill has to get passed, and there are few better qualified to make that happen than the former Senate Majority Leader

[Skwmom]

44. It's the type of legislation that is gong to be "moved" that concerns me.

Bill Clinton pushed through NAFTA, deregulation, and media consolidation and those haven't worked out to well.

[NJGeek]

54. Give the guy a chance

The amount of preordained judgement on this board is very peculiar.

[RollWithIt]

48. Anyone who is surprised or suddenly upset by this hasn't read much on Obama...

Most of Daschle's people have been working for Obama since he entered the Senate. Daschle has also been a close advisor to him for years.