NYT: Obama has settled on Gov. Sebelius for Secretary of Health

[TeamJordan23]

February 19, 2009
Kansas Governor Is Top Choice for Secretary of Health
By PETER BAKER

WASHINGTON – President Obama has settled on Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, a key ally with a record of working across party lines, as his top choice for secretary of health and human services, advisers said Wednesday.

Should she be nominated, Ms. Sebelius would bring eight years of experience as her state’s insurance commissioner as well as six years as a governor running a state Medicaid program. But with Mr. Obama about to begin a drive to expand health coverage — an issue on which the parties have deep ideological divisions — her strongest asset in the White House view may be her record of navigating partisan politics as a Democrat in one of the country’s most Republican states.

Ms. Sebelius resolved a state budget crisis on Tuesday and plans to be in Washington from Saturday through Tuesday for a meeting of the National Governors’ Association. Asked about the cabinet job, her spokeswoman, Beth Martino, said the governor “is focused on the economic challenges currently facing Kansas, including our state budget and the impacts of the federal stimulus package.”

Mr. Obama’s first pick for the job, former Senator Tom Daschle, withdrew over his failure to pay $128,000 in taxes until nominated, provoking a storm of criticism and a presidential mea culpa.

With his economic recovery plan signed into law, Mr. Obama plans to turn his attention more to health care next week with a budget blueprint that will begin to advance his ideas about covering the uninsured, advisers said. He may also make health care an important theme of his prime-time address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, they said.

It remained unclear whether the White House would finish vetting Ms. Sebelius in time to finalize her nomination by next week. Advisers described her as “the leading candidate” and said there were no others to mention, although they emphasized no final decision has been made. After the troubles with Mr. Daschle and other recent nominees, the White House has intensified its vetting to make sure it thoroughly scrubs its choices before Mr. Obama gives the final signoff.

Ms. Sebelius’s family and her administration have both been notably bipartisan. Her father was a Democratic governor of Ohio and her father-in-law was a longtime Republican member of Congress in Kansas. She won her first term with a Republican businessman as her running mate and a second term with a former Republican state party chairman on her ticket.

She became an early supporter of Mr. Obama’s by endorsing him in January 2007 and was mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee. After the election, her name was floated for a variety of possible jobs, including secretary of labor, agriculture or education.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/politics/19health.html?_r=2&hp

[bluestateguy]

1. I'd really rather wait for the official announcement

Rather than jump on rumors and leaks.

I'm sure somebody on DU will find something about this (non) announcement to bitch about anyway.

[gcomeau]

2. And cue the "NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

...from every Democrat in Kansas thinking about who will replace her as Governor.

[patrice]

4. Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson. Is fairly well known amongst Democrats.

I hope he takes up Gov. Sebelius's role of leadership toward Clean Air. I suspect he's going to be pro-nuke though, from certain ground-sign I've been reading lately. Too bad I won't be able to support him on that as long as nuclear power is so heavily subsidized on the backs of the People at the expense of other things that we need, read that Socialism for the Nuclear Power industry.

[snowbear]

9. Do you think he has a shot at winning the seat when your elections roll around?

.
.



P.S.. Thank you for providing info about him to us! ~~~


~

[FrenchieCat]

10. Isn't he a Republican who has promised not to run for Gov in 2010?

Ms. Sibelius's 2nd term expires in 2010......so she was term limited anyways.

[snowbear]

14. Doh! ... I didn't look him up..

.
.

Just his picture..


I guess I've lived in Alaska too long where the Governor and Lt. Governor are always in the same party..


..

[patrice]

16. switched parties

[snowbear]

17. Thank you Patrice ... so he IS a Democrat !! .. =whew=

.
.

Mind you.. probably a conservative Democrat? ..

But I would imagine that Kansas, much like where I'm at (Alaska) has a tough time electing anything but moderate to conservative Democrats?

Still.. I'd rather have a bluedog Dem than a red rethug any day of the week ~~



..

[patrice]

13. Brownback has a proven voting block., but he IS Catholic, not Fundie's favorite thing.

But then Republicans don't really care about their candidates as long as there is an R after the name.

We DO get to say that Brownback is/was against jobs for the Middle Class.

Parkinson would have to establish his Right-to-Life creds without scaring Democrats.

[MadBadger]

3. Great Pick

[Thrill]

5. Are they just speculating because she is in town this weekend

for the Governors Meeting?

[Cha]

6. Nothing against you, TeamJordan,

but I don't trust the corporatemedia until it's a done deal.

They lost their creds.

[MadBadger]

7. I understand being hesitant, but because of it being Sebelius, I'm willing to trust them on this

[TeamJordan23]

12. It's long been speculated for over a week she was going to be the choice. nm

[Hepburn]

8. I hope this is correct ~~ I really like her! n/t

[FLAprogressive]

11. Member of the Democratic Leadership Council. No surprise here.

[kath]

25. YAY! Another DLCer! YIPPEEE!

I am sooooo fuckin' sick of this shit...

[Clio the Leo]

15. This brings me joy than I can put into words.

I was hoping she'd get a job in the administration all along.

[camera obscura]

18. Great. There's one Senate seat we won't be picking up.

[Cleita]

19. Why am I not comfortable with the fact that she is a former insurance

commissioner? Also, a paper I accessed outlining her health care ideas had sources to the Heritage Foundation a conservative think tank. She's no better than Daschle. I guess we can forget about getting this government to care about effective universal health care that will work for everyone.

[EFerrari]

27. It's okay. All that experience on the Hill will come in handy.

Oh, wait.

[eridani]

20. Yay for the healthy and well off. Fuck the poor and sick

Evey bit as much of an insurance company shill as Daschle.

[EraOfResponsibility]

21. I read that she was no friend at all to the insurance industry

so that works for me.

[GeorgeGist]

22. Sounds pretty good on the surface ...

but apparently would not be favorable to cutting the profit out of healthcare. :thumbsdown:

[bvar22]

23. "Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, ....

....with a record of working across party lines,"

Yes.
She is Republican Enough for an Obama administration.

Dr Dean believes that Democrats should set the agenda, so he wouldn't fit in.

"Centrism"...for those proud to be Half-Republican.

[EraOfResponsibility]

24. I know right? It's too bad he didn't pick Bresden

:eyes: :sarcasm:

[Neecy]

26. She's not Republican at all

She's strongly pro-choice, vetoed conceal and carry for years until our wingnut legislature overturned her last veto, is fighting against putting new coal plants in western Kansas (and winning).

She stands up to the Rethugs and has for years.

[cooolandrew]

28. I'm all for Sebelius she has a good record in Kansas and hell she is a female Democrat that got >

elected as Gov. in KANSAS. So, if that doesn't say get things done nothing does.

[firedupdem]

29. Good Pick. She will do a good job in this position. n/t

[Sultana]

30. He hates Dean

:cry:



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