Obama taps Sebelius for health secretary

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

White House to formally announce nomination on Monday, source says

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is President Barack Obama's choice for secretary of health and human services, NBC News has confirmed.

Obama will formally announce the nomination on Monday, a White House source said Saturday.

Obama's first choice for HHS, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, withdrew after disclosing he had failed to pay $140,000 in taxes and interest.

Sebelius, 60, was an early Obama supporter. She picked his presidential campaign over that of Hillary Rodham Clinton, now the secretary of state. Sebelius worked tirelessly for Obama's bid and was a top surrogate to women's groups.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29445661/

---

Sebelius Accepts HHS Post
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/?nav=rss_email/components

[FLAprogressive]

1. DLC baby! nt

[Pastiche423]

25. and a Bilderberger!

[acmavm]

2. Dammit. Oh well, she can sit next to Vilsack and Geithner and contemplate

how they can screw us and pretend to be good dems for the next 4 years.

edit:Timothy F. Geithner became the ninth president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on November 17, 2003. In that capacity, he serves as the vice chairman and a permanent member of the Federal Open Market Committee, the group responsible for formulating the nation's monetary policy. President Obama nominated Mr. Geithner to be the 75th Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Senate confirmed him to the position on January 26, 2009.

Mr. Geithner joined the Department of Treasury in 1988 and worked in three administrations for five Secretaries of the Treasury in a variety of positions. He served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs from 1999 to 2001 under Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers.

He was director of the Policy Development and Review Department at the International Monetary Fund from 2001 until 2003. Before joining the Treasury, Mr. Geithner worked for Kissinger Associates, Inc.

http://www.newyorkfed.org/aboutthefed/orgchart/geithner.html
____________________________________________


<snip>
While Vilsack has worked to restrain livestock monopolies, his overall record is one of aiding and abetting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs, also known as factory farms). Vilsack’s support for unsustainable industrial ethanol production has already caused global corn and grain prices to skyrocket, literally taking food off the table for a billion people in the developing world.

<snip>

Vilsack’s business as usual positions have included the following:

· Vilsack has been a strong supporter of genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops, especially pharmaceutical corn.

· The biggest biotechnology industry group, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, named Vilsack Governor of the Year. He is also the founder and former chair of the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership.

· When Vilsack created the Iowa Values Fund, his first poster child for economic development was Trans Ova and their pursuit of cloning dairy cows.

· The undemocratic 2005 seed pre-emption bill was the Vilsack’s brainchild. The law strips local government’s right to regulate genetically engineered seed.

· Vilsack is an ardent supporter of corn and soy based biofuels, which use as much or more energy to produce as they generate and drive up world food prices, literally starving the poor.


http://www.counterpunch.org/cummins12182008.html

[JaneQPublic]

3. I thought one criterion for HSS was legislative experience...

...in the House or Senate.

At least that was the argument given countless times against Howard Dean.

[bluestateguy]

4. Good pick

I'm sure some interest group DUer will find something to complain about, however.

The women's groups had expressed some disatifaction at not enough women in the Cabinet. This should mollify them for awhile.

[aquart]

9. No, sweetie. We don't get "mollified."

But I'm thinking you should be.

[badgervan]

28. You Sure Don't....

... ever, it seems.

[Bluebear]

10. Condescending much?

[saracat]

18. Some interest group? You mean like Civil Rights? Women are not an interest group.

We are citizens! And we don't need to be "mollified". We are entitled to equal rights and respect.

[Kitty Herder]

20. Well said. That user just went on my ignore list for that comment, by the way.

I don't need to put up with that kind of condescension.

[fascisthunter]

36. I just did the same

[elocs]

5. There's no sense in worrying because nothing is going to turn out alright.

Obama would definitely have been better off simply allowing the omniscient DUers make his important decisions for him because therein leads the road to perfection.

[jannyk]

6. Damn! just heard this on CNN. Damn! nt

[No Elephants]

7. Therre goes thefirst Democratic Senator from Kansas in a really long time. Frack.

[saracat]

17. I feel your pain. We lost Napolitano but at least Kansas has a Dem Lt. Gov!

[No Elephants]

38. I did not think he should have tapped her , either.

[iamthebandfanman]

8. BOOO! n/t

[Thickasabrick]

15. Why Boo? I don't know that much about her. n/t

[mystieus]

11. Another great woman! luv

[hangman86]

12. Not wild about her, but hopefully we can finally get federal funding

for stem cell research with a Health Secretary in place.

[rhiannon55]

13. She's my governor

and she has made living in a red state bearable--well, that and I live in the best town in the state (Lawrence). She has integrity, and she cares about people, and she had held back the fundie/repub/wacko forces as well as she could for almost two terms. I am going to miss her, but I think she will help do the same for the country as a whole.

[The Unknown Derelict]

14. A shame it wasn't Howard Dean...

Oh yeah he's too partisan. :sarcasm:

Regardless, I'm sure she's a good pick and has my support 110%

[JFKfanforever]

29. Should have been Dean...

Not to disparage the Gov of Kansas, though...

[The Unknown Derelict]

30. I agree with you 200% JFKfanforever :-) n/t

[saracat]

16. What is his reasoning to strip GOP leaning states of Democratic governors?

At least Sebelius has a Democratic Lt. Gov. to replace her and it isn't as bad as when he took Napolitano. But sheesh, the peopl;e of these states are really going to suffer. Arizona was deeply hurt.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. A thought

is that perhaps she would be put there to fast-track the health agenda, with an assumption that a framework system would be put in place just before the 2010 elections, afterwhich she would then step down to run for Senator....

[getthefacts]

23. I hope you are right

She had a good chance at that seat.

[dflprincess]

21. This is great news

- for the insurance companies.

[Pastiche423]

26. You got that right!

It is looking more and more each day that the Obama Administration = the DLC wing of the Democratic Party.

:grr:

[cascadiance]

31. Yup, only DLC members of Democratic Party qualify as "bipartisan" candidates...

Still waiting for real progressive representation in a "reaching out" Obama administration...

[FLAprogressive]

35. we have Hilda Solis and that's it....the rest are DLCers, Republicans, or people with no political

leanings

[nightrain]

22. probably a poor pick. Should have been someone with REAL healthcare

experience--Dean, McDermott, or some public health person who supports single payer. Let's see if she backs the insurance and drug companies etc, or THE PEOPLES' choice of single payer.

Hope she surprises me...

[quidam56]

24. Thank GOD it's not going to be Tennessee Gov. Bredesen, see what is deemed, defended and supported

as THE ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS OF HEALTH CARE in East Tennessee where profit care comes ahead of patient care. http://www.wisecountyissues.com

[Not Sure]

27. She's a great pick, but Dean was the choice I was hoping for

I guess those letters I wrote couldn't overcome the apparent disdain for Dean in the Obama camp.

[cascadiance]

32. If there is hate for Dean in this camp, then I feel that hate directed to me too...

Because I still am trying to understand why they would "bite the hand that feeds them". At least Obama was HELPED getting the nomination by Howard Dean if not the general election.

And until I'm given a good explanation why Howard wasn't brought in some place in this administration when this was an obvious place for him, I'll feel like many of them don't need my help either, next time they want grass roots help in other areas...

People deny that Rahm Emanuel had anything to do with this. Well if he didn't, then who did, and why?

[badgervan]

33. Emmanuel Despises Dean

... why else would he be passed over to such an extent?

[DFW]

34. Sibelius was safe. Dean wold have shown some daring.

I'm sure Sibelius will be OK, but Howard would have been fabulous.

What's wrong with wanting fabulous?

[Gore1FL]

37. She was my choice for VP

but at this point I'd rather have her run for the Senate.