Feb 19th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Sebelius Closing in on HHS
The volume of leaks and hints that Governor Kathleen Sebelius is likely to be our next secretary of Health and Human Services growing. Everyone loves Sebelius, so it’d hardly be a crazy pick. Still, I worry about too much progressive talent in the cabinet and not enough in the 2010 midterms.
26 Responses to “Sebelius Closing in on HHS”
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February 19th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Still, I worry about too much progressive talent in the cabinet and not enough in the 2010 midterms.
Consider this an indication that Dems think that 2010 is going to suck.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:12 am
What all other progressive talent is there in the cabinet? Solis? Chu? Surely you’re not referring to Salazar, Geithner, Clinton, or the republicans.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Will the financial problems in Kansas hamper this? Or is she looking for an escape?
February 19th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Maybe, as much as many of us would like her to run for the Senate, she just wasn’t interested in doing that. Frankly, given that choice, I’d rather be a Cabinet Secretary myself, especially when there’s a historically significant opportunity to be a major player in health care reform. The Senate is full of pompous windbags whom you have to pretend to respect, and you spend half your time raising money for your next election.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Why is she “progressive” and not “liberal”?
February 19th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Well, I’m pretty sure Matt is talking about Napolitano in addition to Sebelius and yes, that is a lot of people, given how few Cabinet positions there really are. Both of those candidates would have replaced MUCH more conservative Republicans in the Senate in 2010. Just think about how powerful two additional legitmately liberal votes from AZ and KS would be in two years. With 1 or 2 other pickups likely (NH for one) we virtually eliminate the “Gang of 3″ that submarined a better stimulus bill.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:30 am
If Sibelius didn’t really WANT to run for Senate, that’s one thing.
But barring that, there’s a number of people who’d be tolerable HHS secretaries, and only one Dem who can pick up that Kansas Senate seat.
If she really wants to be HHS Secretary, a better arrangement for her might be to run for Senate next year, and if she wins, Obama can nominate her for HHS in his second term, and she can negotiate a deal with Brownback (who will be Gov. by then) where she’s replaced in the Senate by, at a minimum, a Republican who’s not a wingnut.
But if the Dems can pick up a few Senate seats, net, in 2010, then EVERYTHING is possible in 2011.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Yeah, governorships aren’t where you want to be right now if you’re trying to position yourself for any sort of near-term popularity. Her budget crisis battles with the Kansas legislature have been getting national press.
My hope is she helps pass health care reform this year and then promptly resigns to run in 2010 with the mandate of having accomplished great things quickly. If she stays in the governor’s seat, though, we might get neither health care nor a senate pickup.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Augie, I’m guessing (knowing nothing special about AZ politics) that if Napolitano wants to run for Senate, she wants to run in 2012. Running against Kyl will probably be much easier than running against McCain.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Progressives get things done. Liberals just whine. (j/k)
Also, if Rush Limbaugh calls you a “flaming progressive”, you can just say “Thanks!”.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:25 am
If she can have some impact on getting a national health care plan through within the next two years, I’ll gladly trade that for a potential Senate seat pick-up in 2010.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am
The Senate map is so stacked towards the Democrats in 2010 that Kansas’ seat doesn’t even matter.
The Democrats certainly aren’t depending on Kansas to put them over 60.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Isn’t the best thing progressives can do for the future of the party to make sure Obama’s a success? If his administration knocks a few out of the park, it’ll smooth things over for congressional Dems too.
February 19th, 2009 at 11:24 am
It looks to me like Sebelius is positioning herself for a 2016 presidential run.
February 19th, 2009 at 11:39 am
We need her much more in the Senate, where no one else really stands a shot. There are plenty if people more capable and qualified for HHS, so I hope this is the case.
And if she is planning on a 2016 presidential run, good luck. She is among the least inspiring politicians ever. Often, the chatter around Sebelius is entirely overblown. She is great in Kansas, but that does not make her presidential material nor particularly great politically.
Go to the Senate, please.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
People have this idea that the HHS Secretary is going to be sitting in a War Room somewhere designing health care reform and coordinating strategy in Congress. I have seen no evidence that this is the case. Their job is to run the nuts and bolts of the HHS bureaucracy (primarily Medicare and Medicaid) and testify occasionally in favor of whatever the White House program of the day is.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Is this sarcasm?
Yeah, to do things like passing UHC. Wait…
I would probably feel differently if she were in Missouri or Florida, where a pick-up is much more likely. However, think of it this way: when Bush in his first term nominated Cellucci, did Republicans start whining they lost one of their two best candidates (the other being Weld) to run for the Senate from Massachusetts? No, because they were never going to get that seat without Kerry or Teddy sodomizing puppies on camera. We probably stand a better shot than that in 2010 in Kansas, but this is still one of the reddest states in the nation.
I support the 50 state strategy and want the GOP to have to throw money into KS and hope we get the seat, but that would still be a long shot in an election where the map looks like we won’t have to worry about long shots. I would say NH is an easy win at this point, FL, OH and MO are likely and we’re only going to be playing defense in NV, where losing our wimpy majority leader wouldn’t exactly be a loss (especially if he’s replaced by someone who has gravitas and is likable but also more liberal, like Feingold or Durbin). Republicans who think they have a shot in CA against Boxer of all people are nuts, especially since any California Republican capable of getting independent and Democratic votes at this point will completely alienate the psychos in the CA GOP).
February 19th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
If Governor Sebelius is the best person for the job at HHS (& I think she is), then that is where she is needed the most. If the Obama administration doesn’t make significant progress in the next 20 months, then the Kansas Senate seat won’t mean anything anyway.
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