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   Dan Savage, the brilliant and foul-mouthed sex columnist, has become one of the most important ethicists in America. Are we screwed?
 The federal government is supposed to issue new rules about debt levels for students in for-profit colleges. In the meantime, the states are working on their own regulations.
 Washingtons budget hawks want to decimate the federal workforce to shrink the deficit. It will have the opposite effect.
 There arent nearly enough counterterrorism experts to instruct all of Americas police. So we got these guys instead.
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March 1, 2009
SEBELIUS TO HHS.... It's official: "Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius yesterday accepted President Obama's request to become his secretary of health and human services, stepping into a central role in the new administration's ambitious effort to overhaul the nation's health-care system." Sebelius will not, however, be stepping into the role envisioned for Tom Daschle.
The idea was for Daschle to navigate the reform process through Congress, which Sebelius, a newcomer to Washington, is less suited for. Ezra noted the other day, "She'd be a newcomer to Washington, with few contacts on the Hill and little knowledge of the players or the process. She's not versed in the administration's health care plan nor has she been present for the internal conversations that have sharpened in recent weeks as the coming budget forced hard decisions on the proposal. She'd be walking into a situation where various internal players and advisers have already carved out a broad role for themselves in the administration's process and she'd be facing down a Congress that's surprisingly far along in its own preparations." But that hardly makes her a poor choice for HHS. On the contrary, Sebelius is a fine pick who will likely be easily confirmed. She's known for her strong managerial skills, has broad credibility with both parties, and has a background on healthcare that will no doubt serve her well: "The Kansas governor served as state insurance commissioner for eight years and has overseen the Medicaid program for the poor during her tenure as governor. Sebelius tried unsuccessfully to expand health coverage in the state through higher cigarette taxes. Still, under her watch, Kansas has added tens of thousands of low-income children to state health programs. As insurance commissioner, Sebelius rejected the sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas to an Indiana company, citing the prospect of higher premiums." The NYT emphasized Sebelius' unwavering pro-choice credentials, which it said "may prove a lightning rod in her confirmation." The usual suspects are, predictably, riled up -- Bill Donohue said, "This is setting up a confrontation that pro-life Catholics will not walk away from." Indeed, a number of far-right groups have been gearing up to oppose Sebelius for her record on supporting abortion rights. I seriously doubt this will have any kind of impact. For one thing, the conservative critics have reached out to Senate Republicans, who have proceeded to blow them off. For another, the Senate Democratic majority has 58 members. The downside to Sebelius' nomination? Kansas will host an open-seat Senate campaign next year, and Democrats would love to see their popular two-term governor run. That, apparently, isn't going to happen, making the Democratic pick-up opportunity remote. —Steve Benen 8:00 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (8)
Comments
Trust me. These guys will find fault with everything and everyone that Obama does or picks. Lemmings to the bluff. Posted by: Roger on March 1, 2009 at 7:54 AM | PERMALINKThat Senate seat is an insanely huge price to pay. Either the Democrats are nuts, or Sebelius knows that she has no chance at winning it if she stays in the governor's mansion. Posted by: The Washington Monthly Cleaning Staff on March 1, 2009 at 8:01 AM | PERMALINKCherry-picking leading politicians out of marginal states for federal government posts may easily prove disastrous for state parties just recovering from the rightwing beatings they received in the last thirty years. Not only could someone else have been found, there was a better candidate. You know, someone with medical experience. But we couldn't have that; Rahm wouldn't sleep at night. Posted by: ericfree on March 1, 2009 at 8:29 AM | PERMALINKRe the Senate seat: I don't claim to be wired in to Kansas politics, but as a resident here since 2000 who keeps up as best he can, I note some fracturing within the Republican Party here. Sebelius' lieutenant governor changed his party affiliation from the GOP precisely to run with her for her second-term campaign, and a GOP state representative just announced he was switching parties, too. Social moderates now (finally) control the state Board of Education. Also, week before last the Republicans in the legislature (a la the California state assembly) held an emergency payroll-funding measure hostage so as to force Sebelius to go along with its proposed budget cuts, but that lasted all of one day before they gave in and helped approve the measure. All this is to say that, though this is a conservative state, the Kansas GOP finds itself in something like the same position that the national party does: not quite as strong as they would have you believe; stuck with its old rhetoric that is not serving it well; and, below the surface, some fracturing and falling away among the faithful. The right Democrat just might be able to pick up that Senate seat. And, re The Cleaning Staff's comment above, the Kansas seat is not the only Senate seat in play for Democrats . . . Posted by: John B. on March 1, 2009 at 8:29 AM | PERMALINKYeah. The candidate of the Insurer's Association wins. Posted by: impartial on March 1, 2009 at 8:43 AM | PERMALINKGood for the administration - Bad for the State of Kansas - She could have become the first decent Senator in Kansas since Senator Nancy Kassenbaum, who was a moderate Republican, by the way. Ask Blue Girl for her thoughts on that fine Senator. And, yes, when you could still put a b in that word, there were a few decent Republicans. Brownback and the delusional wheat farmer from Western Kansas are RepuGs. Yes, the Pro-Lifers will attack - However, they would have done the same had she run for the Senate. Posted by: berttheclock on March 1, 2009 at 9:12 AM | PERMALINKThis is unoriginal but true: there are certainly many fine potential HHS nominess, but only Sebelius had a chance of picking up a Democratic Senate seat in Kansas. If she had firmly decided not to run, fine. But if she intended to run, or was still undedcided, this pick is insane. It is one thing to be civil to the opposition and invite their input (though, hopefully, the crazed wingnut response that virtually chopped off his outstretched hand will bring Obama to his senses) and another to pretend as if politics does not exist. Unfotunately, the latter is typical Obama. Posted by: Marlowe on March 1, 2009 at 10:09 AM | PERMALINKSebelius is a skilled politician, but her passion is administration. Any Democrat running for a Kansas Senate seat has a built-in disadvantage. She probably could have pulled it off if the Republic Party primary turns into what many people expect to be a bloodfest between wing-nut Todd Tiahrt and western Kansas' Jerry Moran. But she's better behind a desk than she is behind a podium and resents the constant fund-raising required for statewide office. Lt. Governor Mark Parkinson was Chairman of the Kansas Republic Party until the twice-born turned him out. Traditional Kassebaum Republicans constantly talk about how they "...didn't leave the party; the party left them." I will remain unconvinced until the primary filing deadline that Sam (The Sham) Brownback will really give up his Senate seat. I think he was thinking the ol' "executive experience" deficiency was the only thing that prevented him from winning the Republic Party presidential nomination in 2008. He's just as likely to decide "It's too important for me to be in Washington these days...." and file for reelection. Posted by: MonkeyHawk on March 1, 2009 at 11:06 AM | PERMALINK
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