With Obama's failed nomination of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to be Health & Human Services Secretary, liberals are jockeying furiously in support of various candidates to oversee implementation of a healthcare system to cover all Americans.
To my mind, all candidates thus far mentioned represent the change Obama promised U.S. voters far better than did Tom Daschle, who is the ultimate prototype of the lobbyist-linked D.C. insider that Obama so eloquently preached against on the campaign trail. Daschle is the very antithesis of change.
Among candidates prominently mentioned to lead Health & Human Services ("HHS") are:
- Gov. Howard Dean - The NetRoots community of liberal bloggers is enthusiastically supporting former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a respected medical doctor for almost three decades, to head HHS. The White House website has been inundated with pro-Dean emails, and a Facebook website supporting Dean for HHS has grown to 3,200 members (and counting!) in just one day.
Dean's four-year tenure as Democratic Party Chair ended abruptly last month when Obama appointed confidant Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia to the position. Dean is credited with the energetic 50-state strategy that successfully lifted Democrats from massive 2004 defeat to Congressional control in 2006 and 2008, and helped propel the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries.
Despite solid grassroots respect, Dean is apparently not likely to head HHS under President Obama. MSNBC's Chuck Todd writes that Dean "will NEVER get tapped" for HHS by Obama, but "has plenty of supporters who will force his name on potential candidate lists."
The hitch seems to be long-brewing tensions between Dean and Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In July 2006, RealClearPolitics.com reported:
"More than a month after a strategy meeting between Emanuel and Dean ended in an explosive dispute, the two men have not spoken directly... At the party's new headquarters, the friction is so palpable that during a recent fire drill staffers worried that Dean and Emanuel might bump into each other on the curb."
- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius - One of the few early Obama endorsers who didn't land a plum cabinet slot, two-term Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has the requisite rapport with the president to possibly win the HHS appointment. Sebelius has proven to be a capable, albeit moderate governor, and a surprisingly popular Democrat in red-state Kansas... attractive attributes to Obama.
In delivering the Democratic State of the Union address on Jan 28, 2008, Gov. Sebelius said of healthcare:
"We are stronger as a nation when our people have access to the highest-quality, most-affordable health care... When our businesses can compete in the global marketplace without the burden of rising health care costs here at home."
Just hours after Daschle's withdrawal of his nomination, Gov. Sebelius issued a statement that she "continues to believe reforming health care is absolutely vital to our economic recovery" and "She will continue to do what she can to help President Obama fix our economy, improve our health care system and get America back on track."
Kathleen Sebelius, though, has no training in medical, social work or related fields, and has made no significant inroads in providing healthcare for uninsured Kansans. She also has no experience in prodding legislation through Congress, which will undoubtedly be a tough challenge for any healthcare reform.
- Sen. Debbie Stabenow - The National Organization for Women supports U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow to be the next HHS Secretary. The two-term senator from Michigan holds a masters degree in social work and is top-rated for her pro-public health voting record. Stabenow is also a key member of the Senate Democratic leadership team.
NOW observed in its statement, "Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has long focused on health care as a priority, and with her background as a social worker she is well positioned to take the helm of this agency that is so critical to women and families."
NOW President Kim Gandy told ABC News, "I reached out to her chief of staff and I got a response from her chief of staff indicating that she would be interested in exploring it."
- Republican Gov. Mitt Romney(?) - OK, stop snickering. This one might be a long-shot politically, but it could be a strangely smart HHS choice by President Obama. After all, as Time magazine's Karen Tumulty writes today, "He is someone who has shown that, on this issue, he can work pragmatically across party lines, and he's the only person in America who has ever put together and passed a universal health care plan."
No question about it: Mitt is an extraordinary whiz at making businesses tick. And Obama has certainly shown a proclivity to neutralize political opponents by appointing them to top administration slots. (Think Hillary.)
For a summary of Romney's achivements in bringing healthcare to all Massachusetts citizens, read my article Pros & Cons of Massachusetts' Mandatory Health Insurance Program.
I agree with pundit Mark Ambinder, though, that the burning question is, "What does Romney get out of it?" Not much, if the Republican believes Obama will be vulnerable in 2012, and if Romney still harbors presidential ambitions.
Romney's wife of 40 years is battling several health challenges, though, and he may not want to commit anytime soon to campaign rigors and stresses. And, as Ambinder writes, "Like Hillary Clinton, Romney might be willing to trade his political ambition for the chance to do something awesome for the country." He did exactly that once before, for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
- Others - Other candidates bandied about as potential HHS Secretary in the Obama administration include moderate Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, Finance Committee Chair, who pronounced healthcare reform as "largely on track" despite the Daschle debacle, and four-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulsi of Maryland, who "is honored to have her name mentioned as a potential pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services," per her spokeswoman. And Ezra Klein of American Prospect thinks Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is "a serious candidate."
While I find all of these candidates (except Romney, of course) more palatable than Tom Daschle, I throw my wholehearted support behind Dr. Dean.
- Related Reading
- Profile of Gov. Howard Dean, Former Democratic Party Chair
- Profile of Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
- Profile of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas
(Photo of Gov. Sebelius: Jame Rose/Getty Images. Photo of Sen. Stabenow: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Comments
that picture makes him look like he has hornes, bad pr
He needs to select a veterinarian, not a doctor, for this post….Until we get someone that has the credentials for compassion, preventive care and end care qualifications, as veterinarians do for our pets, we can not expect much to really change in our human health care system.
What about former Senator BILL BRADLEY. He would make an excellent HHS Secretary.
Admiral Susan Blumenthal most enlightened choice for HHS Secretary
Beyond access to care, and getting health insurance, we will be better off also considerng what sort of health care will be provided. Admiral Susan Blumenthal,Assistant Surgeon General in the Clinton administration, has the background in women’s health and global health, and the intellectual integrity to make the CDC, NIH, and FDA more effective.
SUSAN BLUMENTHAL, M.D., M.P.A
CSP Senior Advisor for Health and Medicine
Former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Rear Admiral Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A. (ret) is the Senior Advisor for Health and Medicine at the Center for the Study of the Presidency, where she is leading the Center’s Agenda 2008 health care initiative. As a top government health leader with over 20 years of Federal service, Dr. Blumenthal was recently decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal of the U.S. Public Health Service, its highest honor, “for distinguished and pioneering leadership, groundbreaking contributions, and dedicated public service that has improved the health of women, our Nation, and the world.” Dr. Blumenthal served as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, as the first ever Deputy Assistant Secretary of Women’s Health and as Senior Global Health Advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Blumenthal has also been a White House advisor on health issues, the top medical advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and a research branch chief at the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Blumenthal has done pioneering work on women’s health, establishing many innovative initiatives including the National Centers of Excellence on Women’s Health, the National Women’s Health Information Center, and the “Missiles to Mammograms” program that transferred imaging technology used for space exploration and intelligence purposes to improve the early detection of breast cancer. Additionally, she has been an international leader in global health, the response to terrorism, emergency preparedness including pandemic flu, obesity, mental illness, AIDS, suicide, violence and disease prevention. She also fostered numerous international collaborations on health issues including establishing a Middle East Health Initiative and was the U.S. representative to the World Health Organization’s Global Commission on Women’s Health. Dr. Blumenthal has been at the forefront of applying technology to improve health, providing national leadership in digital medicine and telehealth as one of the first in the government to use the internet for health education, envisioning and establishing several award-winning health websites including 4woman.gov, safeyouth.org, nutrition.gov, globalhealth.gov, and 4collegewomen.org.
Dr. Blumenthal serves as a Clinical Professor at Georgetown and Tufts Schools of Medicine, and as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Women’s Studies at Brandeis University. She has served as the Bundy Visiting Professor at the Mayo Clinic, as a Visiting Professor at Stanford University in Washington, and as a Fellow at Harvard University School of Government. Dr. Blumenthal began her career in the Federal government, serving for 12 years as a Branch Chief of major national research programs at the National Institutes of Health and was Chair of the NIH Health and Behavior Coordinating Committee. She has chaired numerous Federal committees as well as national and international conferences and commissions.
As a leading advocate, policymaker, and national spokesperson on health, Dr. Blumenthal has briefed Heads of State and Health Ministers, testified before Congress, and often appeared as a medical expert on national television and radio news programs. Admiral Blumenthal has authored many scientific articles, edited books, and been the health columnist for U.S. News and World Report and several women’s magazines. She is currently the Chief Medical Advisor to a PBS Health Initiative and the Medical Director of a Discovery Channel/American Film Institute Global Health Film Series. She has served as Host and the Medical Director for an award-winning television series on health. Admiral Blumenthal serves on the Board of Directors of several philanthropic and educational institutions including Save the Children, the Academy of Achievement, Stanford University in Washington and the Meridian International Center. Dr. Blumenthal is the recipient of numerous awards, honorary doctorates, and the highest medals of the United States Public Health Service for her global leadership and landmark contributions to improving health.
( sent by Cynthia Erville, Montgomery County, working ad hoc.) THANK YOU
WE GOTTA KEEP COSTS DOWN, AND KEEP PEOPLE WELL, NOT FEED BIG PHARMA
I think Admiral Blumenthal is the most enlightened individual that President Obama could name as Secretary of HHS.
Looking beyond getting legislation through Congress, an HHS Secretary could reverse business as usual for Big Pharma, and try harder to keep people well in the first place.
Healthcare reform involves more than seeing that more people have insurance. and access to care. Admiral Blumenthal is more likely than any of her predecessors to look at environmental contributions to disease promotion, such as in such as cancer and asthma, and not just settle for early detection through screenings.
Her husband, Rep. Ed Markey, just authored legislation which, if adapted, would ban BPA in foods and containers, for example.
Those of us who think we should have been paying more attention to environmental causes of diseases such as cancer will not be pleases with just sticking to early detection and treatment
As a Kansas Democrat who has voted for Kathleen Sebelius on several occasions during her political rise, I see no special talents that she would bring to this position. She has two years left as governor, and is about the only counterweight to the overwhelmingly reactionary Kansas legislature. She is the only Democrat in the state who stands a chance to win Sam Brownback’s Senate seat when he leaves that job in 2010. Thus, if Obama wants a larger Democratic Senate majority after the next election, he would be wise to leave Sebelius in Kansas.
There are many others who are more qualified, and who are more galvanizing public speakers, than Kathleen Sebelius who should be appointed to lead Health and Human Services.