The Subtext
Posted on March 1, 2009 at 5:58 pmTom Humphrey reads between the lines of Gov. Phil Bredesen’s statement congratulating Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on being tapped as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services:
“And, if President Obama decides to create a separate White House position to serve as chief promoter of a national health care system - Health Care Czar, if you will - I, certainly, still might be available.”
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Sebelius, Not Bredesen, Obama’s Choice For HHS
Posted on February 28, 2009 at 6:19 pmThe Associated Press reports:
A White House source says Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is President Barack Obama’s choice for secretary of health and human services.
There had previously been speculation he might choose Gov. Phil Bredesen to fill the post.
Governor Bredesen has issued this statement in response to reports:
“Kathleen Sebelius would be an absolutely first-rate choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services and would be in sync with President Obama’s goals for health care reform.
“We’ve been friends and worked together on various issues for several years now and I think very highly of her. She has an excellent mind, she makes decisions carefully and well, and her obvious empathy for the plight in which so many Americans find themselves will serve them and our country well. She has been a great governor, is well respected by her colleagues, and for my part, I stand ready to help her in any way.”
SEE ALSO:
Ken Whitehouse
R. Neal
Ilissa Gold
Southern Beale
Guerilla Women
So Does Sebelius Have This HHS Thing Wrapped Up?
Posted on February 19, 2009 at 9:52 pmA good bunch of folks seem to think so. I wouldn’t be so sure. The fact remains that the 2010 Senate race in Kansas is one the Democratic Party and Barack Obama would really like to win. And while Obama may have had some trouble with the ethical failings of some of his appointments, Phil Bredesen is not likely to come up dirty in the vetting process.
Yes, Bredesen has a controversial profile in the health care community but that is a policy issue. If Bredesen is clean, the Republicans will throw up just as little resistance as they would for Sebelius. The progressives can whine all they want about TennCare, Obama is gonna pick the person he wants for the job, and the fact is Bredesen has been on both sides of this issue, the public side and the private.
Phil Bredesen has no definable future in electoral politics. Eventually he may want a Senate seat but Alexander isn’t up for six years and Corker (and his money) doesn’t look to be wanting to go anywhere anytime soon. The appeal of Bredesen to Obama over Sebelius is that Bredesen can be focused on the actual job of HHS secretary and not the politics.
Because, while the thrill of getting picked and the chance to tackle an issue can be invigorating, in many cases cabinet positions tend to be less than glamorous. Cabinet secretaries are more often on the downslope of their careers that in there prime. It is an easy place to disappear. Quite simply Sebelius should want to pass on this and Obama should let her.
Getting picked for a cabinet position is a deft thing to maneuver. Just because you haven’t heard much from or about Bredesen in the past few weeks in regards to HHS doesn’t mean he’s not in the mix or lobbying hard for it.
A cabinet position is not something you openly campaign for. You want to be seen, as much as possible, as not campaigning for it while leaving yourself open to the possibility of getting picked. When the progressives attacked him on TennCare he had to make sure his name was clear and that his message was out there.
But just because he has receded into the background does not mean that the jig is up. It may just mean that the real vetting and negotiations are quietly taking place.
The Best Place For Sebelius
Posted on February 9, 2009 at 8:35 amMatt Yglesias wonders whether the best place for Phil Bredesen’s chief rival for the job of Secretary of Health and Human Services isn’t the United States Senate:
Sebelius would be an excellent Secretary. But as with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, I also think she could be an excellent United States Senator. And in Kansas, even more so than in Arizona, the second-best potential candidate is probably a good deal weaker. Of course cabinet positions aren’t inconsistent with Senate runs, but the timing doesn’t look great to me in either of these situations. And one thing we’re learning is that President Obama’s ability to deliver on a progressive agenda depends at least as much on the outlook in the Senate as it does on the quality of his team.
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Kansas Governor High On The List Of Potentials For HHS
Posted on February 8, 2009 at 12:48 pmThe Honorable Phil Governor is still in contention, however:
Her name had been floated for several Cabinet posts, but she announced in early December that she had removed herself from consideration from a Cabinet job, citing Kansas’ budget problems that needed her attention.
The two-term governor remains popular in her state and comes from a strong political family. Her father, John Gilligan, was the governor of Ohio in the early 1970s. She also advised Obama’s campaign on how to connect with women, especially after Republicans picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as their vice presidential nominee.
Sebelius was in town last week to give a pair of speeches, one on clean energy jobs and the other at the National Education Association. She also met at the Ritz Carlton hotel with Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
Sebelius’ trip was planned before Daschle bowed out as nominee for HHS secretary as a result of fallout from about $140,000 in back taxes and interest he paid last month.
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen also was on Obama’s list to run the nation’s massive health programs. Already, though, some advocacy groups were lining up to oppose the Democratic governor.
He remains under consideration, the senior official said.
SEE ALSO:
Associated Press
Jonathan Singer
Fox News
CNN
Campaign Diaries
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Phil Bredesen, Vote Whisperer
Posted on July 2, 2008 at 2:15 pmA potential Veep for Barack Obama discusses the possibility of delivering her state and the State of Tennessee for the Presidential ticket of Barack Obama:
You know, twice in our history have Kansans voted for a Democrat for President, the last time was 1964. So I’m not betting on it, but I think we can make a full court press in Kansas, and in Oklahoma, and in Wyoming, and in Montana, and in states where we have a Democrat [Governor] on the ground, in Tennessee, where we know how to get the votes out.
Excuse me? Now, Phil Bredesen knows how to get the votes out for himself and has done so quite well statewide. For any other candidate, however, Bredesen seems to have trouble.
He had little impact in the 2006 legislative races where he tried to get involved. He couldn’t put Harold Ford, Jr. over the top. And, this year, he straight up told Democrats contemplating taking on Lamar Alexander to forget about even trying.
Governor Sebelius seems to be misinformed about who exactly the Governor of Tennessee is.
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