Roll Call (subscription) reports that Tom Daschle will be the Secretary of Health & Human Services.
Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has been offered the job of Health and Human Services secretary by President-elect Barack Obama and has accepted the job, according to a Democratic source close to Daschle.
This appointment sends a strong signal that Obama is serious about a health care bill. As former Majority (and Minority) Leader of the Senate, Daschle knows the needs and idiosyncrasies of all but the most recently elected members. With Daschle working the Senate and Rahm working the House, Obama should be able to get the maximum number of votes for whatever bill he wants. This is a very good appointment.
Great appointment, surely. Still, there are some of us who like to see Daschle back in the Senate in the future.
HHS is a very very good place for him. He is one guy I really like.
Rumors are rumors, even when they appear to be good news.
So we have rumored:
Hillary Clinton – State
Eric Holder – Attorney General
Gates – Defense
Daschle – Health and Human Services
Campaigning, railroading, or has the Obama operation suddenly gotten leaky?
Here’s the rest of the article:
It’s a sieve we can believe in.
So goes my last hope for a little satisfaction with this appointment business.
What’s your issue with Daschle?
When Obama decided to take on the Clinton machine, he went to the one faction powerful enough to take them on…the Gephardt/Daschle team that had been both powerful and severely alienated by the Clinton administration. Daschle was the invisible hand guiding Obama all thoughout the pre-primary period. He has earned a position in this administration and deserved credit for preventing a Clinton restoration.
I can’t think of a better use of his skills and connections than Health.
Daschle is a GREAT appointment here. There’s a reason Daschle was targeted with Anthax. He’s one of the good guys. I’m so glad – this also sends a strong message to Hillary – hands off health care!
Just fantasy, BooMan. Fantasy.
I would’ve liked to see the man who set so much of the groundwork for Obama’s successful campaign get his props somehow. HHS would seem about right.
But as I say, it’s fantasy. I won’t be offended if you call me goofy.
Sincerely, however: what is it about Daschle, aside of his political abilities, that would recommend him specifically to the HHS rather than another appointment, since I’m assuming that the HHS operates in the implementation of health care policy beyond bills’ passage?
Gotta go to work, unfortunately. Back later!
The biggest task is actually passing a decent health care bill. Once it is passed the Democrats will have a whole new constituency of working poor people that have tended to watch FOX News and vote Republican. Daschle is the best person I can think of to get a bill thru the Senate.
Howard Dean would not be good at that. Once it is passed, then Dean would probably be a better man to have in charge of Health, but that’s putting the cart before the horse.
Got it. Thank you.
This might sound a bit picky cause I do like the rumored appontments so far, but is it not possible to find and appoint some “younger” folks. This election was a “Generational” election and as a result, wouldn’t it be nice to see some younger faces?
And this is coming from a almost 70 year old fart!
you’ll see younger faces in the smaller cabinet positions and in the undersecretaries and deputy secretaries. That’s where you build a bench.
Daschle is a good man. Glad to see this happen.