Posted on 12/02/2008 8:50:32 PM PST by Kaslin
Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor and U.S. secretary of health and human services, once joked about the difference between being a governor and a Cabinet secretary: In Madison, action started when he made up his mind; in Washington, action started when he made up the mind of a 22-year-old White House staffer.
While a formal announcement is forthcoming, Tom Daschle has been offered and has accepted the job of secretary of health and human services by President-elect Obama. Daschle will also be the point man on health reform both for the transition and the administration — the health czar.
By picking the former majority leader of the Senate, the president-elect has shown that he understands the mistakes that bedeviled his predecessors.
President Bush tapped two governors to oversee the vast 65,000-employee department, but neither quite grew into the job, as illustrated by Thompson's joke.
For the crucial work of championing health care reform, President Clinton chose his wife and Ira Magaziner, who had helped write an economic plan for Rhode Island that was rejected by voters.
As Ezra Klein observes on his blog, "The resulting bill might have passed a meeting of the Brookings Institute's Executive Committee."
Unlike Thompson and Mike Leavitt, the current secretary of health and human services, Daschle understands Washington. He also understands Congress, unlike Clinton when she was just first lady and Magaziner.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Unlike Thompson and Mike Leavitt, the current secretary of health and human services, Daschle understands Washington. He also understands Congress, unlike Clinton when she was just first lady and Magaziner.
Unfortunately for us, Daschle doesn’t understand how the real world works.
These Democrat proposals all sound like instant “recession within a recession”.
“Unfortunately for us, Daschle doesn’t understand how the real world works.”
And since Washington isn’t the real world, comrade Daschle will fit right in.
Do we really have to listen to that soft, condescending, passive aggressive voice for 4 whole years, or more?
RATS resurfacing the party deadbeats.
bttt
Hey, this is Uncle Obama’s job creation machine! Start a new, giant bureaucracy. Bend over, taxpayers, here comes your first national health care treatment.
What’s with all this czar stuff? Have I missed something? Have they always been called czar’s, or is this a new “trend”?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No... its just that they can’t spell Secretary. NEA educated, you know.
Soon we will see the American version of the gentle barefoot doctor who will visit you in your home and prescribe eating weeds for whatever ails you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.