Posted on 10/24/2013 1:54:08 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Will the star witness who isn’t there become the sacrificial secretary?
Thursday’s marquee hearing at an otherwise quiet Capitol takes place at House Energy and Commerce. That’s where Republicans will launch their public investigation into what’s really wrong with HealthCare.gov and who’s really responsible for the centerpiece of the new health insurance marketplace that’s become such a wobbly mess.
Officials from four of the 55 contractors will testify, but no one from the Obama administration will appear. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius decided to spend the day out on the hustings, touting the benefits of the health care law across the Southwest. She has agreed to come before the committee next week instead.
It will be little surprise if the corporate executives, taking advantage of her absence as a rebuttal witness, push as much blame as possible for the online morass toward their government customers. What will be more newsworthy is if the wall of Democratic support for Sebelius starts to crumble.....
"...........[BIG SNIP]........................"
That background helps explain why Obama is inclined to keep Sebelius at her post indefinitely.
First, it would be enormously disruptive to the implementation if it suddenly became rudderless just as the all-hands-on-deck orders are being implemented to cure the functionality ailments in the next month. There’s likely to be a surge in traffic ahead of the Dec. 15 deadline for buying coverage that would start with the new year.
Second, the intensity of the partisan rift over the law would make it highly problematic for any Sebelius successor to win Senate confirmation, especially in an election year. With efforts to legislate an undermining of Obamacare at a dead end until 2015, at least 40 Republicans could be expected to launch a filibuster against whoever might be nominated as the next HHS secretary. He or she would become the next proxy for everything they still don’t like about the statute, turning the hearings into an extended forum for their skepticism about the administration’s competence and honesty during the implementation.
“I think my job is to get this fully implemented and to get the website working right,” Sebelius said in a CNN interview Tuesday night, when asked if she and the president had discussed if she should step down.
She also declared that Obama knew nothing of the software mess before the rollout began three weeks ago — a sign that, so long as she stays in office, protecting the boss will also be part of her job.
He will keep her because she is doing exactly what she was hired to do!
But then who will be the sacrificial lamb the vulnerable Democrats need?
I’d love to see the hearings that would be held for a new HHS Secretary, as he describes it (with dread) in this piece.
They are already beginning to say that everything is the Republican’s fault. “Everything would have worked, if it hadn’t been for the Republicans standing in the way...” The media will push that story. So, if it’s the Republican’s fault, why should any of Obama’s minions suffer?
That won’t fly.
Yes. They’re good at stonewalling any inquiry, lying under oath and intimidating witnesses.
But there’s already so much noise about this (and legitimate companies coming forward explaining that this website is WAY overprice, under-designed and unworkable) that whistleblowers have some expectation of cover.
What she is saying, in effect, is that King Barry is unaware of what is going on in his administration, particularly concerning his most important legislative "triumph", and is uninterested in finding out. Or, possibly, that his underlings are afraid to bring bad news before the king because they fear his wrath. Either way, it makes him look bad.
I don't think she will be fired, but she will eventually resign to take a cushy job that is being prepared for her somewhere in academia.
“I’d love to see the hearings that would be held for a new HHS Secretary . . .”
I’m not so sure the Senate hearings would be bad for Obama and the nominee. The Senate Republicans are already on record voting to fund Obamacare and squashing the internal opposition. Obama and the press will spin the need to put aside mean partisanship and come together to fix the problem. Reid will use every procedural trick to make confirmation slide through and the Dem committee chair will tightly control the hearings. McCain and other Republicans can be counted on to backstabbing Cruz and Lee should they get vocal. The press will spin the daily story the way the administration wants it.
With the possible exception of Cruz and Lee I don’t see the Republican Senate putting up anything resembling a fight. Reid has the votes to win and as we’ve seen the Dems vote as a solid bloc on every key issue.
Sebelius has no worries about the Republicans in Congress she knows their investigations are a farce.
We know they are a farce.
They know they are a farce.
The Republicans are guard dogs without teeth. Their bark is even weak.
This is another opportunity to highlight the incompetence and malice of the Obama administration and Democrat-led Senate.
It would be a highly visible political volley between Left and Right, one that the dems cannot afford politically and do not want to participate in.
But we will see in the coming days how long they will stall about Sebelius’ tenure - cut her loose now or hold her tight and try to ride this out through the 2014 elections.
There may be some stronger GOP backbones now that Cruz and Co. are conservative heroes and Obamacare is a big ugly goat.
One would hope so, but I seriously doubt it.
Benghazi,IRS scandals, NSA scandals and phone calls from high EU officials, Fast and Furious, the teking over of our legal system by Obama and ordering the Border patrol and ICE to stand down should all be impeachable events and what do we have——Nothing.
Are Republicans really that incompetent??????
It appears so.
We witnessed a watershed political event earlier this month. The GOP caved in opposition to immensely unpopular and thoroughly despised Obamacare. AND Obama usurped Congress's power of the purse.
I do not understand why otherwise intelligent freeper conservatives think reform of the current corrupt system will emerge from those who profit so well from it.
Because I see an opening that a truck can drive through and I will encouraging the GOP to follow Cruz and Co and charge!
It is a mistake to entirely depend on the election of a few virtuous people to solve our troubles. It is favored because it is an easy way out. We have fallen into the trap of thinking national elections alone can possibly reverse our course.
Consider how increasing numbers of Americans look at presidential elections. If a Leftist wins, we are to do as we are told, as if our purpose was to condone the appointment of a dictator. “Elections have consequences,” had become code for submitting to one man’s will.
By all means we should support conservatives to national office, but we must turn a portion of our attention to our state legislatures if we to possibly restore our freedoms.
***snip***
By all means we should support conservatives to national office, but we must turn a portion of our attention to our state legislatures if we to possibly restore our freedoms.
I'm glad you expanded on your thoughts - I believe well rounded conservatives have always known this is a ground-up fight but view the big picture too.
“First, it would be enormously disruptive to the implementation if it suddenly became rudderless just as the all-hands-on-deck orders are being implemented to cure the functionality ailments in the next month.”
This administration? Rudderless? Are you joking?. Check out the new definition of failure...functionality ailments. The USA has Monty Python in charge
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