Daschle for Health Secretary

[CrimsonWhite]

Dashle is back. Fantastic.

(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Sen. Tom Daschle to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the former Senate majority leader has indicated he wants the job, three sources close to the transition told CNN Wednesday.

The sources said that Daschle negotiated that he will also serve as the White House health "czar," or point person, so that he will report directly to the incoming president.

By wearing two hats, Daschle -- not White House staffers -- will be writing the health care plan that Obama submits to Congress next year.

The sources said the precise timing of the announcement has not been worked out, but Daschle is likely to officially join the Obama transition team as the lead adviser on health issues in the next few weeks. Watch: Ed Henry discusses the Daschle pick »

An Obama transition official would not comment.

Daschle is currently billed as a "special public policy adviser" in the Washington office of the lobbying firm Alston Bird, though he is technically not a federally registered lobbyist.

Sources: Obama picks Daschle to head HHS - CNN.com

 

[Mad Scientist]

I guess being voted out of office as Senate Majority Leader qualifies you for a position in the Obama administration eh?

The more things "change" the more they stay the "same" huh?

 

[CrimsonWhite]

I guess being voted out of office as Senate Majority Leader qualifies you for a position in the Obama administration eh?

The more things "change" the more they stay the "same" huh?

Thats not what bothers me. What bothers me is that Dashle will be writing his healthcare plan.

 

[DavidS]

Oy.

 

[Old Rocks]

As the economy worsens, and more and more of our citizens learn how critically their health, and that of their children, depend on jobs that are capable of just going away, the cry for a Universal Health Care System such as that in all other industrial nations will grow. Just as the Obama campaign was funded from the bottom up, the impetus for a real health care system in this nation is going to proceed from the bottom up, and go a lot farther than even Obama thought possible.

 

[Epsilon Delta]

Obama picks Daschle as health secretary

U.S. president-elect Barack Obama has nominated former senator Tom Daschle to the post of secretary of health and human services, the latest appointment as the incoming leader assembles his White House dream team.

[...]

The appointment of Daschle to the health portfolio has been praised by organizations seeking an expansion of health coverage.

"His new leadership position confirms that the incoming Obama administration has made health-care reform a top and early priority for action in 2009," Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, told the Associated Press.

The South Dakota Democrat was a close adviser to Obama throughout the lengthy election campaign and recently wrote a book about how to improve health care.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Whoops. I'm sorry about that. I should've looked around more carefully!

 

[rayboyusmc]

From what I remember when he was still office, I liked him.

I will have to wait and see how he does with this post. Universal Healthcare is something we need to move to. Part of the socialism/marxism that the right keeps tellin US about.

 

[CrimsonWhite]

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