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Daschle the choice for Health and Human Services
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/ 2008/ 11/ 19/ da...Sources tell CNN Tom Daschle is Obama's choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services. CHICAGO (CNN) — Three sources close to the transition and in a position to know tell CNN that former Sen. Tom Daschle is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services and the former Senate Majority Leader [...]
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Obama Picks Tom Daschle For HHS Secretary
http://donklephant.com/2008/11/19/obama-picks-tom-daschle-fo...Before the election, there was some speculation that former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle might become Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff, instead he appears to be headed to the Department of Health and Human Services: CHICAGO (CNN) — Three sources close to the transition and in a position to know tell CNN that former Sen. Tom Daschle is President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services and the former Senate Majority Leader has indicated he wants the job. Most significantly, 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. The significance is this guarantees that by wearing two hats Daschle, and 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. An Obama transition official had no comment. Given Daschle’s years in the Senate, he would seem to be the logical choice to lead a health care initiative through Congress.
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jesus was a carpenter but obama builds cabinets
http://xnerg.blogspot.com/2008/11/jesus-was-carpenter-but-ob...in spite of being the anti-christ, barack "to the future" obama has begun building his cabinet. first off, the guy who defended chiquita banana in the colombia death squad case for attorney general! huffpo: do not expect these recommendations to be carried forward if eric holder decides to forgo his lucrative corporate law practice at covington & burling and accept the u.s. attorney general position for which many believe he is the top contendor. eric holder would have a troubling conflict of interest in carrying out this work in light of his current work as defense lawyer for chiquita brands international in a case in which colombian plaintiffs seek damages for the murders carried out by the auc paramilitaries - a designated terrorist organization. chiquita has already admitted in a criminal case that it paid the auc around $1.7 million in a 7-year period and that it further provided the auc with a cache of machine guns as well. indeed, holder himself, using his influence as former deputy attorney general under the clinton administration, helped to negotiate chiquita's sweeheart deal with the justice department in the criminal case against chiquita. under this deal, no chiquita official received any jail time. indeed, the identity of the key officials involved in the assistance to the paramilitaries were kept under seal and confidential. in the end, chiquita was fined a mere $25 million which it has been allowed to pay over a 5-year period. this is incredible given the havoc wreaked by chiquita's aid to these colombian death squards.secondly, obama has tapped the least effective senate majority leader since...well, since ever, to head up his health & human services dept. wsj: former senate majority leader tom daschle has accepted president-elect barack obama's offer to serve as secretary of health and human services, according to an official familiar with the situation. atop hhs, mr. daschle is expected to play a key role in moving mr. obama's ambitious health care agenda through congress. he was an
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BREAKING NEWS: Tom Daschle to be both Health Czar and Health and Human Services Secretary
http://the-reaction.blogspot.com/2008/11/breaking-news-tom-d...By Michael J.W. Stickings 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
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Daschle and Herseth-Sandlin to Advance
http://southdakotapolitics.blogs.com/south_dakota_politics/2...As Jason notes below, rumors are flying that Tom Daschle will be tapped for head of Health and Human Services. My sources tell me it's genuine. Also, Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin appears to be the next leader of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the House
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Czar Wars
http://worldofsensornetworks.blogspot.com/2008/12/czar-wars....How did a term for Russian royalty work its way into American government?By Ben Zimmer Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, a true czar When Benjamin Franklin wanted to describe our national indifference to royal pomp and circumstance, he would compare Americans to a London porter whose heavy load once jostled Czar Peter the Great. When told he had just bumped into the czar, the porter responded: "Poh! We are all czars here!"Franklin's porter could have been describing the incoming Obama administration. Already Tom Daschle has been tapped for "health czar" and Carol Browner for "climate czar." Adolfo Carrión is expected to be the "urban affairs czar." There's also been talk of a "technology czar" and a "copyright czar." Plans for a "car czar" recently fell apart on Capitol Hill, but Obama and the incoming Congress will try, try again in the new year.This efflorescence of czars—those interagency point people charged with cutting through red tape to coordinate policy—has people wondering: Why do we use a term from imperial Russia to describe bureaucratic troubleshooters?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Czar first entered English back in the mid-16th century, soon after Baron Sigismund von Herberstein used the word in a Latin book published in 1549. The more correct romanization, tsar, became the standard spelling in the late 19th century, but by that time czar had caught on in popular usage, emerging as a handy label for anyone with tyrannical tendencies.On the American scene, czar was first bestowed on one of Andrew Jackson's foes: Nicholas Biddle, president of the Bank of the United States. Jackson vehemently opposed the centralized power of the bank, which he called a "hydra of corruption," and his clash with Biddle exploded into the "Bank War" of 1832-36. One of Jackson's staunchest allies in this fight, Washington Globe Publisher Frank Blair, dubbed Biddle "Czar Nicholas"—a potent image at a time when Russia's Nicholas I was at the height of his repressive nationalist regime. (Jackson's opponents fought fire with fire, calling him King Andrew I.)After the Civil War, journalist David Ross Locke (writing under the moniker "Petroleum V. Nasby") lampooned Andrew Johnson's mishandling of Reconstruction, anointing him "the Czar uv all the Amerikas." But it wasn't until 1890 that the "czar" label became an American political staple. Republican House Speaker Thomas Reed incensed Democrats by disallowing a favored stalling tactic of the minority party: not responding to a quorum call. When Reed pushed through a rule that allowed the speaker to count members as present for the quorum even if they didn't respond, Democratic congressmen erupted with cries of "Czar! Despot! Tyrant!"The "Czar Reed" image stuck; the speaker would be known as "czar" for the rest of his career, after which time an even more potent House speaker, Joe Cannon, would inherit the title. As Reed's biographer William A. Robinson observed, the nickname "had no pleasant connotations" at the time. "In 1890, it brought to the mind the Russian autocrat himself," along with images of "the Cossacks, Siberia, and the knout" (a whip used for flogging).That would all change after the Russian Revolution deposed the last real-life czar in 1917; painful images of imperial repression quickly faded to the background and Communist leaders became the new dictatorial icons. Accordingly, kinder, gentler "czars" made their way into American public life. When Kenesaw Mountain Landis became the first commissioner of baseball in 1920, "czar of baseball" worked just fine for the headline writers. New York had its "boxing czar" (Athletic Commission Chairman William Muldoon) and its "beer czar" (Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Chairman Edward Mulrooney). And when Nicholas Longworth served as House speaker in the late '20s, he distinguished himself from his predecessors Reed and Cannon as the "genial czar."The newly benign term evolved again during World War II, when Roosevelt expanded the government rapidly and appointed a host of brand-new federal overseers. The Washington Post reported in 1942 on the sudden rush of "executive orders creating new czars to control various aspects of our wartime economy," and a cartoon from that year shows "czar of prices" Leon Henderson, "czar of production" Donald Nelson, and "czar of ships" Emory S. Land all cramming onto one throne. In the postwar era, the rise of the "czar" has accompanied the expanding role of the executive office in promoting policy initiatives; the term tends to be used when presidents create special new posts for the individuals charged with pushing those initiatives through. Nixon succumbed to czarmania, appointing the first "drug czar," Jerome Jaffe, in 1971 (long before William Bennett took the mantle in 1988). But it was the title of "energy czar" that got the most attention during those days of OPEC embargoes and gas rationing. Though John A. Love first held the title in 1973, his more powerful successor William E. Simon really got the "czar" ball rolling. Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau found the "czar" title fitting, depicting Simon imperiously asking for his "signet ring and hot wax." Simon, for his part, enjoyed the sendup and took pleasure in colleagues calling him "your czarship."When Nixon offered him the job, Simon would later recall, the president himself used the term energy czar and discomfitingly likened the role to that of Hitler's minister of armaments, Albert Speer. Subsequent presidents, however, have shied away from the C-word and its domineering, anti-democratic connotations. Most recently, President Bush has been careful not to call Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute his "war czar," even though he's universally labeled that in the press. It's sure a lot easier than saying his official title: assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan.Now we hear that the Obama team doesn't like czar either. No wonder: Even now, the word evokes either old-fashioned despotism or latter-day caricatures of tin-pot tyrants. But it's safe to say it's not going anywhere, as long as that compact word keeps doing its job, glibly condensing bureaucratic mouthfuls.
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Daschle and Herseth-Sandlin to Advance
http://www.keloland.com/custompages/kelolandblogs/sdpolitics... As Jason notes at our SDP site, rumors are flying that Tom Daschle will be tapped for head of Health and Human Services. My sources tell me it's genuine. Also, Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin appears to be the next leader of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the House. Update: CNN now reports the Daschle Choice.  CNN also notes this: Most significantly, 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. The significance is this guarantees that by wearing two hats Daschle, and not White House staffers, will be writing the health care plan that Obama submits to Congress next year. ...
- Author unknown http://jeffellis.typepad.com/its_impossible_to_start_a/2008/...
Today, I am a year older. Boo-hoo.
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Could We Have a Little More Estrogen Please?
http://www.blogher.com/could-we-have-little-more-estrogen-pl...America's new first family is multicultural and diverse, so I'm holding out hope that a Barack Obama cabinet will be a diverse one, too, but not just on ethnicity. I want to see plenty of lipstick and mascara around the first cabinet meeting held by President Obama, too. When lots of names of men started getting floated as cabinet possibilities in the days immediately after the election, my heart sank and I started to feel a little anxious. Where were all the women's names? In 2008, surely there could more than a few token mentions. There are plenty of well-qualified women in our country to fill all the posts that need filling, so why were the first lists coming out filled with so many Y chromosomes? Some immediately pointed to Valerie Jarrett, the first woman to be named to any position in the new administration as Senior Advisor, as a sign of things to come, but she's a longtime Obama friend, mega-fundraiser for him AND co-chair of his transition team. Jarrett may have some wise and valuable advice to offer a President Obama, but naming her as the first female appointee to the White House to me said "promoting friends" more than "promoting women." It turns out the ladies at Tennessee Guerrilla Women are a little worried, too: We never expected Obama to keep up with Spain by nominating a majority female cabinet, but we did hope he would keep up with Bill Clinton. President Clinton set the record for the nation's all time high in the number of women cabinet members and cabinet-level appointees. With Obama's choices of Tom Daschle for Secretary of Health and Human Services and Eric Holder for Attorney General, it appears that Obama may not even be able to keep up with George W. Bush's 2nd best record. Apparently, when Obama said he wanted change, he was not thinking about us sweeties. Yes, plenty of other names have now surfaced, but many of them have been on the Obama bandwagon for a long time. While people like Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (a possible candidate for Department of Homeland Security) and Penny Pritzker (a real estate executive who raised money for Obama who was thought to be in the running for Secretary of Commerce, but has denied it) might be qualified, but I'd like to see some other names -- names of those who are qualified and haven't been fundraisers or early-adopters. With the exception of Hillary Clinton's name being floated for Secretary of State, it seems like Obama is leaning heavily to insider confidantes with which to surround himself. Other women in politics, like Madeleine Kunin, former Governor of Vermont, are a little concerned, too: There are no more excuses for leaving women out of the inner circles of power. Qualified women are everywhere. Women are ready for leadership; they just need to be identified and asked. And women must promote themselves. Having worked in the Clinton transition, I can say from first-hand experience that the appointment process, like most things in life, is not based on merit alone. It involves politics in the broadest sense of the word. Those who speak up, those who use their connections are more likely to succeed than those who sit and wait. Why hasn't there been any Treasury Secretary talk about uber-qualified Sheila Bair, chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (which also gets him a GOP pick) or Laura D'Andrea Tyson, who chaired the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton? Both are being mentioned for Commerce, but Treasury is higher profile and wields more power and influence. (And we all know it's the women who balance the checkbook at home anyway, right?) I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that President-elect Obama and his transition team think a little more outside the box on women who would be amazing additions to a new cabinet. I'd love to see some names of non-politicos for some slots. What about Elizabeth Edwards for Health and Human Services instead of Tom Daschle? I'm sure you've got some favorites, too. I've bequeathed one of my old T-shirts to my eight-year-old daughter that features a drawing of the planet with the phrase, Women: We'll Settle for Half. Maybe I should send it on as a little reminder for President-elect Obama? BlogHer Politics & News Contributing Editor Joanne Bamberger also hangs out in the blogosphere at her political blog, PunditMom. Joanne is going to keep her thinking cap on about other excellent women Barack Obama should consider for his administration! BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers (including me) aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.
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Daschle for Sec. of Health and Human Services
http://www.mouemagazine.com/blog/2008/11/daschle-for-sec-of-...Word is out that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle will be serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services and “health czar” with the Obama Administration. This is very big news not because of Daschle’s own proposed policies on health-care reform but because he is essentially being brought in as an enforcer. In order for any kind of health-care package to succeed, it has to get votes and make it successfully through the Senate. Daschle is fluent in the intricacies of the Senate (and House) and can help steer it through the shark infested waters that tore the health-care plan of 1994 into bite sized chunks. As Ezra says: “You tap him to get your health plan through Congress”. Daschle literally wrote the book (Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis) on how to fix our healthcare problem. I haven’t read it yet but Think Progress and Dday (quoted) have: But the what is crucial as well. Daschle’s most recent book, Critical, is about how to fix the health care crisis, and there’s a lot of talk about process and getting a bill through Congress, but the “what” he comes up with is a kind of Federal Reserve board for health care, one that can administer, without being subject to political pressure, a public option health care consumers can purchase. That’s a very different vision than what is currently in the Obama plan or the consensus plan in the Senate, and it’s kind of murky and based on what may be an unrealistic set of assumptions about political power. There are some very big things happening on the health-care front right now. Steve Benen notes that Rahm Emanuel is saying that an incremental approach will not be sufficient on health-care (and that means a lot coming from Emanuel, who normally snuggles up with increments). Ted Kennedy and Max Baucus are so busy that it will take another post to discuss their activities. For a closer look at Daschle’s thoughts on health-care, read Ezra Klein’s interview conducted a few months ago in regards to Daschle’s book.
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CB’s Daily Newsbreak: Racial Slurs and Cabinet Rumors
http://www.caramelbella.com/2008/11/19/cbs-daily-newsbreak-r...In a message that appeared Wednesday on Islamist web sites, al Qaeda’s second-in-command warns President-elect Barack Obama about the “heavy legacy of failure and crimes that await him.” He also urged Muslims to keep up the attacks on the U.S. Perhaps in an attempt to anger and insult America’s next president, the terrorist leader, Al Zawahiri, also called Obama, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, the “direct opposite of honorable black Americans” like Malcolm X. Zawahiri even went as far as to call them “house slaves” or the racial slur of “house Negroes.” The buzz is surrounding Obama’s current picks for several key members of his cabinet. Sources tell CNN that Sen. Tom Daschle is being considered for the Secretary of Health and Human Services job. Daschle, the former Senate Majority Leader, is expected to take the position if offered. And for the Attorney General job, Eric Holder, who was Clinton’s Deputy Attorney General, is the top choice for Obama. Holder, who co-chaired Obama’s vice president selection process, is also expected to accept the position. History could be made again because “if confirmed, Holder would be the first African-American to lead the Justice Department.” And Bill Clinton is trying to help his wife get the Secretary of State position in Obama’s cabinet. Clinton has offered to allow ethical reviews of his philanthropic and business work to ensure there isn’t a conflict of interest. Unlike Holder and Daschle, Clinton is reportedly unsure whether she will take the position. She will have to choose between remaining in the Senate or accepting the new position. “The question is where she can be of best service,” said a Clinton adviser. More dismal news on the economic front. The U.S. cost of living fell by the most since the records began in 1947. The fewest number of homes (known as housing starts) were constructed last month. And the consumer price index (CPI) has slide backwards, which means deflation. Yes, this recession is the worst once for at least a quarter of a century. And Xbox 360 gamers may be rejoicing worldwide. On Wednesday, Microsoft unveiled a revamped Xbox gaming console. The new internet-connected setup includes an updated dashboard, the ability to purchase movies and games from Xbox.com and streaming HD Netflix movies with membership. The “New Xbox Experience” (NXE) is available to Xbox Live members.
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