I Have to Learn to Spell “Sebelius”
I just realized I’ve been misspelling the name of Obama’s apparent new pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Spelling it with an “i” instead of an “e” as the second letter. Well, I’ve got to get it right now, because it looks like I’ll be referring to her quite a bit. She’ll have one of the largest portfolios of any cabinet member, and certainly one of the most important.
Her appointment comes as no surprise, but it’s good news. Who will be the White House health czar then is the question? Maybe Obama won’t appoint one after all, since that was perhaps a position cobbled up to give Daschle extra status in the pursuit of universal health care. Pride goeth before a destruction…
I first met Sebelius (the first daughter of a Governor–John Gilligan, Ohio, 1971-197–in U.S. history to be elected to that same position) early in her her first term as governor. She attended a Planned Parenthood event in Kansas City where I was speaking. As it happens, while I was in Kansas for that visit, I was simultaneously juggling legal strategy and national media in the wake of George Bush’s signing of the federal abortion ban earlier that day. Sweet quirk of fate this, as RHRealityCheck reports on Sebelius’s strong support for reproductive health in “She’s Not in Kansas Any More“. Ah, what a difference a vote makes.
In the Obama ideal mold, Sebelius is noted for bipartisanship. She had to be effectively bipartisan in her reliably Republican state if she wanted to get anything accomplished.
I’m heartened that Obama is now talking about health care more like Hillary Clinton did during the campaign than like his own incremental approach that strained to avoid antagonizing anyone but would not have covered everyone. Obama’s proposed spending plan sets aside a $634 billion dollar reserve fund and charges Congress with the task of reforming the health care system.
I’ve now written “Sebelius” six times and still try to type in an “i” instead of “e”. I’ll keep practicing because I think I’ll be writing it numerous times over the next few years. Though it appears she won’t have that health czar title, if confirmed, she’ll certainly play a pivotal role in the efforts to gain health coverage for the 46 million uninsured Americans.
GLORIA FELDT is the New York Times bestselling author of several books including No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power, a sought-after speaker and frequent contributor to major news outlets, and the Co-Founder and President of Take The Lead. People has called her “the voice of experience,” and among the many honors she has been given, Vanity Fair called her one of America’s “Top 200 Women Legends, Leaders, and Trailblazers,” and Glamour chose her as a “Woman of the Year.”
As co-founder and president of Take The Lead, a leading women’s leadership nonprofit, her mission is to achieve gender parity by 2025 through innovative training programs, workshops, a groundbreaking 50 Women Can Change The World immersive, online courses, a free weekly newsletter, and events including a monthly Virtual Happy Hour program and a Take The Lead Day symposium that reached over 400,000 women globally in 2017.
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I’m cautiously optimistic although I think it was an uninspired choice. She certainly has a tough job but it seems like her priorities and policy views are very good.
I am tired of everything being called “Czar”- correct me if I am wrong but the czar system was a total failure in Russia? Car czar, healthcare czar, drug czar, AIDS czar. Nitpicky, I know, but I find it annoying- it sounds like a bloated system with too many people with too many titles and too much overlap.
The word I am hearing in the liberal blogosphere (particularly on Firedoglake)is that Rahm Emmanuel’s brother is going to be selected for health ‘Czar’- membership has it’s privileges, apparently.
Stacy, I hope you are turning your rant about czars into a blogpost on Cafe Politico because it is hilarious.