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ERIC BLACK INK

But Mr. Sourceface, you just DID upstage the formal announcement

By Eric Black | Published Sun, Mar 1 2009 11:47 am

Following up on a previous diatribe about the silly excuses that sources are now required to give for wanting to be quoted anonymously, I just saw this beauty in today's New York Times scooplet about the fact (already widely expected) that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be named Health and Human Services secretary:

"Ms. Sebelius accepted the president’s invitation and will be introduced by Mr. Obama at the White House on Monday, said an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging the formal announcement."

How, exactly, does this avoid upstaging the formal announcement? I assume that should have read "who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to upstage the formal announcement without being held publicly responsible for doing so."

Speaking of the Sebelius appointment, this could turn out to have important political ramifications. There will be an open Senate seat from Kansas in 2010 (incumbent Repub Sam Brownback is leaving the Senate to run for governor; Sebelius could not have sought another guv term because of term limits). Sebelius is very popular in Kansas and was widely considered the only Dem who could have given her party a chance of picking up a Senate seat in bright-red Kansas (which hasn't elected a Dem. Sen. since the 1930s!)

I suppose it's possible that Sibelius will serve one year in the cabinet then go home to run for the Senate, but that seems unlikely given Pres. Obama's ambitious plans for remaking the health care system. The Hill ran a good piece last week, based on the growing Sebelius-for-HHS rumors, about the fact that Obama has now appointed to the cabinet several of the best Dem hopes for Senate pickups in red or purple states (Janet Napolitano of Arizona, who could have challenged John McCain in 2010 but is now secretary of homeland security, Tom Vilsack of Iowa, who could have challenged Sen. Chuck Grassley in 2010 but is now Ag secretary, and now Sebelius.

Given how close the Dems are to a filibuster-proof Senate majority, these could turn out to be big deals, said a source who asked not be identified because he didn't want to be accused of turning every story into a political analysis.

| Sun, Mar 1 2009 11:47 am | 2 Comments

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(#1) On March 1, 2009, Dave Francis says:

This Kathleen Sebelius as the new Health secretary better take notice of the government free handouts to illegal aliens. The pregnant women who intentionally skirt the undermanned border so taxpayers will pay for their baby. The millions who end up in hospitals and clinics, because federal law states they must freely serviced by our wilting medical system. Same goes for a education system overrun with the children of illegal aliens, who the taxpayers are forced to empty their pockets. A prison system that the FBI has admitted that it is overcrowded with foreign nationals.

In California Mayor Villaraigosa and state assembly have sold their souls to big business and the corporate overlords. Villaraigosa must be thrown out of office, because he has cost the city billions of dollars for creating government welfare for illegal aliens and their large families. Hopefully the Federal government will enact a mandated E-Verify, because this will dislodge from the workplace illegal workers. Because E-verify was killed by majority Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada and his partners. This pattern of rampant corruption survives all over the country. Even Mayor Villaraigosa and his thrall has given AMNESTY in LA . Even though he took the oath of office, to serve the American people. He committed a traitorous act because he is serving illegal settlers from foreign countries and now must extract even more taxes from Californian's.

We need a new face who will protect Taxpayers, such as Walter MOORE as mayor? Don't know too much about his experience, but he will stop California's wilting treasuries being drained by illegal aliens looking for free handouts. I know Angeleno's are sick of supporting illegal children in overloaded classrooms, health care and a rising crime rate.

May be if Americans start throwing out these hard-core elected officials out of office. Then other states will catch-on and follow the example?

(#2) On March 2, 2009, Bernice Vetsch says:

Gee. It seems all of America's problems can be traced to "illegals" within our borders.

But back to health care: The Obama plan may or may not work any better than the Massachusetts plan (which was $150 million over budget in 2008 and is expected to be $350-$400 million over in 2009)because it ADDS complexity and both private and public bureaucracy instead of reducing it -- and therefore costs.

About 65 percent of Americans want a single-payer plan like John Conyers' HR 676, which would extend Medicare-like benefits to all residents of this country -- no one would be left out -- mostly by using the money now spent on administration of the current system's needless complexity AND on the insurance industry's seeming "need" to raise its prices every year without a corresponding increase in coverage.

In Minnesota, over 60% of doctors also want single-payer so they would no longer have to deal with hundreds of insurance companies, all of whom have different plans, levels of coverage, claim forms/systems, and 2 million or more employees nationwide whose job it is to find reasons to deny payment.

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Eric Black is a former reporter for the Star Tribune and Twin Cities blogger. He writes about politics and government of Minnesota and the United States, the historical background of topics and other issues. Click here to view Eric's previous postings at former blog, Eric Black Ink. He can be reached at eblack [at] minnpost [dot] com.

ERIC BLACK INK

But Mr. Sourceface, you just DID upstage the formal announcement

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