Exactly why did Obama choose Tom "Beltway over the People" Daschle to be HHS?

[brentspeak]

[Occam Bandage]

1. Because he's a universal-health-care proponent who has many, many allies on Capital Hill,

meaning he would be well placed to work as the White House's point man in a health-care reform campaign. (On edit: But I am well aware that this is the type of question for which any serious answer is unwelcome.)

[ecstatic]

7. Thank you for your serious response. I was wondering too nt

[avaistheone1]

8. Actually Daschle is an health insurance care supporter.

Daschle is a sell-out to the health insurance industry and big pharma. He will do nothing to get this country to single-payer health insurance.

[Occam Bandage]

21. Obama also ran on universal insurance coverage. It's not shocking that Obama would pick someone

who has similar views to him on health-care reform.

[karynnj]

11. Would former Senator Bradley be an alternative without the baggage

- assuming he would

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

12. I do like Bradley, but I trust Obama knows what he's doing.

[karynnj]

20. I wonder if the Obama team knew the potential depth of the conflicts of

of interest coming out. I am saying this as one who had always thought better of Daschle than most people here did. If he knew all this, he risked a huge amount of credibility on the ethics issue that was one of the reasons people supported him. (if you saw the Finance committee members standing behind Daschle - consider there expressions and body language. Many did not look that happy or comfortable. They were there because of Obama and their past friendship with Daschle - but some looked uncomfortable. If Obama picked Daschle knowing all this, he was and is asking many of them to sacrifice their integrity to advocate for him. As they want Obama to succeed, they are forced to do so.)

[BeyondGeography]

13. I like Bradley, but he might be too above it all to get it done legislatively

And, if we know one thing about Daschle, he's not above it all.

[karynnj]

17. Bradley was a capable Senator and well respected

I think that far too much admiration is given to the bare knuckle Emmanuel types. Sometimes you win by working with - rather than intimidating people. (Daschle was actually more like that.)

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

15. People here have to start trusting that Obama knows what he's doing, unlike past presidents.

[Pirate Smile]

18. I'll add more - They also have been friends for quite a while.

Obama hired much of Daschle's former staff when he joined the Senate. Daschle was a very early supporter and advisor to Obama long before Obama had much support.

"a close personal relationship exists between Obama and Daschle. Daschle was an early supporter of Obama's presidential candidacy and a number Daschle's top aides from his days in the Senate -- Obama senior adviser Pete Rouse, White House deputy communications director Dan Pfeiffer, Democratic National Committee executive director Jen O'Malley Dillon among many others -- have senior roles in the Obama administration."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/02/white_house_cheat_sheet_daschl.html?hpid=topnews

[IGotAName]

23. Well, how about this for a serious answer- just handing out taxpayer money

isn't "reforming" the health-care industry.

Personally, I don't care if he's for "universal" healthcare, which is a useless term only meant to confuse.

Does he want single-payer? No? I can do without him and his $100's of K in industry kickbacks.

[HughMoran]

2. He hates America?

:rofl:

[Radical Activist]

3. why does someone need to start a new thread every 5 minutes

to piss and moan about it?

[Solomon]

22. LOL Because there's not enough to piss and moan about.

This is the 21st century. Things move fast. Everyday there must be something to piss and moan about or where would the pissers be? And it's not enough to start a thread on every little breath that Obama takes. We must have dozens for each and every utterance.

[Enrique]

4. he fits Obama's #1 priority for nominees

he doesn't pay his taxes.

[Skittles]

5. yet he'd have nixed you for posting salty messages on a web board

pretty fucked up

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

14. He did pay his taxes, a little late I'll admit, but honest mistakes happen. Chillax.

[SunsetDreams]

6. You mean the Village People?

[terisan]

9. Obama owes Daschle; Daschle will prevent Universal Health Care; Daschle is status quo/corrupt. nt

[acmavm]

10. But but but Obama WANTS him. That's good enough, right?

Bwahahahahaha!

[BeyondGeography]

16. More like the other way around

Daschle owes Obama big time for sticking with him. He should be willing to walk barefoot over a bed of nails for UHC after this.

[QC]

19. It's an ingenious plot, far too brilliant for mere mortals

like us to comprehend, to neutralize Daschle and force him to achieve universal health care against his own wishes!

[AtomicKitten]

24. Daschle will champion Obama's healthcare insurance plan, a plan that is flawed from the get-go.

Also Obama is putting into place a player that has unseemly ties to the industry he'll be overseeing. This nomination appears to be a lose-lose.