By Denise Ross

We haven’t heard much about South Dakota’s own Tom Daschle being named (unofficially at this point) the secretary of Health and Human Services in a new Obama administration.

That’s due largley to the steady stream of other key nominees spilling out of Chicago and the Beltway. And I’ve no doubt it’s also because Daschle et al weren’t quite ready for the attention. Reforming America’s health care system is a job best done in as low-key a manner as possible.

Sticking your head above ground is a move shortly followed by incoming shots - something which already has happened in Daschle’s case. I wrote about some of this in my most recent newspaper column: (Read the full column on the jump.)

Already some of the Senate Democrats  (Max Baucus and Ted Kennedy) he led for a decade have set forth their own health care reform plans, cluttering up what would have been a clean slate for Daschle and the Obama administration.

AND (PERHAPS MORE SINISTER) …

Just a day after news leaked of Daschle’s cabinet appointment came news reports that his potentially new job would probably violate Obama’s campaign promise to avoid conflicts of interest in the new administration. That such a story emerged so quickly is a sure sign of somebody trying to undermine Daschle even before he is formally nominated. 

Daschle’s no stranger to fending off foes, and it’s experience he’ll no doubt need in the coming year.

To read the full column, click “CLICK HERE” below.  

Daschle sets outs on journey fraught with pitfalls

By Denise Ross

First came Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who chairs the Senate’s Finance Committee. Barely a week after Americans elected Barack Obama president, Baucus “unveiled a detailed blueprint to guarantee health insurance for all Americans,” reported The New York Times.

A few days after Baucus stepped out, no less than Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., came forward with his own health care reform plan. And Kennedy began selecting other key Senate Democrats to head up key pieces of his plan, including Hillary Clinton of New York, Tom Harkin of Iowa and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland.

Then, just a day after news leaked of Daschle’s cabinet appointment, came news reports that his potentially new job would probably violate Obama’s campaign promise to avoid conflicts of interest in the new administration.

That such a story emerged so quickly is a sure sign of somebody trying to undermine Daschle even before he is formally nominated.  National political analyst Larry Sabato said all of it is to be expected, saying that the sitting senators “have every right” to weigh in and that no one expects to get their way completely.

“You set out your goals, an ideal, and then you compromise around it. Nobody’s going to get everything they want,” said Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

Meanwhile, Daschle himself has identified problems he hopes to avoid. In his recent book, “Critical: What We Can do About the Health-Care Crisis,” he recalled his work in 1993 as a key point person in the Senate for then-President Clinton’s failed plan to overhaul health care. The process quickly became too secretive and overcrowded, and with many of the wrong people at that. A plan to create a 98-member committee ballooned to more than 600.

Daschle writes:

“(The task force) failed to solicit the views of the people who mattered most: the committee chairmen and other congressional leaders who would determine the fate of reform. … The White House communications wanted the group’s deliberations kept secret. … With so many people involved, however, it was impossible to prevent leaks.”

Daschle goes on to explain that the secrecy mandate gave power to the “ill-informed or disgruntled” and left those in charge nearly helpless when it came to media and public information.

Given all the problems that await, Daschle remains a solid choice to helm this process. He’s known for his ability to build consensus, soothe tempers and still get where he’s going. His quarter-century on Capitol Hill has given him as much knowledge as anyone on how to steer big legislation through the labyrinth of the Congressional process.

I certainly won’t be betting against him.

Spread the word

Hide Sites