By David Goldstein/Eagle Washington Bureau
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback could be waffling a bit in his support for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to run the Health and Human Services Department.
Congressional Quarterly reports that the Republican lawmaker plans to think more about his endorsement in light of her veto Thursday of late-term abortion legislation.
“It makes it harder and harder,” Brownback, an abortion opponent, told the magazine.
Neither the senator nor an aide would comment about whether he is reconsidering his support.
It’s tradition for legislators to embrace presidential nominees from their states, regardless of party. Only twice in the last 20 years has a senator from one party failed to back a home state nominee from the opposing party, according to Congressional Research Service.
One of those cases was in 2001, when Sen. Jean Carnahan, a Democrat from Missouri, voted against the confirmation of former Republican Sen. John Ashcroft, also of Missouri, who had been nominated for attorney general.
In Brownback’s case, he is one of the Republican Party’s leading social conservatives and has been under pressure from that wing to disavow his support of the Democratic governor.
Though Sebelius has a reputation for working across party lines, she is anathema to abortion opponents because she supports abortion rights. They’re especially put off by her association with George Tiller, who operates an abortion clinic in Wichita and has been a political contributor.
Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele have called upon President Obama to withdraw her nomination.
The bill that Sebelius vetoed would have imposed requirements on physicians who perform late-term abortions. The procedure is outlawed except in cases where the woman’s life is in danger or she faces serious medical consequences.
The legislation would have required physicians to file state health reports explaining the medical diagnoses that necessitated a late-term abortion.
Sebelius said she thought the bill probably was unconstitutional and would also “lead to the intimidation of health care providers and reduce access to comprehensive health care for women.”
Senate Democrats need 60 votes to confirm her on Tuesday when her nomination is scheduled to be debated. They hold 56 seats. The chamber’s two independents generally side with them as well.
At least four Republicans, including Brownback, have committed to voting for her. The others are his Kansas colleague, Sen. Pat Roberts, an old friend of the Sebelius family, and the two party moderates from Maine, Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. There could be others as well.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said Sebelius supporters have enough votes to confirm her.
18 Comments
better toe the party line Sam…
Getter outta here. Sam dont you even leave the witch in kansas.
He should vote for her for the overall job that she will do.
Anyone that votes to endorse SHE’LLBILLUS just as wells welcome Dr. Tiller in wichita and his practices.
It would be so ugly of him to vote against this fine public servant..
He can maintain his integrity for voting against her, and make a strong statement in the process. She’ll get the position anyway. But he better not garner too much support, or we’ll get her back!
In order to maintain one’s integrity, first one has to have integrity.
Sam Brownback should vote with his conscience, not with what is “traditional”. Sebelius is an embarrasment to the state of Kansas and we should not ship our problems else. What do we really want? Four years of her in Washington, possilby 8, or only 2 more and she is gone? Think about it! I don’t want this woman to have anything to do with healthcare on a national level. What she has done in Kansas is bad enough.
I have no idea what some you people think that our governor has done that was so bad. She fought to keep our air clean (by denying that stupid coal plant, hello 1880s technology!), keep our taxes low, our insurance rates in check and our budget balanced. She would make a fine servant of the people in Washington. The idiot Brownback should vote for her confirmation. He wants her current job. God forbid!
A pro-choice pick by a pro-choice President. Why on earth are people so bent out of shape. Abortion is LEGAL. She is right to stand up for women and women’s right to make personal decisions. I can’t stand Brownback but he is right..the HHS secretary is going to be pro-choice so it might as well be a Kansan he can work with. The one issue morons are getting old and as the election showed, their narrow minded opinons are irrelevent!
Sam needs to do whatever it takes to get the Old Gray Mare out of Kansas. Soon.
Abortion may be legal, but lying isn’t. If Sebelius had told the truth about her relationship with Tiller in the first place, this wouldn’t be happening to her.
Now, with growing opposition to Sebelius, Brownback finds himself on the wrong side of the fence. Even rats have the good sense to jump from a sinking ship. Does Sam?
…like I’ve said before, if Harry Reid can’t twist enough arms to get the 60 votes needed to confirm her, Obama can always nominate another “moderate” — Jack Kevorkian…unless, like Sebelius, he also has tax problems, is owned by an abortionist, and doesn’t know how to tell the truth. It would be a difference without a distinction.
she is just another tax cheat. don’t let her get into washington power. She is as far from a fine public servant as you can get. She is out for herself just like all politicians. Let her finish her term in Kansas and then go knit in the retirement home.
a pro-abortion Catholic, she is the ultimate hypocrite. we would have known she was lying about being Tiller the Killer’s puppet if the Eagle had any credibility, instead of being the voice and defender of the culture of death. Sebelius stands for slaughtered children, just like Obama.
Brownback…. you support her and you support abortion. simple. Brownback you support her and we won’t support you. very simple. What part of that do you not understand?
Poor Senator Noback what will you do, vote for the Gov. to get her out of the state and a possiable chance at running for your senate seat and make the anti abortion fanatics dissown you. With out the crazy right wingers you might not make it to the Govs. Manison. Oh what will you do.
Does any body really and truely care? There isn’t a dimes worth of difference in any of them. Grab what you can, while you can. The anointed one is the one who matters. Is O’bama an Irish Catholic ?