Here are two interesting blog articles making the case for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Barack Obama’s VP pick.
The Fix’s Chris Cillizza points to Sebelius’ willingness to make tough decisions, as state insurance commissioner and governor, as well as her post-partisan and gender appeal. (In the next day’s blog, he makes the case against her, citing, among other things, her lack of foreign policy experience.)
The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein thinks Sebelius offers “a heap of electoral promise but with small but significant question marks.†He approves of her bold challenge of President Bush on relief response time in the aftermath of the Greensburg disaster.
But he quotes Kansas Republican Party director Christian Morgan on her weaknesses:
“She can’t deliver her own state. Moreover, she has never dealt with the national issues that a vice president has to talk about. She has no idea how military budgets work, or what it is like to be a commander in chief.â€
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The old gray mare would be a liability to the Obama campaign, let’s hope he selects her.
Sebelius may not need to do the heavy lifting to “deliver” Kansas to Obama, when Wichitans discover the part McCain has played in prosecutng and imprisoning Boeing execustives for the very crimes he has personally committed in landing the tanker contract for the EADS group in europe, they will vote for Obama just out of self preservation.
Mccain has done more than any other senator to scuttle Boeing’s bid for those supertankers, and he has reaped considerable personal and political rewards from European and other foreign interests because of it.
Kansas Republicans may be proud, stubborn, and in many cases intractable, but they are not stupid.
The simple fact that a half dozen of McCain’s campiagn staffers were lobbyists for EADS at one time or another throughout the tanker fiasco should be proof enough that McCain is no “friend” of Kansas, or of Kansas Republicans.
“JEP” declares –
“Kansas Republicans may be proud, stubborn, and in many cases intractable, but they are not stupid.”
Yeah they are.
I hope that the national media keeps on hyping Sebelius to be Obama’s running mate. Sebelius is a puppet of the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Bar Association. She is responsible for condoning and or covering up the bipartisan corruption and illegal activities by elitist judges & attorneys in Wichita especially considering that her husband is a federal judge and that she fast tracked former Foulston Seifkin law partner, Carol Beier, onto the Kansas Supreme Court. The only good news for the Democrats is that State GOP Chairman and UMKC Constitutinal Law Professor & his crony Chrisitan Morgan will look just as hypocritical and elitist as Sebelius and the GOP will lose seats becasue of the votoers disgust with the do nothing incumbents. To protect himself against a charge that the Obamas are just another flavor of elitist polticians-power attorneys, “Fast Eddie” Obama should position himself as a true populist and triangulate away from the special interest groups that usually support the Democrats such as the trial attorneys lobby, the NEA and the public employees unions by demanding more transparency & accountability at all levels of government.
Bill McKean kiakahahaha@yahoo.com 293-6079
The same criticisms can be made of George W. Bush. As governor of Texas he had no experience as commander in chief, had no idea of how military budgets work, had not dealt with the national issues a VP must handle, etc, etc, etc.
By this criteria, Ronald Reagan was not qualified either.
“Moreover, she has never dealt with the national issues that a vice president has to talk about. She has no idea how military budgets work, or what it is like to be a commander in chief.”
———————
Sounds like she has the same qualifications or lack of them that Obama has.
ksgrm…you are too funny!
I’d pick General Wes Clark.
HEW is a cabinet position in Sebelius’ wheel house, but I think she’s best positioned to replace Sam (The Sham) Brownback when he lives up to his promise to retire from the Senate in 2012.
She’s a classic Kansas moderate; a 21st Century Nancy Landon Kassebaum.
I don’t agree with her all the time, but I have utmost confidence that she at least tries to represent the best interests of her constituency.
You can’t ask all that much more from an elected official.
The only issues a VP candidate really has to worry about is whether she helps a President get elected. Beyond that, a VP primary job is to check the President’s pulse every morning, say a prayer of thanks to God that he’s still alive, and go back to bed.
Y’all give a VP much more power than he has.
I still remember my High School history teachers words: A woman had two sons. One joined the Circus, the other became Vice President. Neither one had been heard from since.
Whether or not that is still true is a matter of opinion.
Sebillious being VP would be great….. for the GOP. Kansas would become even more conservative than it is right now.
Obama has better choices such as Webb, Hagel or Evan Bayh.
“Y’all give a VP much more power than he has.”
——–
Could that be because we’re still living through the years of a cheney vice presidency? cheney took (was given?) power where he didn’t have it and we watched and paid attention.
Obama’s unknowns and McCain’s age will factor into vice presidency choices being more important than they used to be.
I agree with those who hope for Sebelius to fill what we hope is a seat Brownback leaves open. He may not prove to be a man of his word but if he retires she would be a great candidate for an office I think she would perform well in. If he goes back on his word I think she could beat him anyway!
It’s not the “experience” that counts as much as intelligence, insight, and common sense. Those are most important qualities.
Obama has not yet won my vote.
Choosing Sebelius as a running mate would be a move further away from gaining it.
“GMC70″ scolds -
“Y’all give a VP much more power than he has.”
Well, yeah.
Until Cheney did a nationwide search for a Veep for Shrub and realized Dumbya was in no way qualified to be President on his own.
And when you realize that the world’s insurance industry is based on actuarial tables that expect John Sidney McCain the Third (for Shrub’s 3rd term) to die within two years of his inauguration.
Anyone who’s inclined to vote for John McC*nt for the next President has to consider the next President after that. A whole lot of men who didn’t spend five years of torture and malnutrition in a third-world prison camp haven’t made it to their “average life expectant” 74th birthday.
There may be differences in style at work here, but Barack Obama’s medical report took one-and-a-half pages to document all his health issues over the past 20 years. McCain didn’t release — merely made them available to the press for 3 hours — his 1,600-page medical history covering…only the past eight years!
Unless you’re buying into the agenda of white-supremacists who are fouling the Internet with promises that a President Obama will be their constant target, the only-est Vice-Presidential decision that enters into the two parties’ ticket must include McSame’s choice of a running mate.
She has more experience then Obama!
(Except that she is WHITE)
http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=1884
Governor Kathleen Sebelius (KS)
Current Office: Governor
First Elected: 11/05/2002
Last Elected: 11/07/2006
Gender: Female
Family: Husband: Gary
2 Children: Ned, John.
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Home City:
Religion:
Education:
MA, Public Administration, University of Kansas
BA, Political Science, Trinity College.
Professional Experience: NONE
Political Experience:
Governor, State of Kansas, 2003-present
Insurance Commissioner, State of Kansas 1995-2003
Representative, Kansas State House of Representatives, 1987-1995.
Oh, and Sebelius is a woman too!
(BFOQ dontcha know)
Sebelius can’t deliver her own state for the Democrats — omg, the people of this state won’t even admit she’s better than her predecessor, because he was a Republican and she’s a Democrat. LOL, and Republicans are ALWAYS better. That’s why we have a Republican governor. — Oh wait.
Kansas continues along its path of reaction and irrationality.
The only reason we have a Democratic governor is because the previous Republican governor whom we had to elect a second time before we could admit to ourselves what a truly terrible governor he was was such a truly terrible governor. But, we didn’t elect a Democrat, because Republicans are always better. Except that we elected a Democrat who’s a much better governor than her Republican predecessor, so we constantly criticize her.
What IS the matter with Kansas???
Sam Brownback is an honorable man and will keep his word and give up his Senate seat when his current term expires. Then Jerry Moran will klean Kathys klock and keep the seat in GOP hands. Moran may be the only GOP er in Kansas who has managed to keep from pissing off the conservatives and the moderates. Then Tim Huelskamp will become the new 1st district congressman. Then Sam Brownback will crush Mark Parkinson and return honor and integrity to Cedar Crest. Game, set ,match. So much for Kansas turning purple or blue.
By the way, why is red the color for republicans. With red being the color of commies and pinko’s, shouldn’t that be the color of the democrats?
Sam, honorable? I’m not so sure. He cultivated the Rev. John Hagee whole heartedly, a sellout to his new church, the Catholic Church. I have to wonder how well Sam knows Mr. Goodrich, from Cherokee County.
This is a news release from a Republican US Atty’s Office so take it for what it is worth.
Who elected this yahoo Mr. Goodrich?
Eric Melgren, the fed, the Bush appointee who will send him to jail, is Republican.
WICHITA, KAN. – Michael L. Goodrich, 47, Baxter Springs, Kan., is charged with two counts of extortion, one count of wire fraud and one count of intimidating a witness. Co-defendant Timothy J. Schooley, 29, Baxter Springs, is charged with one count of extortion.
Goodrich is the County Attorney of Cherokee County, Kan.
“The indictment alleges that Mr. Goodrich received money and favors not due to him from the owner and employees of Sensations Gentleman’s Club in Galena, Kan.,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren. “Mr. Goodrich also is charged with attempting to prevent Assistant County Attorney Garth Adams from giving a truthful statement to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
According to an indictment returned Wednesday by a grand jury meeting in Wichita:
– Goodrich unlawfully obtained money and favors from Hai Ching Ying, the owner of Sensations Gentlemen’s Club, and from Tom Dekeyser, the manager of the club. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from Jan. 1, 2005, through September 2007, in Cherokee County, Kan.
– Schooley approached Jason Carsley, an assistant manager of Sensations Gentlemen’s Club, to ask for money to be used for the waitresses and dancers at the club. Carsley obtained permission from the owner and/or manager of the club and gave money belonging to the club to Michael Goodrich.
– Goodrich received money and property from Sensations Gentlemen’s Club in exchange for favorable and preferential legal treatment for the owner, manager and employees of the club.
– On March 29, 2007, Thomas Dekeyser, manager of Sensations Gentleman’s Club, called Michael Goodrich for the purpose of discussing future preferential legal treatment to be given to Dekeyser for a traffic ticket received March 29, 2007. Goodrich dismissed the ticket on June 4, 2007, without Dekeyser paying any fines or costs.
– On July 9, 2007, Goodrich attempted to intimidate Assistant Cherokee County Attorney Garth Adams in an effort to alter a truthful statement that Adams was planning to give to FBI agents.
Upon conviction, the alleged crimes carry the following penalties:
– Extortion: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
– Wire fraud: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
– Intimidating a witness: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
kansasdem, why do you have to wonder how well Sam knows Mr. Goodrich?
I don’t see anything in you post that connects Brownback to Goodrich. There’s also nothing in your post that lends any credence to your suggestion suggestion that Brownback “cultivated” Hagee.
Who are you counting on to be stupid enough to listen to your smear? At least the same effort by the Swiftboaters would have been backed up with enough money to put it in a television ad.
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Making Money The Fast Way…
I can’t believe that I missed your point, I will have to do some research on this….