March 07, 2009 03:30 PM
Howard Dean Possible Pick For Surgeon General
h/t CSPANJunkie
So are we going to see Howard Dean who would have been my first pick for HHS instead as Surgeon General? Now the good Dr. Gupta has decided he doesn't want to spend too much time away from his family and declined the job I would love to see Dean get it.
C&L covered the dust-up between Michael Moore and Dr. Gupta, and I for one and am very happy to see him withdraw his name for consideration. Dean would make a great choice, and hopefully Rahm Emanuel will finally put aside whatever bad blood is there between the two of them and allow the appointment to go through.
an AMA spokesperson (Gupta) as Surgeon General was not that good of an idea. I'm not sorry that one didn't fly.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Dean should be the chair of the health services dept.
Obama already managed to screw that one up with Daschle. Obama better get his head off his ass pronto, or the honeymoon will be followed by a rude awakening.
aint gonna happen
He is a hotheaded useless clod...
Agreed. Dean is knowledgeable and a proven leader. Emmanuel is a party machine boss.
I'll take the former over the latter any day of the week. HHS, Surgeon General, Department of Whatever.
Emmanuel can piss up a rope.
Believes about Dean?
We Dems love Dean!
Whatever you do Deannie boy
Don't advocate teaching school kiddies
How to masturbate.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
is no training involved. It just comes naturally.
Thank goodness for MSNBC.
to erratic.
... and you still managed a 66% misspelling rate. Keep it up!
...sentence.
I totally deserved that :-)
and speeling.
I have had a couple of strokes and I can walk well, but after a couple of years of therapy, I still can't spell any better, course that may have to do with public school in California, during the 50s.
I hope you get my meaning when I go on, but I usually get my point across anyway.
But back to Howard Dean, he is probably besides Obama himself more responsible for what has happened in America, I think for many reasons that he has been treated badly and he can provide a good element for Single Payer Health Care for the the Obama term of office. I don't see any one else out side the legislature in favor who can deliver the goods.
...correct...on all counts. Dean has the goods. The 50-state strategy is why there is a President Obama--even though the Emmanuels and Schumers of the world disparaged him, tried to get him canned, and tried to undermine his efforts.
Incidentally, I have had no strokes, and I didn't even go to school in California--and I still can't spell. Go figure. (My nieces and nephews went to flippin' *private* school in California's gated communities, and they're even worse spellers than I am, I'm obliged to smugly point out!) ; )
What is a sentece?
check out the headline on the screen, "Howard Dean Posible Pick..."
...but a fairly lousy typist!
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
that he doesn't want the job already.
Why is there bad blood between Dean and Emmanuel? What evidence is there to support this? Was there some defining gesture that showed this or is it simply apocryphal?
Here is the source of some of the "bad blood" between Dean and Emanuel:
The netroots also mistrusted Emanuel because of his clash with Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, a lefty-blog favorite. Dean was spending the DNC's cash on his "50-state strategy" to build up the party in Republican enclaves like Wyoming and Idaho. It was a long-term plan that even he admitted might not come to fruition for several presidential elections (though after the election bloggers would point to a blue wave in state legislatures as an early sign of success). As Emanuel saw it, he had to win now, and that meant pouring money into districts where Democrats were competitive.
Emanuel had witnessed this struggle in Illinois, too: it was the party regulars versus the goo-goos. Emanuel, the Daley protégé, is a regular who believes money and a disciplined organization win elections. He seemed to see Dean as a goo-goo, a good-government reformer with a base of liberal idealists who are more educated and individualistic than your average Democratic machine foot soldier, but less reliable when you need someone to hand out palm cards on Election Day. The machine has been paving over goo-goos since the 19th century. As a beery alderman once put it, "Chicago ain't ready for reform."
When Emanuel and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York met with Dean to ask him to shift money to congressional races, Emanuel mocked the former Vermont governor as a political lightweight from a tiny, rural, homogenous state. "No disrespect, but some of us are arrogant enough, we come from Chicago, we think we know what it means to knock on a door," Bendavid quotes Emanuel as telling Dean. Emanuel "slammed his hand on the table," then continued his tirade: "Look, Chuck comes from Brooklyn. I come from Chicago. It ain't Burlington, Vermont. Now, we understand that Burlington knows a lot about grassroots politics and we know nothing. I know your field plan -- it doesn't exist. I've gone around the country with these races. I've seen your people. There's no plan, Howard."
According to Bendavid, Emanuel left the room vowing not to be seen with Dean if the Democrats lost on Election Day. When Dean eventually offered $20,000 a race, Emanuel told him to fuck off. (Not literally -- although it's plausible.) Eventually, Dean ponied up a $12 million nationwide get-out-the-vote drive.
http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/05/08...
It looks to me as if Emanuel has been envious of Dean. I think Emanuel is a jackass myself.
...hopefully if Obama is half the man he appears to be he'll listen to Emanuel when needed and ignore him when not.
Emmanuel can piss up a rope. He (and Schumer) is why I didn't donate *A FRICKIN' DIME* to the Democratic Party in the last two election cycles--and won't.
Happy to donate to Dean's "Democracy for America," though.
I know your field plan, Romulin, and you can fcku off. Spend that.
Not much, it would appear.
Dean's talents need to be utilized elsewhere. He has a wealth of knowledge to offer.
The way he is being treated is really a shame.
I really liked Minnie Joycelyn Elders! She was too out spokin for most of the numbnuts in this country! But we need someone with her point of view.
It's a terrific lectern from which to speak out on public health issues. Dean would be terrific at that and can make the job his own. C Everett Koop was high profile for Surgeon General. Some others were not so much. But Dean has all the media contacts to make this a great opportunity if he wants it. That's a big if, though. He might see it as a step down.
And as far as Rahm goes, yeah, I think all the bad feeling should be on Dean's side, but I'm netroots.
As chief of staff, Emanuel serves at the pleasure of the president. He may have Obama's ear more than anyone else, but it's not for him to allow or disallow anything.
http://the-billablog.blogspot.com/
I suspect he has much more influence over Obama than you might think. They were both embedded in cut-throat Chicago politics, but Emanuel has years and years more experience than Obama. He is brash and pushy, with Obama as well as others.
I think he'll fit just fine.
Howard Dean was the silent, and oft' overlooked, mastermind behind this past election and Democratic win, let's face it.
When Dean took over the DNC, it was in shambles (much the same as the GOP is right now). Dean arrived and reorganized the party and was masterful in how he brought it into the 21st century. He's the "unsung hero" in Obama's election and it would be fitting for him to be factored into Obama's cabinet. If you asked Dems what they think, I believe they would agree that Dean should be rewarded with a position in this administration.
As for his expertise, it's flawless when it comes to medical background and he's quite informed about the state of our health care system. He brings facts, research and expertise to the table. Despite the fact that the positon of AG hasn't been about much of late, Dean can fix that, too. As AG he'd have every right to be involved in fixing our national health care system.
I concur that SG has 'historically' been symbolic but that doesn't mean that it's cut in stone and not subject to change; in fact, as we've witnessed with the DNC, Howard Dean is ALL ABOUT CHANGE.
Hell, if Sanjay, the hollywood faux doc, was being seriously considered for the post, it might be nice to have someone a bit more organized. To tell you the truth, I've never been very impressed with Sanjay on CNN. To tell you the truth, CNN has turned to total, unequivocal propaganda and bullcrap.
Im into it. Heeeya!
I dont care if he is a "clod, erratic, hotheaded, thinks masturbation is of value." The man is real. And that is a ton more than you can say about a lot of the jerks we have advocating for us on the federal level.
Dr Cox.
Love the guy.
his experience as a governor with a penchant for quality health care for children shows he knows how to administer hospitals..
and he's experienced as a hospital professional..
and he's experienced in whipping stubborn dems into shape so the party - collaboratively - does good things..
so he's perfect for the job
SG =)
Dean was *more* qualified to be running HHS then any(!!) other cabinet selection by Obama by several
'country miles'. However, the window for Obama to get something right has closed as far
as Dean is concerned. Dean was more(!!) than patient and gracious but has announced his return
to DFA now and I dont see him accepting a 'leftover. hand-me-down' position to please this administration. Dean had THE skill-set, and yet, wasnt offered a job-which is indeed a tragic mistake(if you've been paying attention you've seen many of those) by Obama. Tragic indeed... for all of us.
Overlooking Howard Dean as our new HHS was probably Obama's bigest mistake thus far. Dean is more than well qualified and has definitely earned his place in this administration.
As for Rahm .... he needs to grow up and stop using his personal grudge as part of his decision making capability. Much needs to be done and there is no time for personal vandettas!
You did.
I think he would be wasted as Surgeon General. Its not really a very important role, the SG is more a spokesperson to get Americans to be healthy. Gupta is so shallow and telegenic he would have been good at it, in spite of the fact that he's kind of a right wing tool, but I think Dean would find it limiting.
If Rahm is holding a grudge against the doc, he should hurry and get over it. If not for Dean's 50 state strategy, Obama night not be president. Gupta is in the pocket of Big Pharma, so I am thrilled that he dropped out. I'll never forget the debate with Moorer, on the Larry King Show. It was obvious that Gupta is not an agent of change. He thinks the health care system in this country is just fine; it sucks, and I have health insurance.
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