Kathleen Sebelius Picked by Barack Obama to Head Department of Health & Human Services

Kathleen Sebelius, the governor of Kansas, was nominated to become the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services by President Barack Obama on March 2, 2009. While her pro-choice policies have engendered a great deal of opposition among anti-abortion activists, it is expected that Sebelius will be confirmed by the Senate.

Her acceptance of a Cabinet position represents a turn-around in her attitude.

Governor Sebelius, who had been touted as a potential running mate for Obama during the 2008 Presidential campaign season, reportedly informed the President-elect that she did not want a Cabinet position after he defeated Senator John McCain. After the withdrawal of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Obama's nominee to be the Secretary of Commerce, Sebelius' name was floated as a potential replacement, but she reaffirmed her decision not to join Obama's cabinet.

However, with the withdrawal of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head HHS, yet another important Cabinet position became available. In late February, Sebelius accepted President Obama's offer of the post. The nomination became official at a press conference held on March 2nd.

Popular Politician in the Jayhawk State

Born Kathleen Gilligan on May 15, 1948 in Ohio, the governor of Kansas is the daughter of John J. Gilligan, the former governor of the Buckeye State from 1971-75. (She and her father are the only father and daughter to be elected governors.) She is married to K. Gary Sebelius, a federal magistrate judge, and is the mother of two sons, Ned and John.

Twelve years after moving to the Jayhawk State in 1974, she was elected to the Kansas Legislature, where she served for eight years. In 1994, Sebelius ran for the office of state Insurance Commissioner and won, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office.

After two terms as the Insurance Commissioner, Kathleen Sebelius was elected governor of Kansas in 2002, winning by a margin of 53% to 45% over her Republican opponent. She proved to a popular governor, and was reelected in 2006, polling 58% of the vote against the Republican challenger, who won 41% of the vote. Her two victories are remarkable in that half of all voters in the state of Kansas are registered Republicans, whereas only 27% are registered as Democrats.

TIME Magazine ranked Sebelius as one of the five best governors in November 2005, citing her for eliminating the $1.1 billion public debt her administration inherited from the previous governor. She was also praised for boosting funding for education and reducing waste while not raising taxes. TIME also cited her for her reaching out to the Republicans who controlled the Kansas Legislature.

Role in 2008 Primaries

A popular Democratic governor of a largely Republican, Midwestern state, Kathleen Sebelius is one the crown jewels of the Democratic Party. Democratic congressional leaders think so highly of her, they gave her the honor of delivering the official response to President George W. Bush's 2008 State of the Union address.

President Obama likely has warm feelings for Sebelius , as the day after delivering the Democratic riposte to then-President Bush's State of the Union address, she endorsed him as President. The endorsement came exactly one week before the critical Super Tuesday primaries. Kansas held its own Democratic caucus on Super Tuesday, which Obama won by a landslide.

Delivering the response to the President's State of the Union address was a plum, high profile assignment in which Sebelius effectively was styled as the standard-bearer for the Democratic Party. Since Obama at the time was engaged in a nasty dog-fight with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former First Lady who was constantly evoking the specter of sexism to explain her poor showing against the tyro candidate who was besting her int he primaries, the endorsement of a major woman politican helped him.

Opposition by Pro-Life Forces

The 60-year-old Kathleen Sebelius is a Roman Catholic. Her education was in parochial schools and she attended a Catholic college, Trinity Washington in Washington, D.C. (Her graduate degree, a Masters of Public Administration, comes from the University of Kansas.) Despite being a Catholic, she is pro-choice on the issue of abortion. On the issue of capital punishment, she hews to the moral line of her church: she opposes it.

Pro-life forces have criticized Sebelius' selection to head the Department of Health and Human Services on the basis of her stalwart support for a woman's right to choose. According to the Kansas City Star, Sebelius' support for abortion rights has incurred the wrath of her church.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, the head of the Diocese of Kansas City in Kansas, has denounced Sebelius and declared that she should be forbidden the sacrament of communion until she changes her position, and brings it into line with the Catholic Church.

In a letter published in the Kansas City Diocese newspaper, Archbishop Naumann wrote,

"It saddens me that so many Catholics, to gain political advancement, have chosen to compromise their Catholic faith by their failure to defend the most fundamental of all human rights - the right to life."

As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius most likely will make contraceptives and sex education more widely available, in order to curb teenage pregnancies. The Catholic Church is opposed to contraception, as well as abortion.

Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson has criticized President Obama's choice of Kathleen Sebelius precisely on the grounds that she is a Roman Catholic. Gerson believes that Obama chose Sebelius to insult and bully the Catholic Church.

Potential Cabinet Member

Kathleen Sebelius record in Kansas shows she is thoroughly experienced in the day-to-day management of a government bureaucracy. She has shown she can successfully govern a state with a Republican legislature, and she likely would appeal to moderates, independents and swing voters, as well as not alienate liberals.

One of President Barack Obama's mantras while on the campaign trail was a commitment to reviving bipartisanship in Washington (as his quixotic choice of Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire to head the Commerce Department showed), and Kathleen Sebelius has proved herself capable of working with Republicans.

Sebelius' nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services has received the support of Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, a Republican. Kansas has term-limits, so Sebelius cannot run for third term as governor and may become a candidate for Sam Brownback's Senate seat. (Brownback is surrendering his Senate seat to seek election to Sebelius' current job.)

In the near-future, Kathleen Sebelius likely will not run for the Senate due to her Cabinet position, unless she is urged to do so by her party. However, should President Obama find Joe Biden a political albatross, she could gain the vice presidential spot on the 2012 ticket.

Sources:

Daily Kansan, "Editorial: Sebelius' experience will help as Secretary of Health"

Kansas City Star, "Anti-abortionists crusade against Kathleen Sebelius"

Lawrence Journal-World & News, "Sebelius has forged a healthy legacy; Kansas better off in many respects under her leadership in state offices"

Medical News Today, "Antiabortion Advocates Criticize Kansas Sen. Brownback's Support Of Sebelius"

New York Times,"Obama Pick Gets a 2nd Chance on Health Care"

US News & World Report, "Catholic Kathleen Sebelius and Abortion Politics "

Washington Post, "Sebelius's 'Choice'; Obama's Messenger for Moral Incoherence"