• Home
  • About me: Jim Fitzpatrick
  • Contact

JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Nashville: Music, more music and then a little basketball
A great, nearly commercial-free day of golf on TV »

The classy lady who stood up to the Railing Republicans bows out

April 11, 2014 by jimmycsays

Sometime between 2005 and 2009, I was at Knuckleheads in Kansas City’s East Bottoms and rubbed elbows (almost) with a celebrity.

On the dance floor next to me was then Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and her husband, K. Gary Sebelius.

I was pretty impressed…not just that I was in proximity to the Kansas governor but also because she and her husband were “out amongst them,” as we used to say, at an everyday establishment for everyday people.

I say it was sometime between 2005 and 2009 because those were the years that Matt Blount was governor of Missouri. A one-time, political flame-out was Blount, if you remember him at all.

So, word gets to the band leader that the Kansas governor is in the house, and after one song, the band leader announces, “The governor is with us…the good governor.”

She got a nice round of applause, and everyone went back to dancing, and most people left her and her husband alone, except for one guy who took advantage of her accessibility and bent her ear for too long a time.

sebeliusPartly because of that occasion and partly because of the composed and confident manner in which she, a Democrat, carried herself amid the Railing Republicans of Kansas, I always liked Sebelius. So, I was disappointed this morning when I read she was resigning as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a job she had held since 2009.

Yeah, she screwed up by not getting the best computer wonk in the country to oversee the healthcare.gov sign-up. And, yes, she didn’t always say the right thing (insisting, for example, that the website had not crashed — just going slowly, she said — when it most certainly had).

But, still, she always carried herself with that composure that had long appealed to voters in bloody-red Kansas. And she had some notable accomplishments.

The New York Times’ story about her resignation included this noteworthy paragraph:

“White House officials were quick to point out the many successes during Ms. Sebelius’s tenure: the end to pre-existing conditions as a bar to insurance, the ability for young people to stay on their parents’ insurance, and the reduction in the growth of health care costs. In addition, Ms. Sebelius helped push through mental health parity in insurance plans and worked with the Department of Education to promote early childhood education.”

As I have said here before, the changes on pre-existing conditions and allowing young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until they were 26 have been a godsend to our family, and I will always be thankful to Sebelius and the Obama administration for that — and I’m sure millions of other Americans agree.

You’ve got to like the classy way in which she resigned, too. No big to-do. Not to the shrieks of the Railing Republicans. Just in her normal, composed way.

Quoting again from The Times…

“Last month, Ms. Sebelius approached Mr. Obama and began a series of conversations about her future…The secretary told the president that the March 31 deadline for sign-ups under the health care law — and rising enrollment numbers — provided an opportunity for change, and that he would be best served by someone who was not the target of so much political ire.”

She had a nice touch, too, in an interview with an NYT reporter, whom she told that she had always known she would not “be here to turn out the lights in 2017.”

Well, in my opinion, the best political light that Kansas has seen in many years has now been clicked off. The Railing Republicans are no doubt happy today.

But Sebelius is probably happy, too. She’s 65, has had a hell of a political career and can go out with her head held high. Unfortunately, she had one big screw-up that blemished her career and that will be long remembered.

But haven’t we all had big screw-ups? I sure did, but because I was not operating under arc lights, I weathered most of the ensuing storms pretty well. In 2006, at age 60, I retired from a business that was about to go over the precipice…although I certainly didn’t realize it. But I got my pizza and sheet-cake party. Wooo-hooo! I’ve had a great retirement, and I wish the same for Kathleen Sebelius.

Hope to see you on the dance floor, Gov!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

7 Responses

  1. on April 11, 2014 at 11:02 am Laura Hockaday

    Jim:
    Great column! Yes, Kathleen Sebelius is a class act and always has been.
    Great story about running into her and her husband on the dance floor at
    Knuckleheads, no less!
    All best,
    Laura


    • on April 11, 2014 at 11:40 am jimmycsays

      Thanks, Laura. I’m glad a friendly voice weighed in first.


  2. on April 11, 2014 at 1:24 pm rft

    The great business leaders always have an innate sense that makes them great. And it’s very simple: they know what they don’t know. Then, they find people who do.

    It was so obvious from the very beginning of the healthcare debate that the current administration — Ms. Sebelius included — didn’t have a clue about the impact of the changes they were creating and the design and construction of a commerce tool — the website — to implement them. Could any business survive after spending more than $500 million dollars on developing a website?

    I agree that the changes to the pre-existing condition hurdle and the inclusion of children on parent’s policies are good things, as are mental health parity and better early childhood education. But these simple adjustments could have been accomplished with a fraction of the acrimony and unintended consequences we now know as Obamacare.

    I also agree that Ms. Sebelius is a lovely person — I have met her. And like most of her cohorts in Washington, she’s obviously a very bright person.

    But why don’t they know what they don’t know?


  3. on April 11, 2014 at 4:10 pm jenniferm

    GM CEO Mary Barra gets tarred and feathered–only on the job a few months, for an issue that had been known for years. She was a bad spokesperson at her hearing over the issues.

    And Sebelius is praised? Granted the life and death issues are different, but the management and leadership aspect? Seems like a double standard to me.


  4. on April 13, 2014 at 7:10 am chuck

    Sebelius has shot her foot full of enough holes without your help Fitz.

    Toni Townes-Whitley’s company, from Canada, CGI FEDERAL, received the work from the United States by way of her relationship with Michelle Obama.

    http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/whitley.asp

    No bids were secured and when the ball was handed off to Sebelius, her efforts were reminiscent of the great Leon Lett.

    The absolutely Owellian and prepoesterous headlines in the Main Stream Media, that have Sebelius stepping down at this time, due to the success of the recent sign ups, that are supposed to reach 7.1 million, would be hilarious if this narrative were not taken so serioulsy by so many, by way of legerdemain by so few. The 4th estate, such as it is, in conjuction with the facists fiats extemporaneously delivered as needed (Got an election coming up? No problem, change the dates, the rules, the law itself in order to manipulate the electorate, the polls and the election.), have disgraced themselves no less that K.S. herself.

    Pass the kool aid.


  5. on April 13, 2014 at 8:02 pm John Altevogt

    While I was not impressed with Sebeljevich when she was Insurance Commissioner, I was hopeful when she became governor that we would get at least a temporary reprieve from the incessant corruption and scandals of the Graves and his cronies. That hope was short lived, as we found out that she had clearly anticipated the offer. Perhaps the three aspects of her administration that should have sent up red flags as to how she would run HHS were the loading of the Kansas bench with political hacks, cronies and major donors (leaving me wondering why she also didn’t suffer the fate of her Illini brethren), her slavish pandering to the abortion industry and, most significantly for her federal endeavors, her attempt to sellout KU hospital’s profit centers to her Missouri benefactors. thwarted only by the courageous journalistic efforts of Dolph Simons at the Lawrence Journal World.

    Perhaps her most lasting damage to the citizens of Kansas are the hordes of slime that she appointed to the Kansas bench. Few realize just how far left the Johnson County bench became under her regime. Virtually every candidate put forth by JOCO’s laughable “Merit” system during her tenure was packed with the aforementioned political hacks, cronies and major donors. For instance, in 2004 JOCO appointed two judges, both from Dennis Moore’s former law firm, in another case, two of the top three candidates were major donors to her campaign and the biggest spender one the position. And the last of her appointees to the JOCO bench and the last of her appointees to the 7 Dwarfs of the Kansas Supreme Court both came from the law firm of the then chair of the Kansas Democrat party Larry Gates. The ongoing financial benefits that accrue to any firm having such powerful former colleagues on the bench should be obvious.

    In addition to the rainmaker from Mr. Gates’ office her appointees to the 7 Dwarfs are even more disgraceful. Lawton Nuss was a plaintiff’s attorney on the Montoy suit, was appointed by Sebeljevich as a justice whereupon he not only failed to recuse himself from the case when it came before them but indeed enmeshed himself even further in the process by having ex partee discussions with legislators, a true scumbag. Or take the case of Carol Beier, yet another fish flipped to the abortion industry. Beier’s claim to fame since being on the bench have been her fervent efforts to crush any investigation of the abortion industry, and an outburst that was so childish and unprofessional that even others of this unelected, unrepresentative pack of tyrants felt called to chastise her for it.

    As a majority on the Supremes, they have transformed the rule of law in Kansas into a pathetic joke. They enforce the laws the like and ignore the ones they don’t. They have never met a baby they wouldn’t kill, or a killer they wouldn’t baby. Despite being overturned (thanks to Phill Kline) on their idiotic decision to try and eliminate the death penalty in Kansas, they have simply ignored the ruling and have de facto eliminated it by overturning murder cases and dragging their feet so long on hear appeals that those given a death penalty in Kansas are far more likely to die of old age than ever be executed.

    Appointing ideological slugs like Beiers (and others like Moriarty in JOCO) was simply the tip of the iceberg for Sebeljevich’s sellout to the abortion industry. Perhaps the most symbolic event occurred when she held a sumptuous reception of lobster and steak at the Governor’s mansion for George Tiller at a time when he was under criminal investigation for his abortion related activities. In addition, she promoted other ethically questionable candidates like Paul “the great tattoo” Morrison to be Kansas’ AG and then when he resigned in disgrace, appointed Steve Six to replace him. So tainted was Six that when he was later put up for the federal bench by the Obama regime that both Kansas Senators broke with tradition and refused to support his nomination.

    Even more relevant for her credential as head of HHS was the scandal over her attempt to eviscerate KU Hospital’s profit centers, sending them across the state line, but leaving the non-profitable programs back in Kansas for our taxpayers to subsidize. The campaign to thwart activities that included illegal meetings and various other shenanigans that resulted in the woman who rescued the hospital from sure bankruptcy leaving for another position and chaos in the med school was no right-wing conspiracy, indeed, far from it. The campaign was carried out largely in the pages of The Lawrence Journal World through the columns of publisher Dolph Simons and his reporters. Those writings were reinforced in the comments below by anonymous liberal insiders who denounced Sebeljevich as the Kansas Governor who had become a Missouri whore, leading to the more general appellation of “Governor Roundheels.”

    Conservatives seemed either oblivious to the controversy, or confused as to any interests they might have had in the outcome. Fortunately for Kansans, Dolph Simons and the Journal World in one of the finest demonstrations of the power of investigative journalism I’ve seen since living here managed to thwart her ultimate goal and contained most of the damage.

    So, far from classy lady, Sebeljevich should go down as arguably one of the most incompetent and corrupt governors in the history of the state. Those same qualities are what led to her downfall in DC. She caused one controversy after another by trying to cram abortion down the throats of religious groups. She tried to get her pal Six appointed to the federal bench. And, she gave sweetheart deals (as Chuck describes) for Deathcare’s web site to regime croines.

    Had the media been paying attention instead of favorites, her flaws might have been anticipated and Kansas and the Obama regime might have been spared the embarrassment of her continuing incompetence and ethical lapses, but as usual journalism fell by the wayside as the press focused more on promoting a leftist agenda instead of serving the public interest.


  6. on April 13, 2014 at 9:21 pm John Altevogt

    As always, I demonstrate the great value a copy editor has to any written effort.



Comments are closed.

  • Pages

    • About me: Jim Fitzpatrick
    • Contact
  • Archives

    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 548 other followers

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC
    • Join 548 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: