President Elect Obama has chosen former Senator Tom Daschle to head up the Department of Health and Human Services according to news reports. The same reports indicate Daschle is likely to accept.
While it is hardly surprising that Obama would give a post to Daschle I might have expected him to go with Agriculture, given that the senator is from South Dakota. Daschle did focus on national health care during his stay in the Senate though so it does make some sense.
One issue I have been pondering is whether the Daschle pick is going to end up being something of a sop to the left or if it is going to show his decision to govern futher to the left that he previously indicated.
The reason for wondering about his governing to the left is because Daschle is a strong advocate of a single payer style NHS and while most of us support some form of health care reform the Daschle option is pretty far to the left.
On the other hand I could see this as a sop to the left in that even if Obama did want to promote such a program it is unlikely he could do so under current budgetary restraints and so putting Daschle in there gives him the ability to say he tried.
I do not seem to be the only one wondering this.
Fellow TMV blogger Tony Campbell has pointed out that so far no Republicans have been named to the Obama Cabinet and while things are still early we all would hope that he does follow through on his promise of bipartisan government.
On the other hand, as I previously indicated the left blogs seem upset with some of Obama’s picks (like Clinton at State rumors or Holder at Justice).