Daschle nominated to head HHS, appeals to Americans for input

Tom Daschle is "known for speaking softly but acting boldly," President-elect Barack Obama said today in announcing the former Senate Majority Leader as his choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services and Director of the new White House Office on Health Reform. Learn more at Change.gov.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• barack
• obama
• tom
• daschle
• secretary
• health
• human
• services
• reform

[podcastbard]

Healthcare needs to be done on a local level. We need local control on and for healthcare. Think in terms of a credit union but for healthcare. But would government/congress truely listen to new ideas from average citizens like myself. Will this get posted for all to see?

[57waldo57]

is it just me or does he say "challange" 100 times in each speech?

[rem120]

He published a well-known book earlier this year on how to fix the health care system in the US. I haven't read the book, but the fact he wrote it shows he knows a fair bit about health care, or at least isn't just an ex-Senator.

[Rm1000YrsWide]

I have a lot of respect for Daschle based on his Senate career too, and while he may not be the foremost expert on healthcare, he has apparently devoted a lot of time recently to studying the healthcare crisis and planning different ways of solving it. The culmination of this process was his exhaustively researched book, "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis," published earlier this year, as mentioned in this press conference; I'll bet that the book played a part in this.

[whoo689]

Tom Daschle, Mr. Obama?? Seriously?? As much as I respect Daschle for his work in the Senate and being majority leader, I gotta say, I don't get this pick. Does he really have enough experience or expertise in health care?? I would expect at least a professor with expertise in healthcare or an expert from the Kaiser Foundation or former public health official SOMEONE who actually knows about healthcare in a big way. Being a Senator is not enough.

[poparozi]

You could only smile listening to Pres "OB"...You could only smile. Good Job Guys

[jocspg]

I live in North Italy and I lived in U.S.A. for one year and I can suggest you to look at the Italian health care system that I think it's much better than the American one. I feel safer here and this is the reason why I left U.S.A.

[madamsophia]

Bravo on this pick...good choice

[janichaz]

Tom Daschle is very good !Obama have a super team!!!

Go Obama!!!

[greycloud24]

tom's speach sounds like it was written by the people who write obama's speaches. public speach does not seem to be his strong point, and this makes me hopeful. i hope he has spent all of his effort learning what he does do. a jack of all trades is not what we need, we need a specialist who knows his field inside and out.