Why we need Kathleen Sebelius as VP

Tonight, I was at the Polk County DEC meeting. I moved down here to central Florida four months ago for a job. I wanted to immediately lend my time, money and talents to help getting Democrats elected in this state -- a state long beset by Republican extremism and big-business pandering. But having spent the last 4 years in Chicago, I was used to a different type of Democratic party, and one especially fond of Obama.

But I was surprised. The Polk County Democratic party is run by mostly older women (much older and wiser than my 27 year old rookie self). After the meeting, a few of the more important members and I went out to eat. But I am glad I got to know these kinds of Democrats. I know a woman at work who has been involved in the Democratic Party here in Florida for decades, and she was kind enough to invite me along.

These women were all Hillary supporters -- all of them. They were also very anti-Dean due to the Florida primary fiasco. They felt belittled and abandoned by the national Democratic party. They wanted their delegates seated, and they wanted their votes to count. And all they got were flippant responses from the DNC.

But over and above their words, they were most upset over one thing: Hillary. These women were smart as a whip, good hearted, and had fought for women's rights all of their life. I could literally see it in their eyes: they had lived all of their lives for this one day -- the day they got to elect a woman for President of the United States of America. They were still looking for any reason to believe Hillary could win. Yet they all begrudgingly noted that they would work for Obama if he was the final nominee.

I didn't tell them that I was a Dean and Obama supporter. I just listened to them talk. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had just moved down from Chicago and that I was an Obama supporter all along, and I didn't have the nerve to try and console these people that were more than twice my age. After discussing amongst themselves for 15+ minutes about how Obama is unelectable, my coworker finally mentioned, "Well, John is for Obama -- he's from Chicago." So my cover was blown. I had to explain myself, and explain how I though Obama was also a strong nominee. I explained to them why I thought Obama appealed to us: He is an outsider at a time when people totally distrust entrenched Washington interests, and he has raised all his money without the help from lobbyists or special interests. One responded that they thought Obama would be the next Carter. I sort of laughed and said "we'll see".

But these people were discouraged. Being in Florida and having your votes not count YET AGAIN can really take the wind out of their sails, especially if you have been a women's rights activist all of your life and you want your vote for a legitimate woman contender for president to count. These people have been disenfranchised and excluded enough!

As a ardent supporter of both Obama and Dean, I call on both to just seat the Florida delegates and put this dispute behind them. Obama will win the delegate count anyways. Yes, Florida broke the rules and held their primary too soon. Yes, it's important to set a precedent that states that move around their primaries will not be punished. But it's also important not to disenfranchise Florida voters yet again. It doesn't matter how you view it from Washington or Chicago, these people and their mothers and their mothers' mothers have been working all their life to have women's votes count.

I don't agree with Hillary's politics, I don't think she is the best woman candidate for President, and I don't even like her personality. But the Democratic party is not about what I think, or what we think here at Daily Kos, or what Howard Dean thinks the rules are. It's about what we all think, and it's about including everyone. That means that even if you are old and from Florida, your voice and your tireless work for the Democratic party should not go unheard! Dean needs to seat the Florida delegates in full, and he needs to reach out to the voters and activists down here. It's not going to overturn the results of the primary. So just do it, Howard.

Furthermore, Obama needs to reach out to these women voters who have worked all their life for women's rights. He needs to nominate a woman for VP. I think Kathleen Sebelius is that woman. She is sharp, competent, and can win in conservative districts. Furthermore, she is a Catholic, which is a constituency where it wouldn't hurt Obama to make up ground. This article explains it more succinctly than I can.



Except that I would argue that the fact that she is a woman is convincing, as well. But, as the article states, her credentials go far beyond that. The change this country wants is a change for everyone: whites, blacks, men, women, educated, uneducated, city, country. Barack Obama symbolizes that change because of his progressive politics, his decision to run a campaign without special interests, and yes, because of the color of his skin. And Sebelius symbolizes that change as well, because she has proven that she can unite both conservative and liberals in one of the reddest of states while still having a strong, progressive record, and yes, also because she is a woman. Together an Obama/Sebelius ticket would be virtually unbeatable. Hillary still would have an important job in the Senate. And we would have, as our leaders of the United States of America, two people whose brothers' and sisters' journey through our country's history has been grueling, painstaking, sometimes humiliating, and sometimes life-threatening -- and this was just to get the right to vote and be treated as simply equal to everybody else. It's an overwhelming journey that our forefathers and foremothers have taken though the last 230+ years, but this election is about them. It's not about me, it's not about Daily Kos, it's not about Howard Dean, it's not about the blogosphere: It's about the journey for equality. And we can't leave women out this time. They are every bit as much a part of this non-violent revolution through time as blacks are, as progressives are, as Hispanics are, as we all are. The women in this country deserve this: a woman leader.

it will help with the women vote, kansas and ohio since her dad used to be gov there.

Is KS that important?

Just throwing things out there.

culture war versus the perceived need for a change away from policies
that many of these voters supported for decades.

Maybe we can call them the Franks voters, in reference to teh book 'What's the matter with Kansas?'

But the title could just as well be. What's the matter with Kansas, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

I keep asking myself who would do best against Paul, my guess for wide stance Veep, in a debate. She is not a stirring orator, but I have heard her give a very lucid interview.

"Hillary still would have an important job in the senate." Thanks for throwing her (and her supporters down there) such a great bone.

Most of your post was sincere and heartfelt but that is what sticks in the craw for a lot of Senator Clinton supporters-that "oh well she can have her current job." And it is more annoying coming from a male. In the senate she is one among many-in the Number One Observatory Circle she has a major role.

I must have missed that in the last six years. The KDP has a DLC flavor IMO.

There also might be a problem with her Catholicism as I read recently

http://www.theleaven.com/columnists/archbishop_naumann.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Schweitzer

I can dream.

Both know how to deal with the culture war.

Winning that war is a precondition for a lasting Progressive political majority.

America needs to stop getting letting state attny genls go on panty raids at planned parenthood clinics. That is what Kansas was like. Creation science textbooks, that was Kansas.

We rejected theocracy, we rejected the invasion of privacy to encourage morality.

But even without her on the ticket, do not count Kansas out. I hear Wyandotte countians for McCain held a rally in a phone booth last week.

So a moderate Midwestern dem would be a good idea for that.

there are a few Kansans here who most assuredly do *not* want her on the national ticket because they feel that she is too badly needed here, where we are fighting big energy, big mil-biz, and big chemagro-biz.

Also, the culture war is not won here. I sense a rise in the blue tide, from out our few blue counties, across the state. The economy, oil, trade, immigration, the environment-climate, and our place in the community of nations-- all causes for concern to my neighbors.

Gov Sebelius fit almost every demand for the VP spot. She is a term limited governor, will appeal to women (HRC voters feeling disenfranchised), from a potential swing state, can bring other states in the region (Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska?) and she has executive experience.

than Michelle Obama is or Randi Rhodes is or Eva Braun was or Nicole Richie! While it's "nice" to hear more than rabid, right-wing insults from Obama supporters, you must realize how PATRONizing your post sounds. The majority of Clinton supporters are not just supporting her because she is female; they think she's the right person for the job. You might take note that she appeals to a broader base of the Democratic party than Obama does. Obama gets wealthy Caucasians, most African Americans and college kids (whom we all know are the least reliable voting bloc.) Clinton gets working people of all ethnicities (including the very important Hispanic and Asian voters), seniors, women and GLBTs; most of her supporters can be relied upon to show up at the polls and they are the people who have been most harmed by the Republican elitist agenda which they see personified, once again, in Obama. There is a reason these people respond to her and it has nothing to do with her gender; she's been shat on, tarred and feathered, hung out to dry by the same corporate cabal who fuck "the American people" over every single day. And, yes, I agree that it is a national embarrassment that our country is so misogynistic as to have never elected a female President.

She's my Governor.
I have seen what she has done in and for Kansas.
She's certainly not as progressive as I am, but few are.

If the Democratic Party wants someone who could use both the carrot and the stick with the remnants of the post 08 widestance party, we could do worse than Kathleen.

It is late, and I am a bit snarky from pain.

What I was trying to say is that my enthusiasm for her as veep was not based on being a substitute for Sen. Clinton. If that was not your thesis, then I am more tired than I thought.

It was no more based on gender, than my support for Obama is based on race.

Other than she is a woman? Is she inspirational? Is she a progressive? What are her best qualities?

http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Should_Obama_Pick_Sebelius_as_VP__5659.html

;)

she's been a good governor of KS
she represnets the heartland not Washington
she has roots in Ohio, her father had been governor of that state
She is a smart and well spoken person.

It seems really apparent to me that a lot of women see Hillary as their "last chance" before they die and Obama took that away from them. They just can't fathom that Hillary did herself in upon the bad advice of the myriad idiots that surround her (Bill included). It is likely they will "take it out" on Obama in November.

However, Sebelius offers a new start and she is young enough and has the credentials to run for President in 8 years.

Finally, she is from Ohio and has ties in Michigan. I think she'd be a ringer in Michigan, help in Ohio and make a real difference in Florida.

So, for me, Sebelius is the best VP choice right now.

I know people want a "security" VP but I think that's hogwash. A lot of people vote their "identity" and Sebelius is female, middle aged, good looking, well spoken, with silver hair. She has a high Q score and good political record with solid "heartland" roots.

She is the perfect choice for Obama right now.