A word from the Native ...
CNN: Dashcle withdraws as HHS nominee
"Former Sen. Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a statement Tuesday from the White House.
"Daschle had been fighting to save his nomination after controversy over his tax records and questions over his work in a field that some consider lobbying.
"In a statement announcing his withdrawal, Daschle said it was an honor to be chosen to lead the reform of America's health care system.
"'But if 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction,' he said."
Frankly, I'm more than a little disappointed.
As a Native and as a South Dakotan, Tom Daschle was always more than a former Senate majority leader to me. He was a decent man who championed for the Native American community not just in his home state, but across the country, by serving on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
One of the reasons why I was extremely pleased on President Obama's Daschle-pick for Health and Human Services secretary was because health care is an especially important issues, particularly for Natives. All throughout my short life, I can remembers times when the Indian Health Service was all we had standing between us and death, and not in a metaphorical sense. IHS funding is absolutely crucial for Natives on the reservations and in urban areas for everything from preventative programs all the way to emergency services.
Sadly, IHS fell by the wayside over the last eight years and even before then. But in Daschle, a friend of the Native community, I held ridiculously high hopes that would change in an Obama administration. Unfortunately, it is ironic that in a statement on the Senate floor on May 5, 1999, then Senator Daschle said, "Make no mistake, tax cheaters, cheat us all and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter ... "
As I have been texting to friends this afternoon, sometimes, it really sucks to have Christ as president, you can't do anything fun.
"Former Sen. Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a statement Tuesday from the White House.
"Daschle had been fighting to save his nomination after controversy over his tax records and questions over his work in a field that some consider lobbying.
"In a statement announcing his withdrawal, Daschle said it was an honor to be chosen to lead the reform of America's health care system.
"'But if 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction,' he said."
Frankly, I'm more than a little disappointed.
As a Native and as a South Dakotan, Tom Daschle was always more than a former Senate majority leader to me. He was a decent man who championed for the Native American community not just in his home state, but across the country, by serving on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
One of the reasons why I was extremely pleased on President Obama's Daschle-pick for Health and Human Services secretary was because health care is an especially important issues, particularly for Natives. All throughout my short life, I can remembers times when the Indian Health Service was all we had standing between us and death, and not in a metaphorical sense. IHS funding is absolutely crucial for Natives on the reservations and in urban areas for everything from preventative programs all the way to emergency services.
Sadly, IHS fell by the wayside over the last eight years and even before then. But in Daschle, a friend of the Native community, I held ridiculously high hopes that would change in an Obama administration. Unfortunately, it is ironic that in a statement on the Senate floor on May 5, 1999, then Senator Daschle said, "Make no mistake, tax cheaters, cheat us all and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter ... "
As I have been texting to friends this afternoon, sometimes, it really sucks to have Christ as president, you can't do anything fun.