Subject: Kathleen Sebelius

• The Plant's Dead, But the Fallout's Still Coming Down

  October 24, 2007

• The New Polluters: Joggers

  December 8, 2007

• Daily Briefs: Suspicious Packages, Steroidal Teens, Flesh-Eating Bacteria

  January 16, 2008

• Daily Briefs: Sebelius Upstaged, Guitar Hero Debunked, Parks Board Revisited

  January 29, 2008

• Kathleen’s Kiss of Death?

  April 4, 2008

• Daily Briefs: Suburban Blight, the Phelpses, Smoking Ban Fatalities

  April 4, 2008

• Who Needs Assault Weapons? Kansans, It Seems

  April 22, 2008

• A John Sebelius Update

  May 5, 2008

• The Sebelius Veepwatch Continues

  August 19, 2008

• Sebelius Veepwatch: Just Friggin' Announce it, Already

  August 22, 2008

• Sebelius Doesn't Make VP Cut, but Cuts a Rug Instead

  August 26, 2008

• Mrs. Sebelius doesn't go to Washington

  So the big political news over the weekend was that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has taken herself out of the running for any possible cabinet position in the Obama administration.Yawn.Now Sebelius says she wants to focus on Kansas' massive budget challenges rather than joining the Obama administration. That's a noble sentiment. But I'm inclined to believe the state Republicans' theory that she was never in serious consideration. Over the weekend, Kansas party chair Kris Kobach told the Star: "

  December 8, 2008

• Stealing Time: Troll calls Derek Donovan a douche

  It's hard out there for our buddy, Derek Donovan. The Kansas City Star's reader representative tries to explain why the daily dropped anonymous commenting from its Web site (a good move) and gets promptly called a douche bag. Guess the trolls still take their toll. Did you notice that Lewis Diuguid's column ended? News to me. Bottom Line points out that Diuguid doesn't sound happy about the death of his column. At least he still has a job.Midtown Miscreant reminds you why you should always have

  December 8, 2008

• A hero's nomination for Governor Sebelius

  It wasn't long ago that eco-activists called Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius a coward on environmental issues. When the controversy over massive new coal-fired power plants in western Kansas erupted in 2006, Sebelius was conspicuously MIA. How times have changed. At the 11th hour, Sebelius' administration grew a pair and denied the power plants permit, provoking conservatives to hijack the legislative session in their attempts to reverse the decision. Even hung with the albatross of being an

  December 23, 2008

• Sebelius gives State of State address

  Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius just delivered her seventh State of the State address. I don't blame you if you watched 24 instead. Lots of "we" talk. It wasn't a thriller, but if you want to read the whole thing, it's after the jump.

  January 12, 2009

• Kansas GOP answers Sebelius

  The Kansas Republican Party is attacking Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' lack of budget solutions in her State of the State address. Hey, she mentioned the word "budget" six times. After the jump, more Kris Kobach (pictured) and Christian Morgan than you can handle.

  January 12, 2009

• Sebelius pisses off Ronald Reagan fan club

  Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius apparently has more important things to do than celebrate a dead president's 98th birthday. Sebelius pissed off the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project when she didn't proclaim last Friday "Ronald Reagan Day." Grover Norquist's thong got twisted. "By refusing to honor President Reagan, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has put pusillanimous petty partisanship above patriotism," Norquist said. "Gov. Sebelius should be ashamed." Or Sebelius had better things to do. But hurry, Guv. You

  February 9, 2009

• Sebelius a hot cabinet name, but does she pay her taxes?

  After the whole Tom Daschle debacle, Dirt Diver Kansas asks the only two questions that matter about Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' potentially nabbing a nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services:Governor, if you are nominated by President Obama for a position in his cabinet, can you say now that you do not have any tax problems that could derail your nomination?If nominated, are you confident you could get through the Senate confirmation process?I did a quick Kansas tax warrant sear

  February 5, 2009

• Mark Parkinson ready to put on his big boy pants

  Mark ParkinsonI once thought Kathleen Sebelius taking a cabinet position would be a good thing for Kansas Democrats. Not anymore. Especially after this morning's news that Kansas Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson is "ready to serve" if needed. Great, Mark. You're good to go. But you didn't change your mind about running for governor in 2010. And that ain't going to help your new party come next election. So if the monotone, white-haired wonder does bolt for D.C., Kansas Dems are left with a lame duck gove

  February 9, 2009

• Sebelius is kinda sorta gone but not really

  Kathleen SebeliusThe New York Times' declaration that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is President Barack Obama's choice for secretary of health and human services might have been premature. CBS News quoted a White House source who called the Times article "overstated" but said Sebelius was still "one of the top choices." So Kansas Republicans can stop celebrating about ... now.Hat tip to Kansas Jackass.

  February 19, 2009

• Wanted in Kansas: Leaders

  One topic among the punditry last week was the certainty that the Kansas Legislature will re-fight the battle over coal-fired power plants in Holcomb, Kansas.To recap: Sunflower Electric Power Corporation wants to expand. Some stuck-in-the-past legislators want to let Sunflower build coal plants, saying the project will bring desperately needed jobs to the western part of the state. Last year, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, after some serious prodding, put a stop to the polluting, old-world project. No

  February 23, 2009

• Lawmakers kick and scream over transfer of Gitmo detainees

  The U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, in Kansas, is one potential site to which Guantanamo Bay (Check out this week's feature story "Guantanamo's Last Days") detainees could be transferred. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback toured the site on December 4 and declared that it wasn't secure enough to hold Guantanamo's prisoners. On January 28, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that contained eight bullet-pointed reasons why the barracks was

  February 26, 2009

• Brownback congratulates Sebelius on HHS nomination. Will it haunt him in 2010?

  Kathleen SebeliusFire up the "Truth Truck." President Barack Obama is expected to name Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius his nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services today (watch it live at noon), and that's not going to make anti-abortion group Operation Rescue happy. For weeks, they've been criticizing Sebelius as unfit to serve because she hearts abortion. They released this nifty "fact sheet" chaining Sebelius to Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller. They also e-mailed around this ne

  March 2, 2009

• Emancipation Proclamation

  January 20, 2005

• In case you missed it video: Obama nominates Sebelius for HHS

  I was in a meeting yesterday, so I didn't get to watch President Barack Obama's nominate Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for secretary of Health and Human Services. Also missed the news last night. I was with Harper at the Modest Mouse show. I finally found highlights from the presser this morning on the Associated Press' YouTube site.

  March 3, 2009

• Brownback in Operation Rescue's doghouse

  Sam BrownbackYesterday, I wondered what Operation Rescue thought of U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback congratulating Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on her nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services. Looks like Brownback officially made the Wichita anti-abortion group's shit list. Operation Rescue President Troy Newman sent out a typo-filled e-mail today. Here's an excerpt:"It is unimaginable that a Catholic pro-lifer such as Sen. Brownback would support Sebelius' nomination to a post where she ca

  March 3, 2009

• Operation Rescue president piles on family of plane crash victims

  Troy NewmanI'm really sick of the abortion wars. George Tiller gets acquitted, then the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts announces new allegations against the Wichita abortion doctor. Then come the howls that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius isn't fit to be secretary of Health and Human Services ... because she's for abortion rights. Even after she signs a law that anti-abortion folks should be happy about. They're not happy. Nothing's good enough. Then we get an e-mail from Wichita-based Operati

  March 30, 2009

• Lt. Gov Mark Parkinson's comfy solution to global warming

  Kansas Lt. Governor Mark ParkinsonWhen Governor Kathleen Sebelius tapped Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson to co-chair the Kansas Energy Council in 2007, it signaled her attention to pressing issues like renewable power and global warming. Now, with Sebelius heading to Washington after standing defiantly against the construction of new coal-fired power plants, many environmentalists in the Sunflower State are hoping Parkinson will step into his predecessors eco-friendly shoes. So when Parkins

  April 1, 2009

• Crap! Kathleen Sebelius has tax problems, too

  Kathleen SebeliusTake that unpaid taxes. I just paid mine today. I guess Health and Human Services nominee and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius also just paid hers. The Kansas City Star says Sebelius and her husband owed about $8,000 in income taxes between 2005 and 2007 and paid up (plus interest) after discovering she was delinquent.Back in February, I did a quick Kansas tax warrant search online, and neither Sebelius' name nor her husband's businesses came up. Expect to hear m

  April 1, 2009

• Bob Dole wants Sebelius confirmed ... stat

  Former U.S. Sen. Bob DoleLoved this quote from former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole on hurrying up and getting Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius confirmed before the Senate goes into recess.  "So if you guys can all, you know, do something."Beautiful. Doesn't sound like it'll happen before the recess but does sound like Sebelius will be confirmed.

  April 3, 2009

• As Kathleen Sebelius leaves to help Barack Obama reform health care in Washington, here’s a checkup on what happened in Kansas

  April 9, 2009

• Consumers Union, 29 groups ask Sebelius to veto hormone milk bill

  Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports and Consumerist, has sent a long letter to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius regarding Kansas House Bill 2121. Twenty-nine groups involved in agricultural and food production added their signatures to a copy and sent it as well. Flickr: LauraThe letters have to do with milk labeling. HB 2121 would require producers who say their cows were not treated with rBGT, rBST or other hormones to add this disclaimer: "The Food and Drug Administration has deter

  April 14, 2009

• In the new economy, even jackasses have to work a little harder

  February 26, 2009

• Kansas coal fight in NY Times

  Kathleen SebeliusGreen Inc., The New York Times' blog on energy and the environment, noticed Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' coal bill veto. Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt even conceded that a veto override is unlikely. But here's the key:The battle in Kansas could have real-world effects on electricity prices in the state. Coal is the cheapest source of electricity generation in this country -- and as my colleague Felicity Barringer noted in a recent article, reducing coal consumption in t

  April 15, 2009

• The Idiot Son: A Board Game

  John Sebelius shouldn't stop at tasteless jokes about prison rape. How about a game about being an untouchable offspring of a governor?

  February 7, 2008

• The Spotlight's Red Glare

  With sparks flying between politicians — and the national media — it’s a typical week in Kansas.

  June 29, 2006

• Letters from the week of April 23

  April 23, 2009

• Senate committee to vote on Sebelius' nomination Tuesday

  Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is expected to be confirmed as the next health secretary Kathleen Sebeliusdespite heavy opposition from anti-abortion groups and a powerful Republican senator.The next step is Tuesday when the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on whether to send Sebelius' nomination before the full Senate. CQ Politics reports that ranking Republican Chuck Grassley is making noise about Sebelius understating her campaign donations from Wichita abortion doctor George Tille

  April 20, 2009

• Senate to vote on Sebelius confirmation

  Kathleen SebeliusKansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is on the verge of getting this swine flu problem dumped in her lap -- unless anti-abortion activists and Sarah Palin's peeps get their way (they've already failed once). A majority of the U.S. Senate is expected to vote to confirm Sebelius as secretary of Health and Human Services this afternoon. That hasn't stopped Sarah Palin's online fan club, Team Sarah, from trying to foil Sebelius' confirmation via arm-twisting U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback. You kn

  April 28, 2009

• Swine flu in Platte County? Let's get ready to panic!

  Break out the surgical masks and get ready to panic. The news says someone in Platte County may have swine flu. A sample from the person was sent to the Centers for Disease Control for confirmation (Missouri has yet to be listed on the CDC's board of "confirmed cases") but it could be just a matter of hours before the Show-Me State gets the recognition it so richly deserves. Take that Kansas! You know what else we know? Just about nothing -- other than the world being on the verge of a pandemic.

  April 30, 2009

• Watch Kathleen Sebelius answer questions about swine flu

  Here's the lunchtime conversation we've all been waiting for. Former Kansas Gov. and newly minted secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius will answer questions about the regrettably unsexy H1N1 -- aka, the titillating swine flu. Wash your dirty hands and click on the webcast of Sebelius -- and guest stars Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Centers for Disease Control's acting director, Dr. Richard Besser -- below. And the hysteria continues. Fox

  April 30, 2009

• Parkinson backs coal-fired power plant

  That didn't take long. Not even a week after the U.S. Senate confirmed Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of Health and Human Services, and Mark Parkinsonnewly minted Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson has agreed to a deal that will allow Sunflower Electric to build a new coal-fired power plant in Holcomb. I checked in with The Pitch's Carolyn Szczepanski, who pays way more attention to power plants and coal than I do. She had a couple of quick, admittedly knee-jerk reactions:1) [Parkinson] was talking last

  May 5, 2009

• Seblius on the hot seat at House Ways and Means

  Former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius made her first appearance before Congress as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary this week. For those of you who are wondering how the Obama administration's health-care reform effort will play out (or are just interested in following Sebelius' progress), the House Ways and Means Committee's home-page has an intriguing synopsis of how it went, complete with YouTubes of key exchanges.Essentially, the administration wants to please everyone and avoid givin

  May 8, 2009

• Kansas health-care reform official resigns

  Late Friday afternoon, the Kansas Health Policy Authority confirmed that its executive director, Marcia Nielsen, would soon be leaving the agency that's responsible for spending all of the state's health-care dollars and advising lawmakers on health-care policy (presumably so they can make good decisions about how to reform it). Nielsen was a key figure in former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' efforts to try to fix health care in Kansas. Marcia NielsenNielsen will take a job as Vice Chancellor of Publi

  May 11, 2009

• Health-care reform BS roundup for the week

  Health and Human Services Secretary (and former Kansas Governor) Kathleen Sebelius worked the Sunday morning talk-show circuit yesterday. The topic was health-care reform. ABC's George Stephanopoulos thinks the "news" he got out of their conversation was that "the secretary wouldn't commit to a presidential veto on health care reform legislation that adds to the federal deficit." He seemed most concerned about how Obama plans to pay for covering everyone. More helpful, however, would be some ser

  June 15, 2009

• Kathleen Sebelius offers lettuce sandwiches as health care reform on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

  Former Kansas Governor and current Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was talking health care reform on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night. Don't tell Sebelius about that fried Snickers you scarfed down while playing PlayStation 3, or she'll make you eat a lettuce sandwich and run around the block. I'll pass on the dinner invite, Secretary Sebelius. The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cKathleen Sebelius Pt. 1www.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesP

  July 16, 2009

• A sick, toxic summer of health care ends in a trip to the surgery center

  September 3, 2009

• Sebelius previews Obama's speech to Congress

  President Obama​After addressing schoolchildren yesterday, President Obama will address a group that only acts like children tonight in the prime-time hour when he tells Congress about his plans for health-care reform. In anticipation of the president's speech, Health and Human Services Secretary -- and former Kansas Governor -- Kathleen Sebelius released an audio preview. Listen to Sebelius' monotone delivery yourself or here's the transcript (highlights mine): "On Wednesday night, President

  September 9, 2009

• This is the change Kathleen Sebelius brings to D.C.?

  The H1N1 vaccine has arrived in the metro, thus staving off the spread of the zombie flu virus. Or so former Kansas Gov. and current Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius tells us. Wait, what if screamy John Cusack is right?Sebelius isn't just leaning on Elmo and Jay Leno to stop the spread of the flu. The silver-haired sneezing expert wanted the common man to help spread the word with a public service announcement video contest. Unfortunately, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes d

  October 9, 2009

• Sebelius taking health insurnace reform questions at 2:45 p.m.

  Kathleen Sebelius​Health and Human Services Secretary and former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be taking questions about health insurance reform at 2:45 p.m. today (although they seem to be running late). Feel free to chat her and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state up. Watch live here -- or follow the stream after the jump -- and toss 'em questions on Facebook.

  October 14, 2009