Hit & Run Thoughts

• An activist friend of mine and I speculated over email whom President Obama might nominate as Secretary of Health and Human Services now that Tom Daschle dropped out. In a moment of delightful snark he wrote, “Maybe Obama will appoint another Republican. I don’t think we have enough of those in the cabinet.” With New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg’s nomination as Commerce Secretary, the Obama Administration will have three Republicans in his cabinet. President George W. Bush only had one Democrat in his cabinet following the contested results in Florida after the 2000 election. Think about it.
  

• I don’t agree with Republicans very often. However, I appreciated Republican Texas Congressman Ted Poe, who recently said that the new Mets baseball stadium should be called “Taxpayer Stadium” instead of Citifield. Damn straight!
  

• One legacy President Bill Clinton can be proud of is Supreme Court Justice Judith Bader Ginsburg. Earlier today it was learned that Justice Ginsburg has pancreatic cancer. Too me Ginsburg has always epitomized what a Supreme Court Justice should be: principled yet open minded, fair, dignified and low-key. How awful that such a classy lady has to endure something so painful.

• Elections do matter, even when the pace of change is not fast enough (see my previous post). Today President Obama signed The State Child Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (SCHIP). Granted it's not universal healthcare but with one stroke of the pen, Obama reversed one of the cruler domestic pieces of George W. Bush's presidency.