Breaking news: Fireworks between Brownback and conservative leaders
Every week conservative leaders meet with congressional leaders at separate off-the-record House and Senate Values Action Team meetings.
Senate Sam Brownback hosts VAT meetings on the Senate side.
Today’s VAT meeting saw the room uncharacteristically packed with pro-family group leaders as well as congressional staffers….
Brownback brought an ally to the meeting, Senator John Cornyn, although Cornyn did say he would oppose Sebelius’ nomination.
Brownback agreed KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was a bad choice for HHS Secretary. He said he could think of more reasons than anyone there to oppose her, but he hoped group members would take politics into consideration – that it would help Republicans in the long run to get Sebelius out of KS. Rumor was she had her eye on his Senate seat, he said.
Brownback only apologized for not communicating his decision better to groups. But he said he would not change his mind.
That’s when Family Research Council’s Tom McClusky stood up. He told Brownback he was wrong, that now Sebelius would be the country’s problem. He said FRC would score the Sebelius vote, a big deal to conservative senators.
McClusky said FRC was pulling out of Senate VAT meetings. Brownback offered to resign as Senate VAT facilitator.
After the dust settled, it was unclear who, if anyone, was resigning.
Per my source, “Brownback needlessly drove a wedge into the conservative movement. His action basically allows the other side to say, ‘Those opposing Sebelius are to the right of Brownback, and how crazy can that be?’
“The Sebelius nomination could have been a wonderful opportunity to debate the life issue,” my source continued. “Brownback was insulting. It would be sad but poetic justice if Sebelius used her new national prominence to go back to KS and raise money against Brownback (who is rumored to plan to run for governor in 2010).”
There is also now a rift among Brownback’s staff, I’m told.
I’m proud of Tom McClusky.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
It appears that this strategy by Brownback is just another version of some kind of INCREMENTALIST pro-life strategy.
Look, if you can claim that promoting and supporting pro-abortion laws with minor and unenforceable restrictions in them qualifies as a legitimate pro-life strategy then why not also include Brownback’s strategy here as part of a carefully and compassionately thought out pro-life strategy with the aim of saving lives in Kansas?
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Sebelius will be easily confirmed and the far right’s latest try for attention and money will quickly fade away.
Your “source,” Stanek? Journalists have sources. You’re a blogger, you have gossip. Too bad you haven’t learned to confine your rumors to your nearest friends over a cup of coffee. Then again, I can see how that would be difficult for you. It requires having friends.
You ok, lollie?
Bloggers can’t have sources? Wow… news to me. (Maybe somebody needs to look up what the word “source” means.)
Lollie:
First, your finger is not on the pulse. New media is overtaking old media, in part because old media doesn’t care about or understand such topics as this.
Second, my reputation is all I’ve got. I don’t post flimsy gossip.
Third, I detect sour grapes.
Browback is a turncoat, period. But then, most politicians are oportunists, not moral agents.
Good Morning Jill,
Journalists have sources? Since when have we had any responsible journalists? All we have is Chris Matthews and his leg tingles, Tom Brokaw and his awe stricken seagulls (rats with feathers), and Charlie Rose and Brokaw acknowledging they don’t know anything about Obama, oblivious to the fact it is their responsiblity as “journalists” to answer questions about him, not to sit there and scratch their heads.
Sources? Is that what Dan Rather had for his “story?”
Keep up the good work Jill!
Message to Brownback: DON’T DUMP YOUR KANSAS TRASH IN WASHINGTON, D.C.!
Message to Doyle: Brownback didn’t appoint her, Obama did! Get it straight!
I’m inclined to think that Obama will be appointing a pro-choice HHS secretary no matter how much noise we make.
Make the noise, yes; but good things can result if he takes from one high-priority position to feed another. Look what happened in Arizona, with the Abortion Consent Act that FINALLY passed.
Granted, Sebelius’s successor is not pro-life, but is probably far less likely to win re-election than her in an otherwise normally republican state.
Also, these high-level positions seem like a precursor to controversy lately. For someone with enough skeletons in her closet already, I’d say let’s let them point the spotlight on her.
That being said, I think she’d be a horrible HHS secretary – I fear the things she wants to do, and I’d like to see the remaining pro-life senators flex some muscle. But you gotta play the hand you’re dealt.
Message to Doyle: Brownback didn’t appoint her, Obama did! Get it straight!
No, but he certainly supports it, because Sebelius is Brownback’s competition in his bid for Kansas governor. I wholeheartedly supported Sam’s campaign in order to REMOVE Kathleen and the evil she wrought upon the unborn of Kansas. Her HHS position simply means that now she’ll wreak her evil on the entire nation.
The ends don’t justify the means. If Sammy thinks that he will recompense for the evil Kathleen will do in Washington through his influence as governor, that still doesn’t justify supporting her in a position of great influence. The right response to people as wicked as she is would be: I am going to REMOVE you, not MOVE you.
She’s a friend of George Tiller, who likes to kill babies as they’re being born. Any questions?
There’s hope yet, maybe she doesn’t pay her taxes, like some of Obama’s appointees.
Way to go, Tom!
Sam Brownback has sold out to the political machine. Very very disappointing
Mr. Brownback has held a constant vigil on Capitol Hill. he has been a constant voice for life and is a praying man.
I think it would be a shame to “kill” the integrity of this man so quickly. Perhaps, we should reach out to him in humility as he has time after time.
To bash him at the flip of a hat – to turn on him so quickly is only a microchasm of a deeper issue in the pro-life community.
I for one am grateful for what he has done in the Senate and across this nation and am not willing to turn my back on a friend of our cause to end abortion.
I undersand Sebelius took this position because she anticipated losing reelection as governor.
Mary, I believe she was term-limited.
Yes, this is Sebelius’ second term as governor, and she cannot run for a third term. So, there would have been no chance of her running against Brownback in the next race for KA governor.
A commenter on the American Papist blog wrote that Brownback has made a pledge to limit his time in the Senate, and because of this will not be running for reelection to the Senate in 2010.
If Sebelius remained in KA, she could run for Senate in 2010, but not for governor. So, if Brownback’s pledge to self-limit his term is for real, then again they would not have been running against each other for the Senate even if she stayed in KA.
So, if she stayed in KA she would still not be a competitor to elected office against Brownback, either for Governor or Senator, unless Brownback plans to run again for Senate.
Regardless of any of this, I don’t understand why Brownback did not choose to simply remain quiet. What possible big advantage was there for him to sign on to such a glowing statement of praise for her appointment??? I don’t get it. He could have maintained his integrity without serious political repercussions, if he had just stayed on the side and made no public remark on her appointment. Where does the spine of politicians go to sometimes?
Regardless of any of this, I don’t understand why Brownback did not choose to simply remain quiet. What possible big advantage was there for him to sign on to such a glowing statement of praise for her appointment??? I don’t get it. He could have maintained his integrity without serious political repercussions, if he had just stayed on the side and made no public remark on her appointment. Where does the spine of politicians go to sometimes?
Posted by: Scott Johnston at March 4, 2009 6:00 PM
Maybe he meant what he said. That’s integrity too.
Brownback Backing Sebelius for HHS Post (Update: In his defense, 2nd Update: Linked, 3rd Update – Fireworks Fly)
I was pretty shocked when I learned that Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) decided to back Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ (D-Kansas) appointment as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Primebuzz/Kansas City Star reports:
After a day o…