Despite Representative Paul Ryan‘s (R-Wis.) call to see HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius‘ job on the chopping block, the idea of an impossible confirmation hearing keeps her safe. The Obamacare website has heard anything but good news the past few weeks. Though the president and Sebelius point to the “good product” (i.e. health insurance) that’s available on the exchanges, the glitches have overpowered the news cycle.
“Democrats know the people opposed to the law would never let another person who backed the law through unscathed and would instead use the confirmation hearings to relitigate the Affordable Care Act–to subpoena reams of information, chase headline-grabbing leads and, overall, do whatever they could to delay or derail it,” Politico reports.
“No one that the administration could pick to replace her could ever be confirmed–not even the Lord himself,” Jim Manley, a former top aide to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said to Politico. “The animus is such that they would find something to criticize Him over.”
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But it’s not just Republicans who stand to gain points with a symbolic gesture against Sebelius.
. . . the thinking in some quarters is that, despite Democratic control of the Senate, vulnerable Democrats might benefit from getting to cast a vote against Obamacare by voting against any nominee. Avoiding that vote, people familiar with the situation say, is part of why there has been eagerness to see her stay in place for a second term, despite whatever problems or desire for change existed.
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