Why Sebelius and not Napolitano?

[Bucky]

I've seen Kathleen Sebelius's name pop up all over DU whenever VPs are brought up. But I really got turned off to her prospects as a national candidate when she gave the official Democratic response to Bush's lastest Make-Believe State of the Union address. She was so dull & unlively, so prosaic & plodding in her delivery that I simply couldn't sit through it. Whatever her merits as an administrator, I just don't see her as that strong a candidate when her delivery is so lackluster, I doubt she could persuade me to vote to keep the sky blue. I don't think she'd cost us any points in an election, but I just don't see what she'd add other than the very very remote chance of flipping Kansas. And frankly, if the Democrats are in a position to flip Kansas this November, it probably doesn't matter who we nominate.

On the other hand I've also seen Janet Napolitano give a righteous humdinger of a speech on a couple of occasions and her state, Arizona, is a bit more diverse than Kansas. She couldn't carry her state, of course, but she could certainly force the Republicans to defend their home turf. And her stage presense is such that I can also see her having a strong appeal in the more purplish Rust Belt states. If we're looking at governors, I'd think either she or Brian Schweitzer of Montana would be stronger contenders than Gov Sebelius.

Can someone enlighten me here? Is there something else more compelling in the case for Sebelius? Did I just catch her on an off night?

[sniffa]

1. I'm guessing because she's from McCain's state?

:shrug:

[ChazII]

4. Being from Arizona

I agree. It would make for an interesting race though. imho. :evilgrin:

[MADem]

2. Because there is a persistent rumor that Napolitano is gay.

I don't know, or care, if it is true, or it is not true, but all voters are not me, and that is likely the reason why.

If you think Hillary catches hell for her "appearance," the "fun" would just be beginning with Napolitano. You'd see some sexism and gender bias on STEROIDS with that pick.

[Bucky]

8. Whoa. Just googled it.

Got this picture...


This trash...
"There is hope for some of you McCainiacs. He can win the presidency if Obama wins the Democrat nomination and chooses Janet Napolitano as his VP, as some are hinting at. Many of the older generation in this country are barely ready to vote for a woman or African-American, much less an African-American running with a gay woman."

And this splash of coffee in the face...
"The Rumors: 'Napolitano, who has never been married or had children, has long been the subject of a whisper campaign about her sexuality, including some dirty campaign tricks in 2002 when "vote gay" fliers were posted next to her campaign signs. She is not gay, she has said, "just a straight, single workaholic." '--- The Arizona Republic, Sept 24, 2006

Gov Napolitano opposes same-sex marriage, and supports an Arizona law barring gay marriages. She opposed the Federal Marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution on the grounds of states rights."


Good God, I fucking hate our species sometimes.

[Alexander]

3. Napolitano could put AZ in play. She'd be an excellent VP choice.

She's from a border state, so she helps with immigration and foreign policy.

She's seen as moderate and pro-gun.

She's a Clinton appointee.

She's about as popular in Arizona as McCain.

[saracat]

14. See my post below. No way is this a good idea and I like Janet but this is NOT a good idea.

[Alexander]

16. Your post where you gave inaccurate figures on the Arizona primary turnout?

No thanks, I'll pass.

[featherman]

5. Can't beat McCain in AZ so a bit of a waste... she's great otherwise

[Ron Green]

6. "Obama-Napolitano." If you say it 5 times real fast,

your eyes will cross and remain that way.

I think that's the reason.

[Bucky]

10. Actually "Obama Napolitano" is a Portuguese-Brazilian phrase meaning

"I'm gonna kick your ass smiling, bomb-iran boy". Gimme a sec and I'll look up the babelfish page providing this translation.

[FrenchieCat]

7. Because it's a threefer.......Kansas, Ohio and a Woman without baggage

She’s gov of Kansas, and her father was the Governor of Ohio.

She was born in Ohio and didn't leave till she was 26.

She's Catholic.

Sebelius was born and raised in a Catholic family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the Summit Country Day School, a Roman Catholic secondary school, followed by Trinity Washington University, a Roman Catholic university in Washington, D.C., and later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas. She moved to Kansas in 1974 at the age of 26, where she served for eight years as a representative in the Kansas Legislature and eight years as Insurance Commissioner before being elected governor.

Sebelius is the daughter of former Ohio governor John J. Gilligan, and thus they became the first father/daughter governor pair in the United States after her election.<3> Her husband K. Gary Sebelius<4> is a federal magistrate judge and the son of former U.S. Representative Keith Sebelius, a Republican. They have two sons. She also visits her childhood and current vacation home, located in Leland, Michigan, north of Traverse City, Michigan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius


Her dad:

John Joyce ("Jack") Gilligan (born March 22, 1921) is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and the 62nd governor of Ohio.

Gilligan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1939, the University of Notre Dame in 1943 and the University of Cincinnati in 1947, serving in between in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean as a destroyer gunnery officer. He was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in action at Okinawa.

After the war, Gilligan returned to Cincinnati to teach literature at Xavier University from 1948 to 1953. He also served as member of the Cincinnati city council from 1953 to 1963, and was a candidate for Ohio Congressman-at-Large in 1962. In 1964 he was elected to the Eighty-ninth Congress as a representative for Ohio's 1st district, serving from January 3, 1965-January 3, 1967. Gilligan lost his re-election bid to the Ninetieth Congress in 1966 to Republican Robert Taft Jr. after the Ohio General Assembly redrew his district to be more Republican. In 1968, Gilligan defeated sitting U.S. Senator Frank J. Lausche in the Democratic primary; however, he lost in the general election to Republican William B. Saxbe.

Gilligan won the election for the Governorship of Ohio in 1970, defeating Republican Roger Cloud, and serving from 1971 to 1975. Gilligan lost the governorship to Republican James A. Rhodes in a tight race in 1974. He subsequently served as the administrator of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1977 to 1979. He served as director of the Institute for Public Policy from 1979 to 1986, and taught at the University of Notre Dame from 1986 to 1992. He also served as director of the civic issues forum at the University of Cincinnati School of Law.

In 1999, at age 78, Gilligan was elected to the Board of Education of the Cincinnati Public Schools. He chose not to stand for re-election when his term expired in 2007.

Gilligan is the father of four children, including Kathleen Sebelius, the current governor of Kansas. They constitute the first father-daughter pair of governors in the United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Gilligan

[saracat]

9. Because , as we have no Lt. Gov and our SOS who would succeed her is

an arch RW nut case and Arizona would be furious and not support her if she did this to us? Plus, Janet has already lost a lot of moderate support for endorsing Obama, and it was the GOP and the moderates who elected Janet. She has said so herself. AZ went for Hillary in the primary and WILL go for McCain in the general. In the Primary the GOP outvoted the Dems 3 to 1 for Mccain and many don't like him. They voted 3 times the amount of votes of Hillary, Obama, and Edwards "combined". What does that tell you?
We in Arizona cannot afford to lose Janet.We have a RW Nutball legislature.Janet as VP is a really dumb idea.

[sfam]

13. Wow, didn't know that.

[skipos]

15. Where are you getting your primary numbers? Look here:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#val=AZ

[stahbrett]

11. because Sebelius is generally considered more attractive

In our shallow society, a lot comes down to the looks of candidates, unfortunately. I think it's one reason Kucinich hasn't done better nationally.

[sfam]

12. I actually liked her response to the State of the Union. Thought it was measured and clear...

She also is a terrific a governor and is well respected by conservatives in a red state. But the icing is that her father is a former governor of Ohio. What she would offer is a very competent, confident statured woman who seems to have good chemistry with Obama. This should attract the women from Hillary's base and more importantly perhaps, independents and conservatives, not to mention Catholics.

That said, I have no problems with Napolitano. I would be very happy with this choice for reasons you state. She seems to be better at connecting with the little guy than perhaps Sebelius is. Both would help out west.