Palin v. Sebelius? "Team Sarah" Organizes Against Obama Pick

An online community of female supporters of Gov. Sarah Palin is launching a last minute campaign to derail the candidacy of Kathleen Sebelius for the secretary post at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Team Sarah, which was founded to support and mobilize for the McCain-Palin ticket and claims tens-of-thousands of members, blasted out a petition on Monday morning urging members to "flood the phone lines" in opposition to Sebelius' candidacy.

Hi Team!

Today's the day! Our Not on Our Watch! Phone Bank Blast is set for TODAY from 2pm - 4pm ET. Write a note & stick it on your forehead, set your cell phone alarm - do what you have to do to remember to make your calls TODAY!

Our goal is to flood the phone lines of the Senate Finance Committee and make our message heard loud and clear - NO SEBELIUS! Not on Our Watch!

For the complete project information, including the phone numbers of the members of the Senate Finance Committee, visit: http://www.teamsarah.org/profiles/blogs/team-sarah-announces-the-not or "gather around the Water Cooler.

Also, if you haven't sent out your postcards or letters yet, it's not too late! Send them out as soon as you can so that they reach the Senate Finance Committee this week.

Sebelius's nomination is set to come to a vote before the Senate Finance Committee this Tuesday, April 21. The nomination is expected to pass through the committee and ultimately the Senate, though on Friday the terrain got a bit rougher, when ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley criticized the Kansas Governor for understating the amount of money she raised from doctor who performs abortions -- likely the same revelation offending the Team Sarah members.

Progressive groups have been pushing for an expeditious confirmation of Sebelius for weeks, arguing that the administration is being disadvantaged by lacking a cabinet figure to tackle a subject of such key political and economy importance (health care).

Here, for instance, is the SEIU's petition:

Earlier this month, a Republican Senator put a mysterious hold on the confirmation of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Health and Human Services Secretary. It's hard to believe that while the clock ticks on fixing health care, the top leadership position in the government's health agency is left vacant. This is simply unacceptable.

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Comments

[MC in LV]

07:51 PM on 04/28/2009

Sebelius confirmed!

Epic failure by Team Sarah.

Get used to that losing feeling.

[billedwards]

10:33 AM on 04/28/2009

It's interesting that Palin, whose strategists are trying to figure out how to keep her in the news, keep (make?) her relevent, and appeal to her conservative base, has chosen this cabinet post issue as her first major, organized politico/media issue. Sarah (SarahSixPack.com) has a good deal of charisma, Fer sure!, but she's shown a marked lack of smarts in the national political arena, putting her foot in her mouth in so many ways. Given that the nation is desperate to have an HHS secretary in the face of the flu pandemic, this seems another terrible move on her part.

[sippewissett]

06:06 AM on 04/28/2009

I love that Gingrich has protested that the media exaggerates the extent to which Republicans are engaged in social issues (like abortion), but here we had Grassley, a GOP senator, sitting on the Sebalius nomination and a bunch of right-wing dingbats coming out in hordes to prevent someone from assuming office because of their ideological opposition to her. No wonder TeamSarah's Web site has been described by some as where "Christians go to preach intolerance."

However, I guess that for the GOP, the choice is to either continue the long, slow slide into oblivion or let all the fringe elements in under the tent. We just had 8 years of ideological intemperance and we're sick of it. The GOP simply continues to injure itself by moves like trying to block a competent person from serving the public on crucial HHS issues.

[MarianneEvans11]

01:31 PM on 04/22/2009

Palin really needs that gig on SNL....she keeps auditioning every day.

[rshrink]

11:59 AM on 04/22/2009

Sarah has been Palin around with evangelical terrorists.

[Timtheenchanter]

11:34 AM on 04/22/2009

Wonder if Team Sarah takes their marching orders from Queen Lim-baw?

[espresso4me]

09:54 PM on 04/21/2009

Best Freudian Typo: In an email from the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee:

“Governor Palin represents so many everyday average working people. She shares our conservative values and is our ***standard barrier*** [sic]. That is why I am so passionate about our work and cause here at the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee.”

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/04/20/bedtime-in-alaska-daily-roundup/?cp=1

[Timtheenchanter]

11:15 AM on 04/22/2009

LOL. She's a barrier all right.

[espresso4me]

09:08 PM on 04/21/2009

SEBELIUS...palin. There is only one real governor, one educated woman of substance of the two. The other one is simply a small-town thug supported by a Team! of thugs who are on a downward spiral.
Now what was that about "Not On Our Watch"?

[Phxflyer]

03:41 PM on 04/21/2009

Yet another battle Sarah lost.

[bazokbros]

03:34 PM on 04/21/2009

All this is immaterial because she's been appointed. I'm more disappointed that Sarah Palin and the Republicans receive more attention that is warranted for the sake of conflict.

Maybe the Democrats should have lost the election, at least that way the Democratic ideals and agendas would receive the 24 hour non-stop cable news cycle coverage.

[BarackstarObama]

03:08 PM on 04/21/2009

Sebelius was confirmed by the Senate Committee 15-8, and is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate in the next few days... another loss for Palinocchio. LOL

[DaveNeen]

03:03 PM on 04/21/2009

Here is the phone # for Team Sarah [phone] .
Since they are encouraging people to flood other offices phone #'s I suggest you retaliate.

[dax49]

02:59 PM on 04/21/2009

why aren't they organizing against un-wed mother-hood?

[David Bledsoe]

02:42 PM on 04/21/2009

Keep it up team Sarah, Yup!, you might eventually win one.

[jazzofcourse08]

02:14 PM on 04/21/2009

Sorry Team Sarah, you lost (he he). Gov. Sebelius is in.

[roshni]

02:28 PM on 04/21/2009

WOOT! They need to update this story.