Daschle's Premature Dash

Yesterday, in the face of a chorus of news organizations calling on him to step down, Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for HHS Secretary. According to NBC's Andrea Mitchell, upon reading Tuesday morning's New York Times editorial about his confirmation, he concluded he would be a distraction to the cause of health care reform were he to continue his fight.

The problem with his decision - and with the accusatory editorials - is that, for all the saber-rattling to the contrary, his actions actually were excusable. The only thing more implausible than believing that a multi-millionaire with national ambitions would willfully try to defraud the IRS of $140,000 is believing that a man like that actually does his own taxes. Of course, he signs his name to them and is, as such, legally responsible for their content. But morally reprehensible? It was an error on his taxes, most likely committed by his CPA.

By withdrawing his nomination, Daschle is legitimizing the notion that cabinet secretaries should be picked or disqualified based on criterion other than their competence and capacity, their management skills and leadership. Tom Daschle was to be charged with running a massive government bureaucracy. He was to spearhead an effort to bring real, lasting health care reform to a country desperately seeking it. He has unique relationships with the Senators he once led, an unmatched knowledge of legislative strategy and procedure, and was an eye-witness to what went wrong when reform was attempted in 1994. He is exceptionally qualified.

The cause of health care reform has suffered because of an inside-the-beltway distraction. If confirmed, when the time came for health care reform, is it really conceivable that Daschle's rocky entrance into the Obama cabinet would have impacted his ability to get the job done? What form could such a distraction possibly take, months, perhaps years after a relatively small confirmation blip?

There is no doubt that Daschle was about to face a substantial storm, a brutal and embarrassing crucible that few would like to endure. But he would have endured. Had he been willing to weather the storm, he would have prevailed. And when President Obama was ready to make health care reform a reality in this country, the man he most trusted to do the job could have been there, standing by his side.

Comments

[Jo Manning]

A shame. Always thought Tom Daschle was a good guy :( This is a great loss for health care reform.

[ViddyD]

Its ridiculous that so many good candidates withdraw because of a problem with their taxes. I don't have a problem with their taxes; the government does. The point of these people not preparing their own returns is a very valid one. Even if they are still ultimately responsible , who wants pay to have them done and then go over them with a fine-toothed comb. Nobody I know.
The only reason the taxes get jumped on is that its an easy record to access.

[doctorneal]

In my blog, "Indelible Universal Health Care Plan" , the day prior to his withdrawal, i said that I thought his nomination could be in trouble not because of his trivial tax problem, but because he had been working for some time as a lobbyist for the health care purveyors, the biomedical manufacturers and the pharmaceutical people, the very ones he would have to fight in order to make universal health care a reality. I'm a good democrat and always admired the senator when he was in congress, but I think someone else would be better, perhaps Dr. Ben Carson, or Senator Mikulski whose name has come up.

[Wake-up]

$128,000 is not trivial... I would think this millionaire would take a few min. and review his tax return with his accountant before he sent it in.

This combined with the Lobbyist (something BO promised he wouldn't do) says to me Character Issue.

And yes, I don't like the guy at all...

[POWA]

Trivial, Doctor? I suppose that depends on your point of view. Let's see, it would take a senior Letter Carrier 2 1/2 years to EARN $128,000, a teacher with 20 years: 1 3/4 years, a supermarket deli clerk: 6 years........should I go on? And I'll bet most of the people I mentioned pay their taxes on time. I don't understand why people with advantages can't seem to pay theirs.

[UKOH]

At the end of the day Obama promised to change the morals (or complete lack of them!) of the Bush years. As he himself said "We need to make it clear that there is not one standard for the ordinary person and another one for the rich and powerful."

Ultimately, Daschle had to go. I do agree it is a big loss. I also cannot understand how a CPA would make such a mistake. I bet whoever it is does not get any high profile business in the future!

[ljmck]

So, your argument is that he's so wealthy that someone else does his taxes, and therefore he's not responsible? Huh?

It's time we quit excusing the wealthy and famous, no matter how able or talented, for their "foibles."

He disqualified himself.

[langej]

Oh, it was someone else's fault? That's okay then.

So, when doing the Secretary's job, he could say "I didn't actually write these policies, they were written by my staff and I didn't check them before I signed them"?

[POWA]

Okay, a lot of you are blowing a lot of smoke. Apparently a lot of our elected officials have "errors" in their taxes. Please stop making excuses for them. They are supposed to be our leaders and should be held to a high standard. It is right for people to allow light to be shed on this, and to criticize the parties involved. Even if it's simply a lack of attention to detail, we can't expect our nation to have faith in a government which is asleep at the switch.

[sfbta]

Come on. I've always liked Daschle, and he would have been a good choice. But, who gives the information to the accountant on which to base the tax return? M accountant sends out forms for the clients to fill in---with all the information. Oh, it includesthings like perks---you know cars, drivers etc. I have never had to fill in anything in those areas--only because I don't have those perks. Many people I know, not millionaires, but, perhaps, thousandaires, do provide such information.
I am tired of the word mistake being used to justify everything that one does wrong.

By the way, I'm a raging liberal.

[tonyharding]

This is either one of the most immature comments on the Daschle affair or one of the most mischievously dishonest. The nail was Daschle's ethically doubtful financial connections -the tax evasion was merely be the hammer.

[RonMar]

So Daschle, Kellifer, Geithner, Rangel, et al are too wealthy and busy to do their own taxes. So they are not responsible for what is on the forms that they sign as true to the best of their knowledge and ability under penalties of law. If that isn't evasion of personal responsibility and excuse making I do not know what is. Last time I checked I was responsible for paying my taxes, being sure they were correct and paying a preparer to prepare them.

[stagebandman]

Exactly the same thing I said last week, and got attacked just as much. Cooler heads are not prevailing here, and overreacting is the key point of the day. Obama is prbably correct about the appearance of impropriety, but it's a shame a good man like Daschle is being thrown to the lions.

[Wake-up]

What? Daschle a good man? Says who? He's a career Politician that forgot to pay... or purposely didn't pay $128,000 in taxes and this is now a theme of the BO Admin.

Tonight B.O. was trashing the failed policies of the original TARP. Someone should remind B.O. that Geithner was the NY fed chief who architected the TARP with Hank Paulson? HA-HA. You just can’t make this stuff up. He is your freaking-t­ax-evading­-illegal-i­mmigrant-n­anny-emplo­yer secretary of the treasury!!!

[stagebandman]

Didn't read the blog, did you?

[Chip W]

How much limo service was there for the taxes to be $140,000?
Was he driven around in a gold Rolls by Scarlet Johanson?

[optiquest]

Theres no excuse for a tax slip up from someone like daschle. The man brokered tax laws for years. Probably raised them more often than not. Forgeting about a gift of Limo and driver? Basic gift tax rules. Error was intended.

Will he penalized and harrassed by the IRS? No! Hes Tom Daschle--Man Elite..Man Liberal- A liberal that doesnt want to pay their tax. How typical

I think Obama and everyone in the admin so far need to audited

[optiquest]

that should read:
needs an audit

[MsAmerkinpie]

So, Dylan, it's ok with you that he just "forgot" to pay taxes on $80,000 on consulting fees? What a joke!

[MoniqueF]

Bottom line is that before nominating someone, a President should do his homework. Knowing someone for x amount of years is not enough! Proof is right there and the buck is on the President's desk. I have a hard time to believe that Daschle "made a mistake", a very hard time. While I agree that Obama can choose whomever he wants, he has to walk his talk from his campaign. I am glad Daschle resigned ( or was he asked to?)and I would like to see howard Dean to take his place.
Meanwhile, Republicans are salivating as they could not wait for Obama to screw-up ( to use his own term.)
SIGH...Bush is gone!

[LARRYB28]

i think pres obama is smarter than we give him credit for if he keeps appointing people who havent paid their taxes and gets them to pay them we will erase the deficit in no time

[optiquest]

the only problem with that Larry, is that Daschle and Geithner (sp) arent up for the penalties...they'll just pay the outstanding balance- which is $175000 for T daschle....and apologize. Thats more than most report in income!

Ordinary souls like us would be in handcuffs already.