Good job Kathleen Sebelius! The Secretary stayed on message as MTP host David Gregory hammered away at her. At last our team's word magicians seem to be getting something right. Have they finally communed with the average citizen and their financial fears, or was this a fleeting aberration? There is only hope (no pun intended) because we've been losing the battle of word speak to the American public on so many issues, including health care insurance reform.
One wonders how this happened with a President known for his masterful ability to communicate -- which is the great irony of the Obama administration. Where are the mighty and masterful word guys? And why did they send only this messenger to the Sunday political talk shows? Is this the right venue, or was this a test for a bigger and broader message campaign this week on health care reform? Was Sebelius the sacrificial lamb? That is, let's see if she sinks or swims because she's good and will survive with a little water damage -- right? Well thank goodness Sebelius stayed on message, and won't be water boarded. But now, does she get to be poster "Barbie" as we enter the home stretch of health care reform? Or will the spin doctors roll out a cabal of white men with plain speak? Or better yet, why are we at the point that we need OUR version of a poster "Barbie" (code word for a white, middle class female) to break through the Southern white male noise machine against this legislation?
Madame Secretary of Health certainly is OUR version of Barbie. She is competent, and more Hillary Clintonesque than the former Governor of Alaska - the illustrious Sarah Louise Palin. Maybe it's a good thing that OUR version trumps competence over fanfare and jiggle. But one asks, is this the right time for competence over amusement -- on even the most serious of issues? Or better yet, are OUR spin doctors smart enough to give Madame Secretary of Health the material necessary to pull it off? We will certainly see as we careen toward the Congressional spring recess.