On one hand, Tom Daschle appeared to be an excellent prospect to head up Barack Obama’s health care reform plans as Secretary of Health and Human Services.  The health care town meetings initiated by Daschle on behalf of the Obama administration were well organized, thoughtful, and provided the opportunity for people to share their experiences and ideas about changes in our health care system.   As the author of the book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis, Tom Daschle also appears to be an informed, insightful, and well-spoken advocate of the need for health care reform.  In addition to clearly stating the problem of health care in the United States, Daschle’s book reasonably suggests the creation of a Federal Health Board as part of his concept of health care reform.  While all of these elements are promising signs of Tom Daschle’s ability to head reform efforts and set the tone of the discussion in a fact-based, rational, and inclusive manner, recent events in his confirmation process show that there is something to be desired about Tom Daschle.

In the last few days confirmation procedures have revealed that Daschle failed to pay taxes on some of his income and received payment for speaking engagements from some health care industry groups such as the Health Industry Distributors Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans.  In addition, Daschle served as an advisor for a law and lobbying firm that worked on behalf of powerful health care industry interests.  Even though Daschle was not officially a lobbyist, he did advise the health care industry clients on behalf of the firm according to Politico.com.

Given these recent revelations, it is reasonable for advocates of health reform to ask some hard questions about the two faces of Tom Daschle.  On one hand, he presents the image of a man who is knowledgeable and poised to serve the interests of the people.  On the other hand, recent disclosures by Daschle in the confirmation process also present us with the image of a man who earned some of his annual 5.3 million dollar income from services rendered to big corporate health care groups whose interests are unlikely to represent needs of the people.  While campaigning, Barack Obama asked the people who supported his presidency to hold him accountable to make change in Washington.  While no proposed cabinet member will be  perfect, it is time to ask some hard questions about Tom Daschle’s ability to serve in this role effectively.   If Washington is so riddled with politicians who have crossed the line and skirted lobbyist ethics, Obama needs to realize that such individuals will not ultimately supported by  the people who demanded reform and cast their vote for Obama in November.  Daschle is undoubtedly an intelligent capable man, but he is also a wealthy man who was paid for his services to health care industry groups by a lobbying firm.

As the economic crisis worsens, so too goes the health care crisis.  The  need for effective health care reform has only been heightened by recent job loss that leaves more Americans uninsured.  There are many educated, knowledgeable citizens who would be able to steer efforts for reform without the taint of past compensation by lobbyists or failure to pay taxes.  Those  individuals may not be connected, Washington insiders.  While there is arguably a benefit to appointing cabinet members who know the system, at some point we may be faced with the reality that change will only truly be realized by those who can operate outside the system.    Daschle has presented a vision for health care reform in his book and by his town hall efforts that make his financial disclosures regrettable.  Unfortunately for Tom Daschle, his income from sources in the industry make him a less trustworthy representative of what every day Americans need in terms of health care reform.

This could be a case of right ideas, wrong man for the job.