Red State Blue Governor

[ Cheering ] >> No I tried.

>> Kathleen Sebelius getting ready to give her victory speech at the Holiday Inn.

Let's go to her live.

>> Thank you very much.

[ Applause ] It definitely is time for a change.

[ Cheering ] The voters have chosen John Moore and me to lead this state.

[ Cheering ] As your Governor, I pledge to work every day to move Kansas forward.

To create a place of immense opportunity where every child is empowered to dream big dreams.

>> Kathleen has a remarkable intellect, unquestioned integrity you'll tend to find in a Kansan.

I know she will bring some much-needed grace and good humor to Washington, and she will be a tremendous asset to my cabinet.

>> And that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties.

>> And that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties.

>> Of the office on which I'm about to enter.

>> Of the office on which I'm about to enter.

>> So help me God.

>> So help me God.

>> Congratulations.

[ Applause ] >> Congratulations Governor.

[ Applause ] [ Music ] >>I have nothing but pleasant relationship with the present Governor.

I don't think-- I didn't vote for her, of course, but I didn't complain about her and I thought she ran a fair campaign.

She went into office, for me, with an open mind.

And I think she has performed very well for a member of the minority party in a Republican state.

>> I think she always knew where she wanted to go, but she always did the hard work to get there.

She didn't expect it to be handed to her.

She worked for everything she got.

>> I think there's no doubt at all that going to an all-girls school shaped me in very positive ways for the future.

Because I was raised in an era where subtly or not so subtly, girls had definite limitations.

My world was girls did everything.

We had the smartest in the class and we had the dumbest in the class.

We had the jocks, and I was one.

And ballerinas.

We had the presidents and the dunce's.

So my world was wide open.

Nobody ever told me that girls couldn't do everything because I lived in a world where they did.

I was a good student, but not terribly serious about school, much to my parents dismay periodically.

And I was always trying to, I wasn't trying to get into trouble, I seemed to get into trouble on a regular basis, much to the nuns dismay.

I never wanted to hurt anybody else, I just wanted to kind of create a little bit of chaos.

He felt it was really important for us to understand at least what he believed in and why he was saying what he was saying, and kind of arm us with the information that we could use in our conversations with kids.

I was the issue person, so I learned, I think, from a very early age to be able to explain myself, defend myself.

And also to learn that if people knew what you were doing, even if they began with a different point of view, often you could bring them around.

And most of all, I think I learned that it's important to have a moral compass.

It's important to have courage enough to take a stand on issues that are serious and defining.

And even if you lose, it's not the end of the world.

My first job in Kansas was at the Kansas Department of Corrections.

I'd done criminal justice work in Washington and I applied for a job and was hired.

There were lots of men in that office who found my hiring to be very distasteful and made it clear the whole time I was there that it was very distasteful.

From the start of being here in Kansas, I began to interact with the legislature and decided that was a pretty interesting place.

Then Judy came to me and said, "Well, why don't you run?"

And I thought, hmm, well, that's interesting.

So the legislature actually appealed to me as a way to go home.

Busy for three and a half months a year, much more flexible during the summer months and others.

An opportunity to really spend more time with my kids, which is sort of ironic because a lot of times people read my resume and say, "Oh, you ran for the legislature to be Governor."

I say, "Well, no, I actually ran for the legislature to go home."

I would then leave work, change into to door to door clothes and walk until it got dark.

I sometimes had volunteers, sometimes by myself with cards.

We had two shifts of babysitters and it was pretty miserable.

I remember when my parents came in for the last week of the campaign.

And they came to stay and be supportive.

And I spent the first night they were there just weeping.

I just said, "I don't know that I can."

I was exhausted.

I mean, I thought, "I have made the worst mistake of my life."

No campaign physically or emotionally was actually that difficult, again.

That was a pretty tough, just grinding race.

When I served in the legislature, I was there for four terms, but three of the four terms were in the minority.

If you wanted to move anything along, you had to do it on a bipartisan basis.

If something were to come up and, in the future, I'm not afraid of running for something else, on the other hand, I wouldn't be at all unhappy if I never served in any capacity except the legislature.

I think this is a dandy place to be.

I'm convinced that the most unhappy politicians I've ever known in my life are people who have a very clearly marked out timetable.

When I'm 30, I will be in Congress.

When I'm 35, I will be president.

When I'm 45, I will be emperor.

Because politics doesn't work that way.

It is absolutely being in the right place at the right time and being willing to take risks.

>> Kathleen Sebelius.

Legislator, wife, mother, candidate for Insurance Commissioner.

>> The incumbent and his predecessor before him have betrayed the public trust.

So I made a decision when I decided to run for this office not to accept any campaign money from the insurance industry.

And I'm the first candidate in history to make that pledge and carry it out.

The office should serve the policyholders and not the companies that are regulated.

>> Kathleen Sebelius, an insurance commissioner you can trust.

>> I will tell you that most people thought I was totally crazy.

Most of my friends said, "Why would you ever do this?

You can be in the legislature, you know, run for Governor, run for something else."

There had been only two commissioners in the 50 years before Ron Todd, the incumbent in 1994, had become commissioner.

I thought it was the right thing to do, but I also really felt strongly it was a way to demonstrate that I was different.

I was going to be a consumer representative, not a company rep.

I'm the first candidate in history to refuse campaign money from the insurance industry.

And when I say no money, I mean no money.

This office should not be for sale.

It's time you had a voice in the insurance commissioner's office.

I'd like to be that voice.

>> Kathleen Sebelius, Insurance Commissioner.

>> Well, we knew that both in terms of a debate issue or commercials, one of the trickiest issues being a woman candidate is how to go negative without losing a large part of the audience.

How to be tough enough, but not too tough.

A lot of men don't have to deal with this at all but it's an issue that comes up constantly in polling around women candidates.

If you are too strident, if you are too tough, it turns off voters.

So you have to find a balance that allows you to go right to the line.

So it's then a situation of how to demonstrate that the incumbent should be fired essentially.

And how to do that without losing enough credibility with the general public that they say, "Oh, my gosh, she's a witch, I'll never vote for her."

And it's not an easy balance.

And the challenge from the very start was we need a killer negative ad.

One.

And we need to be able to play it, you know, five weeks out and have it be a, the end of the race ad that just makes the difference.

>> [singing] Your cheating heart, will tell you.

>> This is the Ron Todd story as told by newspapers all across Kansas.

It's a story of fraud, deception and abuse of public trust.

Let's end this shameful chapter of Kansas politics.

Elect Kathleen Sebelius, an insurance commissioner you can trust.

[ Music ] >> Our friend said he was actually in his house at the end of the day reading the newspaper, the TV was on, he was paying no attention.

The ad came on.

He heard the sound.

He put the paper down and thought, "Oh, my God, this race is over."

And called me up and said, "That's an amazing ad."

And so I was like, "OK." And I ended up being the only successful Kansas Democrat that night, and one of only two in the country who actually beat an incumbent Republican in the 1994 election.

Well, the first six months were as terrifying as any experience I've ever had.

Because not only did I not know exactly what went on in the office, no one else did either.

And once I could document that very thoroughly, we did a very public firing as part of the clean-up demonstration.

I had pledged to go into the office and clean things up.

And there was a huge outcry.

And I knew that that was going to be the likely pushback, which is why we had done, through two different very independent firms, five years of audits of his files.

And we were able to put those in a very transparent way out to the public and say, you know, "Maybe the Kansas taxpayer thinks this is a good idea, but I sure don't."

>> [music] And a piece of pie.

Doris, have you heard what they're saying about Kathleen Sebelius?

>> No.

What?

>> Kathleen Sebelius stands for the people in a way few politicians do.

>> That's nice.

>> Sebelius has brought a higher level of respectability to the office.

Sebelius does not take money from the insurance industry.

She works for us, not for them.

Kansas has a gem in the insurance commissioner's office, and we should keep her there.

We recommend that Kathleen Sebelius be reelected.

>> That's great, but where's my pie?

>> Kathleen Sebelius, your insurance commissioner.

>> We had a trial.

A four-day hearing where all of the big shots from WellPoint came in and sat on folding chairs in the Ramada Inn.

And I used to laugh and say, "I'm sure they thought they'd died and gone to hell because they couldn't figure out what in the world they were doing in Topeka, Kansas, for four days, trying to defend what had been a pretty slam dunk business decision across the country."

I said, "OK, you've promised your shareholders you will make money on this deal.

How do you make money for shareholders without hurting the beneficiaries in Kansas?

How does that work?"

So I turned down the merger and two days later declared for Governor.

>> On health care, one leader's made a real difference for the people of Kansas.

>> Kathleen Sebelius.

>> Cracked down on insurance companies who deny care, helped seniors save millions on prescription drugs, blocked an out-of-state takeover of Kansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, and no campaign money from insurance companies.

>> As Governor, I'll continue fighting for affordable health care, protecting Kansas seniors, and saying no to special interest.

>> For Governor, Kathleen Sebelius.

>> It felt like the right thing to do.

I've always been interested in policy at the state level, why I wanted to be a state rep, why I wanted to be insurance commissioner, not going to Washington.

I've always felt that there was an opportunity really to make a big difference at the state level.

And there's certainly no office better to do that than the office of Governor.

The issues that were probably central, and the message that was central is, I'll work hard on your behalf.

I'm not tied to special interests or a particular ideology, and education for all kids.

Health care reform.

Cutting back on waste and inefficiencies at state government.

But I was able to back that up by saying, "I've been there and done that.

Look at the record.

This is not just an idle campaign promise.

Look at what I've done."

And I think that tends to be pretty effective.

>> I'm an example of a moderate Republican who has changed his affiliation and moved to the Democratic Party.

I know you talked about the three-party system.

The heart and soul of Kansas, I believe, is moderate.

They are people who worry about education.

They are people who worry about their families.

They are people who worry about the economy.

They worry about whether or not their children will be better off than they are, and whether or not their children will have the opportunities to achieve their full potential.

And that is clearly where this Governors appeal is.

>> As Kansas Speaker Tim Shallenburger cut taxes and balanced four budgets.

As state treasurer and he cut waste and taxpayer spending.

>> My mission has always been to make Kansas better without bankrupting our families.

>> Kathleen's even proudly saying she doesn't take money from insurance company executives.

No, but she does take money from their spouses, board members and lobbyists.

Kathleen Sebelius is good.

Good at double talk, but not good for Kansas.

>> I think having an opportunity in Kansas to have the most conservative candidate win the Republican primary always opened up a middle ground for Democrats.

And that's how Democrats who are very underrepresented in voter registration can actually be successful.

If you get all the Democrats and then a big slice of independents and some more moderate Republicans, you can then put together a winning coalition.

>> The tension that exists between, you know, conservatives and moderates, conservatives and centrists, whatever they're described as, I mean, it's a very real.

And because we both view where our energy and effort should be spent and how we should deal with issues very differently.

>> Bill Graves was not a fan of Tim Shallenburger.

And in his years in the legislature, one of the things that Shallenburger had done as a representatives was sort of, as I said, torture Bill Graves.

>> When Tim, when the speaker, Tim Shallenburger, got the nomination in 2002, it was awkward for me.

>> I knew that Governor Graves and I had worked well together.

And one of the things that happened shortly after the primary was not only that Tim Shallenberger win, but he went in three different times to try and get the Governor, sitting Governor to endorse him.

Each meeting ended without an endorsement, and that sent a very powerful message.

>> So for me to have the conservative candidate and then immediately be asked to come in and endorse the person that was probably, even though I'm friends with Tim and have known him forever, I mean, he would admit, I think that the others were a lot closer to me.

It was just awkward.

And I probably didn't handle it all that well.

>> Governor Graves called me close to Labor Day and said, "You know, Kathleen, I have to do this.

You know, I'm going to endorse him."

And I said, "I understand, but every day has been an amazing gift."

By his silence, he's sent a very, very strong message across his voter base who were people who I really needed, that this was not his favorite choice.

So that was quite helpful.

But you know, the one overriding issue, I think, facing the state and in this campaign, and one of the key issues that divides us as candidates, is a commitment to public education.

I am a firm believer that the next Governor of Kansas has to make a commitment that we will have quality public schools in every community in this state.

>> Education is important.

It's 52 percent of the budget.

And we pledge to make it our number one priority in the legislature.

But that doesn't mean that we can flood it with lots of new money.

It means we have to help schools be more efficient.

>> There was a pivotal point in the election campaign when finally Tim Shallenburger said at one point, in a public forum, that he would be willing to cut schools as part of a cost saving measure.

And that's the sentence that we needed to come out of his mouth.

The school finance issue was paramount.

The school finance issue was absolutely the number one, two and three issue in Johnson County.

And I needed him to say that and God bless him, he certainly did.

>> I think the thing that bothers me the most is my inability to have people listen when we talk about education.

Education-- >> If I could correct the record just a little bit.

My opponent began the general election campaign saying he thought an up to three percent cut in education was acceptable.

That's sixty-nine million dollars.

That is not my definition of holding public education harmless.

I think that's a key distinction.

>> Kathleen Sebelius's first day as insurance commissioner.

The department, an ethical mess, serving the special interests instead of the people.

>> Let's get to work.

>> Kathleen Sebelius ending years of special interest influence, serving consumers like never before and no campaign contributions from insurance companies, not even now running for Governor.

>> I put the people of Kansas before anything else.

>> Kathleen Sebelius, Governor.

>> And it always is an uphill climb.

But what I knew about Kansans is, if you could get a message out, if they really believed you were on their side, if they believed you would work hard for them, they were willing to cross party lines and vote for the person and not necessarily the party.

So that was my job to make sure that I could get up above the dialogue about who is a Republican, who is a Democrat and talk to them about the issues.

>> This is a Decision 2002 special edition of 24/7 News.

[ Music ] >> Good evening, everyone, thanks for joining us on this election night.

>> The race for Kansas Governor has been one of the toughest fought in recent history.

Both candidates have been locked away, waiting and watching the numbers as they come in tonight.

>> Those who went door to door, we're sorry.

Sorry we let you down tonight, but we thought the cause was just, and we worked very hard to try to win.

But it didn't happen.

And a few minutes ago, I called Kathleen Sebelius and I told her, honestly, what a wonderful campaign she ran.

I told her, honestly, if there was anything, I could do to help her to give me a call.

And I think what we need to do is Kansans now is remember, we have a new Governor and a new beginning for Kansas.

And we should hope and pray that Kansas is better tomorrow than it was last week.

[ Applause ] >> You know, we're all in this together.

And only we will move Kansas forward together.

So tonight we celebrate victory and the hope that change will bring.

[ Cheering ] And tomorrow, we're going to get right to work to make that change a reality.

[ Cheering ] >> Faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the Governor of Kansas.

>> So help me God.

>> So help me God.

>> With those words, Kathleen Sebelius became the state's 44th Governor.

>> Under a bright winter day, the state of Kansas swore in its 44th Governor.

In her inaugural speech, Sebelius focused on the state's history and the difficult times Kansas pioneers faced when they arrived from the east.

>> It wasn't easy.

In fact, often dangerous, but brave and committed citizens were determined to make it work.

>> She likened those hard years to the one facing the state right now with its billion-dollar shortfall.

>> That same sense of optimism and dedication to a better future will help us find a path through these difficult times.

>> Sebelius asked all Kansans to help the state get through this difficult time.

>> These are challenging times full of exciting opportunities.

When we aim for the stars, it won't be easy.

But then nothing worth doing ever is.

In a very tough economic times, had to stretch the resources so that we didn't make cuts in education, and we could provide the safety net services.

And that felt very good at the end of the session to have done that.

To not have a situation where drastic cuts had to be made or people really weren't going to be able to provide the services they need.

I'm in the midst of battle number two, which is really about the future of funding of public education.

And I hope I can come back in a couple of months and tell you that's been a great success, too.

But we're sort of midstream right now.

The partisan dialogue gets frustrating.

To have issues that are so critical to Kansans like their kid's school or what happens with health care break down into, "I'm a Republican, you're a Democrat, you had this idea, so I don't like it."

That gets a little frustrating.

And you have to kind of bring people back to the table, find a way to find a common ground and then try to move from there.

I decided that we needed a special session in 2005 to actually resolve this issue once and for all.

We had a coalition in the Senate that would pass.

We needed a bill that could get through the House.

I spent most of the time in the special session with House Republicans in my office, potential House Republicans.

Much to the dismay of Democrats.

They were furious and said, "We need to be in on those meetings.

You never have us.

You never call us.

You don't love us anymore.

You don't-- " And I said, "Look, I don't need to spend time with you.

I need to spend time with these folks.

I need to figure out, you know, how many-- " And it was really a person by person conversation.

A vote by vote.

If this trade off occurs, how-- and there were pockets of rural legislators who needed some things.

Johnson County legislators who needed other things and how to make a bill work for all the constituencies in very diverse parts of Kansas was complicated.

But anything it took, I called them on the phone, I would have mowed their lawns, driven them around.

>> I know that Kathleen was not afraid to call people to the woodshed for a little talking to about what needed to be done and what she expected them to do.

And honestly, it was quite effective.

I think probably because it wasn't bullying.

It was really sort of negotiation.

You know, "This is what I really need you to do," you know, "Is there anything that I can do to make your life better?"

>> But I knew the potential twenty people who could come up with the ten, eleven, twelve votes we needed.

And that's who I spent my time with.

>> So she was she was a good negotiator.

But she also wouldn't let go of an issue.

I mean, if she thought something needed to get done, she would push and push and push until it got done.

[ Music ] >> We elect one person to represent the state as a whole, and that's the Governor.

And I think over the last four years, Governor Sebelius has not done that.

On major issues, she has not stood up and made the tough choices.

>> And if you think of Governor Sebelius and you begin to put together what her programming leads to, it's this, more taxes, more late term abortion, more illegal immigration.

And those are things that Kansans do not value.

>> Well, Kathleen Sebelius is a very nice woman and very bright.

We differ on whether government should grow or whether it should get smaller.

I believe-- she believes that government has the answers to our problems.

I believe that government is the problem.

>> Most of all, we need someone who will lead this state and a Governor who will do more than, say, take two aspirin and call me when I'm president.

>> Kansans might be happy that the legislature and the Governor just got this over with this educational plan.

Whereas last year there's a lot of bickering over it.

This year, they just they just got it done.

>> Rasmussen Reports in.

USA Today polls both reports Sebelius is seeing around a 64 percent approval rating.

Up 13 percent from last year.

>> It's also possible that Kansans like seeing her go across the aisle to the other party to make peace, at least with some members of the Republican Party.

>> Well, there's no doubt that Kathleen is a real people person.

I mean, she actually really likes people, really likes to be with people and really likes to get to know people.

And I think all Kansans felt that.

I mean, you couldn't be out someplace with her, whether it was at a KU game or over NASCAR, where the crowds didn't seem to feel this kinship with her.

And I think that that led to her popularity.

It's just this sense that that people were connected to.

>> [giggling] Elmo like grilled cheese sandwiches and apples.

>> Ooh.

That's great.

What do you like Rosita?

>> I like burritos.

>> Elmo's never tried burritos before.

>> Healthy eating is more than just nutrition.

So teach your child the importance of eating together, sharing and being thankful for food and help start a healthy habit for life.

>> What does Governor Sebelius like?

>> Yes.

>> Kansas beef.

>> Oh.

Moo.

[laughter] >> There are people who are already predicting that you cannot be re-elected.

>> I'm sure there are.

[ Laughter ] >> What are you going to do about that?

>> Well, I'll proved them wrong.

[ Music ] >> We've come a long way in the last four years.

Working together, we eliminated a billion-dollar deficit and an uncertain future.

And now on the road ahead, redoubling our efforts to cut government waste, ensuring a prosperous future and great schools in every corner of Kansas.

Early childhood learning, a university system that's second to none, and making Kansas a national leader in energy independence.

These are our goals and the reason I'm eager to keep Kansas moving forward.

I didn't ever think I would not run again for Governor.

And being Governor, I still believe, is the best political job in America because you actually can do things, and you can watch what you do happen in real time.

It's being the CEO of a state and I thought that was a great opportunity.

So I had no interest in giving up my service early, and not running again.

And was hopeful that I, particularly since we were able to accomplish the school finance battle, that I had delivered on what I had said I would do and put me in pretty good shape to, again, be re-elected.

I began to think about and look around for who might be an interesting choice.

Again, wanted something a little bit different, not the typical let's of a Democratic legislator who would like to do this or somebody else.

And just open to all kinds of ideas.

>> I've always been very pro-public education, pro the regents, pro-choice, against, like, gun items like conceal and carry.

I've always been a moderate.

As time went on, it became increasingly difficult for me to work within the Republican Party because Republican Party just got more conservative.

>> Mark had been also the chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, as well as a successful state senator.

And I had known him.

I worked with him.

I liked him.

And I thought, wow, now that's an interesting person.

>> Believe me, I never thought anybody would ever come to me and say, "Mark, you ought to run with Governor Sebelius," or, "You ought to run for any other office," ever.

I mean, I thought I was done.

>> Mark, I went back to and said, "Would you ever think about being lieutenant Governor?"

And he said, "You know, I might just do that."

>> The central reason that I did this is that I really-- all that I wanted to do was to demonstrate to moderate Republicans that it was OK to become a member of the Democratic Party.

That the conservatives had won fair and square, that there was no reason to gripe about it, but that if we wanted to stay actively involved, we should, and there was a place for us, and it was the Democratic Party.

I will say that, personally, changing parties had, you know, I had more trouble with it than I think I've really let on.

You know, I spent 30 years as a Republican and touting Republican principles and ideas and recruiting candidates.

And to switch on a dime was a very significant change for me.

And, you know, it took me a while for me to convince myself that it was really OK. >> And that was a shock to a lot of people.

That really sent a very strong signal.

[ Music ] >> Kansas Republicans meet Jim Barnett, candidate for Governor, a doctor, state senator, past President of the Emporia School Board.

Here's Jim Barnett's blueprint for Kansas.

Four hundred ninety-five million more for schools with no budget deficit or government owned casinos.

Reduced taxes so families and businesses can thrive.

And no special breaks for illegal immigrants on driver's licenses or college tuition.

>> I'm Jim Barnett.

With your help, we can get Kansas back on track.

>> You've seen many political ads on television.

Some good, some bad, some truthful, some not.

You've seen some ads that have said the Governor has saved a billion dollars when in fact the money was taken from the highway program and there's now a credit card debt for your children and your grandchildren.

You have seen some ads of the Governor driving a school bus when, in fact, the Kansas Supreme Court drove the school bus and is now in control of your tax dollars.

>> It used to seem like politicians in Topeka didn't care about us or our public schools.

>> But then everything changed.

>> With Kathleen Sebelius as Governor.

>> Governor Sebelius said, enough with all the fighting and foot dragging.

>> And made them strengthen our schools.

>> It just took a leader in the driver's seat to put our kids in schools before anything else.

Morning, Eric.

Ready for a new day?

>> Kathleen Sebelius, Governor.

[ Music ] >> Yeah, this is how things used to be.

Politicians in Topeka fighting and foot dragging over the future of our schools.

When this is where their focus should have been all along.

>> Governor Kathleen Sebelius broke through years of legislative gridlock to pass a plan that strengthens our schools.

>> All it took was leadership to bring people together and put our kids and schools ahead of anything else.

>> Kathleen Sebelius, Governor.

>> We have a school finance bill that the Governor signed that outspends revenues 800 million dollars over three years and drives our state to debt.

>> Work to bring the legislature together and pass an historic commitment to our schools, which makes sure that all Kansas children will have great schools in their community.

>> The path we're taking under the current administration is one of deficit spending.

We're spending more money than we have and we're driving business away because we've become a high tax state.

>> Did all that by moving away from the partisan bickering of the past and bringing people together to work on a brighter future and a brighter vision for Kansas.

>> It was just the force of her personality.

But following through that force of personality with actions.

Also that the things that she fought for as Governor really were the things that mattered to the people in Kansas.

[ Silence ] [ Music ] >> Raise your right hand and repeat after me.

I, Kathleen Sebelius.

>> I, Kathleen Sebelius.

>> Do solemnly swear.

>> Do solemnly swear.

>> That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

>> That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

>> And the Constitution of the State of Kansas.

>> And the Constitution of the State of Kansas.

>> And faithfully discharge the duties.

>> And faithfully discharge the duties.

>> Of Governor of the State of Kansas.

>> Of Governor of the State of Kansas.

>> So help me God.

>> So help me God.

[ Applause ] >> We all recognize in our hearts that we're only as strong as the most vulnerable among us.

It's not enough to allow a few to reach the stars while others live a life of limited horizons.

The promise of our state is best realized when all our citizens are able to achieve their highest potential.

Therefore, we must embrace a new politics of true empowerment.

Understanding that diversity of thought, of belief, of opinion, creates a vibrant, prosperous state.

[ Applause ] At first, Kansas didn't need the extra power.

We had plenty of power.

These plants were not being built to provide Kansans with electric power that was needed.

They were actually being built-- the proposal was to ship the power to Colorado.

We would get the carbon, Colorado would get the electricity generated.

That did not seem to be a great trade off.

So I really felt this was a bad-- not only did it go directly against what seemed to be a logical place for Kansas to be in terms of power generation, let's generate wind power, let's build turbines here, let's figure out a way that we could be out ahead of this curve.

And then why in the world would we open new coal fired plants?

So I asked our secretary of health and environment to look at the permits.

The permits were his to approve or not approve.

It was in the state agency.

So he became the first Secretary in the country to actually turn down a coal permit based on using health as a criteria for what was the basis of the decision.

And then all hell broke loose.

So the legislature determined that they would do everything possible to override the decision made by the secretary.

And that battle continued in the '07 and into the '08 sessions, where a series of bills were passed stripping the secretary from the authority to make decisions.

I vetoed that bill.

Changing criteria, saying you can't-- I think the most outrageous one was you can't consider health as part of what the secretary of Health and Environment could consider, looking at a permit.

That I vetoed.

We were able to sustain the vetoes along the way and to really block, at that point, additional coal fired power.

>> What advice would you give to local politicians as to how they can stand up for public health and environment against the huge money pressures the coal lobby exerts?

Thank you.

>> Well, I appreciate your tag of being a hero.

We did have a ferocious battle, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone.

[laughter] >> Her administration was the first in the nation to turn down a permit proposal for a new coal burning power plant on the grounds of the climate change and greenhouse gas impacts of that plant.

>> What happened then was nothing short of a political firestorm.

>> It was one of those situations where she had actually done her homework.

She understood the science of pollution and the environment, and she knew that the only way to do anything about that was to really develop alternative energy sources.

>> So we were a little bit ahead of the curve, but it was clearly coming where people were reevaluating how much carbon we should have in this country.

What coal fired plants should have.

>> Oh, you got a great governor.

You've got a future vice president, or president there.

She's moderate.

She's aggressive.

She's got good ideas.

She's got good ideas.

She's got a great reputation.

I'd watch her.

She's somebody that's going to make a lot of presence in the future.

>> I was perceptive enough to figure it out, as well as almost everybody else in America, that she very like, you know, she was a rising star, and everybody wanted her.

>> I met him actually, when he was running for the United States Senate in 2004.

I had some good friends in Chicago who were around his campaign, supporters of his, and said to me, "You know, there's this very interesting guy."

>> What I want you to do is not just believe in my ability to change this country.

I want you to believe in yourselves.

I want you to believe in your higher aspirations.

[cheering] I want you to believe in the better angels of your nature.

I want you to believe that we can still rally together as a country around a common purpose.

I want you to believe that we can rally together around a common destiny.

I know it's hard, but that's how progress happens.

That's how change is made.

[cheering] >> When he started thinking about running, we had a couple of conversations about it.

Now, by this point, I had already pretty well determined if he, you know, within my own mind, if he was going to run, I would be with him.

I just liked him.

I thought he was kind of a unique candidate for what I saw might be a very unique time.

>> And there is a moment in the life of every generation where if we are to make our mark on history, that spirit of hope and belief in things not seen has to break free.

It has to come out.

This is our moment.

This is our time.

>> I remember a conversation I had with then Senator Obama and he said, "What do I do?"

You know, "Do I run?

Do I not run?"

And I said, "I think you run."

He said, "Just like that?"

I said, "Yeah, pretty much just like that."

Because you're in one of two positions, either this is a very different year, and you can put together a coalition unlike anything that we have seen, and you can sort of run as an outsider and be successful.

Or you get in line.

But I don't know how long the line is.

>> They want to believe that it's still possible for us to come together as a country to solve problems.

That we can still rally around a common purpose, a higher purpose.

That we're not just in it on our own but we're in this thing together.

And we're not just Republicans or Democrats, red states or blue states, we're the United States of America.

And we've all got a commitment to each other.

[applause] That's what the people around here are wanting.

>> And he said to me at that point, and that was somewhere in, I think, '06, "If I go, are you with me?"

And I said, "Yeah, I'll be with you."

Now, he got very impatient with me about endorsing.

"It's time.

You're going to miss this."

I kept saying, "I'm not going to miss a thing.

I promise you I will be there."

>> Our state motto is To the Stars Through Difficulties.

This is a difficult political journey.

As you say, your life has been an interesting and sometimes difficult journey.

But it's so appropriate that you're here back in Kansas on Kansas day, and we have a chance to be with the next great president of the United States, Barack Obama.

[cheering] >> Today, we're at the Brillo Box Bar in Lawrenceville just outside of downtown Pittsburgh.

We'll be running our canvassing out of here.

We had the Governor of Kansas come visit us today, Kathleen Sebelius.

Really an honor to have her here speaking with us and getting everyone revved up to go out and knock on doors.

>> Governor, thank you very much for coming today.

We really appreciate you coming to Pittsburgh and bringing more attention to an already, already large amount of attention we already have.

So we thank you very much for coming.

>> Thank you.

[applause] >> I'm not going to take a lot of your time because the work you're doing is much more important than hearing me.

So I'm really here to say thank you.

Thank you for your willingness to be involved in this historic campaign.

The outreach calls that you're doing are to people who may not be paying as much attention as you're paying, who don't know that in 74 days we're going to have an opportunity and a responsibility to help elect a great president.

And so everything we can do over that period of time to get the word out to neighbors, talking to neighbors, to bring people together in watch parties and discussion groups, to make sure that people know what a dramatic choice there is between Barack Obama and John McCain.

>> You've given your speech.

Very quickly, what's next for you at the convention here?

>> Well, I'm a co-chair of the convention, so I have assignments each and every day.

I did a lot of press work yesterday.

This morning, I had an opportunity to be on an economic forum with Michelle Obama.

There are opportunities during the course of the next two days to do interviews, do speeches.

I'm speaking on health care tomorrow to a health care group, have a clean energy panel on Thursday.

So this is kind of an endurance contest, but it's exciting and a lot of fun.

>> Well, thanks for being with us.

And we're here from the Democratic National Convention.

Back to you.

>> I got a call in the summer.

No, it had to be earlier than that, I guess, in the winter, from Senator Obama saying, "Would you be willing to be vetted?"

And I tried to disabuse him of the notion at that point saying, I don't really think, I mean, I don't think I'm what you need.

But yes, if you want me to, I will do this.

Whereupon he said, "Well, there's someone downstairs."

I was at a meeting in Virginia and he said, "There's someone downstairs who's waiting to meet you."

Literally, I'm on a cell phone.

I thought, "OK, this is a little weird."

The most kind of intense oversight scrutiny process started that I've ever seen in my life.

There were a team of four or five lawyers who came and sort of scoured everything, did tons of independent interviews with everything from college roommates to people we dated.

I mean, it was extraordinarily extensive.

You know, I've no foreign policy experience and neither did.

So, I mean, there were real gaps in resumes that would not have made us at all a good fit.

And I knew him well enough that I could talk to him about that.

But I felt very good about at the end of the day where he ended up.

I thought it was a very smart, good choice.

I was always ambivalent.

I loved being Governor.

And so the notion that I would leave the Governor's office to do anything was always difficult for me to get my hands around.

>> She was not willing just to take any old cabinet post that came by.

She only wanted to pick one where she thought she could make a major impact.

>> I knew that the two issue areas that I was pretty excited about and thought that this president was likely to focus on were energy and health care.

So part of it was, although we'd had a number of conversations about cabinet positions, I wasn't really wildly excited about anything else.

He basically said, "You can do anything, you know.

I really want you to come.

I want you to be part of this team."

And I finally decided at that point, the Kansas economy was beginning to really take a downward turn.

We were just at the very beginning of what turned out to be really the worst recession since the Great Depression.

And we were starting to see the edges of that.

And that seemed very uncertain and very shaky.

And then in a relatively short period of time, probably the next day or two, I got a call from the president who said, "I'm not offering you the job, but if I offered you this job, would you take this job?"

And I said, "Yeah, I think I would."

>> Now, Kathleen also knows health care inside and out.

She's won praise for her expertise from stakeholders across the spectrum, from consumer groups to insurers.

Over eight years as State Insurance Commissioner, she refused campaign contributions from insurance companies, and protected the people of Kansas from increases to their premiums by blocking a takeover of the state's largest insurer.

And as a Governor, she's been on the front lines of our health care crisis.

She has a deep knowledge of what the burden of crushing costs does to our families and businesses.

Kathleen has a remarkable intellect, unquestioned integrity, and the kind of pragmatic wisdom you'll tend to find in a Kansan.

I know she will bring some much-needed grace and good humor to Washington, and she will be a tremendous asset to my cabinet.

[ Music ] >> As I was being taught and trained, as I was trying to absorb these huge amounts of material, and I tend to be a bit of a workaholic, so I was reading copious amounts of information about these agencies.

>> How do we strengthen this Medicare program?

>> So the issues of access in your state, in parts of rural America and areas of the country where access is a problem need to be addressed.

And I can assure you, if confirmed, I would love to work with you on that.

Ted Kennedy was still at that point, he had not stepped down as chairman.

And at the last hearing he chaired was my confirmation hearing, which was lovely because he was a friend of my dad's.

And so that felt very good.

>> Just a point here I want to say about Senator Murkowski.

It isn't just the states like Alaska.

This problem is all over the country.

And we have about eight to ten individual openings for qualified people for nursing and for other professionals in this area, and there is a critical national need.

And I'm glad you mentioned this.

It's incredibly important to Alaska and to other states.

Thank you for bringing this up.

>> Bob Dole came with me to both hearings.

In his introduction, he would say, "I don't agree with her on everything, but she's been a great Governor.

She'll be a great secretary."

I literally went home, stuffed some clothes in a bag and came, got on the plane and ended up taking over an agency at five o'clock at night and spending four hours in the Situation Room.

Hi, this is Kathleen Sebelius.

More than thirty-four years ago, a young Kansan returning to his home state to practice law, asked me to marry him and move to Kansas.

And I said yes and left my job in Washington, DC to marry Gary Sebelius.

And I've loved every minute of this amazing journey.

It has been one of my greatest honors to serve as Governor of the great state of Kansas.

Well, I hope they think that I was on their side working for them and that I left Kansas a better place than I found it, that their kids have more opportunities.

And I ask for your continued prayers for me, for our President, for our new Governor and for our country.

I'm optimistic that the Kansas motto will once again be realized.

We need to continue to aim high.

And while there'll always be difficult times, like the economic and health challenges we face today, working together, we will reach the stars.

[ Music ] >> This is the one hundredth anniversary of the Correspondents Association, I actually recorded an additional brief video thanking all of you for your hard work.

Can we run the video?

>> Congratulations.

[ Laughter ] >> What's going on?

I was told this would work.

Does anybody know how to fix this?

[ Laughter ] Oh, thank you.

[ Laughter and applause ] You got it?

>> I got this I see it all the time.

[ Laughter ] There, that should work.

>> Congratulations to the White House Correspondents Association.

Here's to a hundred more terrific years.

>> Thank you very much, everybody.

God bless you.

[ Applause ] And God bless America and thank you, Kathleen Sebelius.

[ Applause ]