Obama cronyism: Going after AmeriCorps IG on behalf of contributor; Update: A Michelle Obama connection?

posted at 8:47 am on June 12, 2009 by Ed Morrissey

David Freddoso tried to explain that the only change Barack Obama would bring to the Beltway would be an introduction of the Chicago Machine politics that made him successful to the Beltway.  The Inspector General of AmeriCorps, one of Obama’s pet projects, has discovered this the hard way.  The independent investigator got fired for peeking too closely at an Obama contributor:

President Barack Obama says he has lost confidence in the inspector general who investigates AmeriCorps and other national service programs and has told Congress he is removing him from the position.

Obama’s move follows an investigation by IG Gerald Walpin of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is an Obama supporter and former NBA basketball star, into the misuse of federal grants by a nonprofit education group that Johnson headed.

Walpin was criticized by the acting U.S. attorney in Sacramento for the way he handled an investigation of Johnson and St. HOPE Academy, a nonprofit group that received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants from the Corporation for National Community Service. The corporation runs the AmeriCorps program.

Initially, the White House called Walpin and told him he had an hour to resign or get fired, as Byron York reported.  Senator Charles Grassley shot back a warning to the White House last night:

After last night’s call, Walpin got in touch with Congress, and it appears the White House has backed off, at least for now.  This afternoon, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, who is something of a guardian angel for inspectors general, fired off a letter to the White House about the affair.

“I was troubled to learn that last night your staff reportedly issued an ultimatum to the AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin that he had one hour to resign or be terminated,” Grassley wrote.  “As you know, Inspectors General were created by Congress as a means to combat waste, fraud, and abuse and to be independent watchdogs ensuring that federal agencies were held accountable for their actions.  Inspectors General were designed to have a dual role reporting to both the President and Congress so that they would be free from undue political pressure.  This independence is the hallmark of all Inspectors General and is essential so they may operate independently, without political pressure or interference from agencies attempting to keep their failings from public scrutiny.”

Grassley said he was “deeply troubled” by the Walpin matter and closed by asking the president “to review the Inspector General Reform Act you cosponsored and to follow the letter of the law should you have cause to remove any Inspector General.”

In fact, regardless of the commentary from the US Attorney, Congress gave IGs this level of protection precisely to avoid this kind of action by the White House.  Obama doesn’t want IGs investigating his cronies and political allies, and the evidence for this is rather clear from the way the White House handled it.  Instead of going to Congress, which the lawyers in the White House should have known was the correct procedure, they attempted to intimidate Walpin out of his job first.  Apparently they didn’t have a good enough case for the proper procedure.

Gee, does that sound (cough-cough Chrysler) at all (cough-cough GM) familiar (cough-cough AIG)?  It’s more of the madman theory of the Presidency — and once again, it involves abuse of power.

Will Congress stand up to the executive branch and protect the Inspectors General?  Or will they roll over and allow Obama to accrue even more power to protect his buddies and to allow corruption to run rampant?

Update: The boss has much more on this, including a connection to the other Michelle

First Lady Michelle Obama’s chief of staff, Jackie Norris, is being sent to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in what is both a White House shake-up and an indication of the first lady’s sway over the corporation that oversees AmeriCorps, Serve and Learn and the Senior Corps.

Observers believe Norris, whom Obama came to know early in the Iowa caucus campaign, was forced out of the White House so that long-time Obama friend Susan Sher could take over. But those same observers see her appointment as senior adviser to the corporation as an overall win for CNCS, believing that Norris still will have a straight line to the White House.

CNCS remains without a CEO after the withdrawal last month of Nike vice president Maria Eitel, even before her nomination went to the Senate. Although the corporation’s CEO must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, Michelle Obama reportedly has taken the lead in selecting the nominee.

And in Youth Today, a hint of what may really have triggered the IG’s termination:

The inspector general (IG) of the Corporation for National and Community Service is being removed by President Barack Obama, a week after the IG questioned the eligibility of the largest and most expensive AmeriCorps program, and while the IG was contesting the “propriety” of a settlement made with a mayor for alleged misuse of AmeriCorps funds.

Funding for the largest AmeriCorps program – the Teaching Fellows Program, run by the Research Foundation of the City University of New York – is in abeyance pending resolution of widespread problems identified in a recent audit. Although Walpin recommended that funding be curtailed and that previous funds (perhaps as much as $75 million) be repaid to the corporation, the corporation has said it will take no action on that matter.

Walpin concluded that nothing was being gained by the grants to CUNY and that the money was simply being used to subsidize an existing and funded program.

The boss says this looks a lot like Travelgate.  When will the show trial of Walpin start, so that the Obamas can take political cover?

Update II: Don’t forget the RAT in the stimulus.

Blowback

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OMG. This is a nightmare. I cannot believe all this is happening in this country.

red131 on June 12, 2009 at 8:51 AM

Or will they roll over and allow Obama to accrue even more power to protect his buddies and to allow corruption to run rampant?

This is a rhetorical question, right?

MarkTheGreat on June 12, 2009 at 8:52 AM

Hope and change

Capitalist Infidel on June 12, 2009 at 8:53 AM

I wonder if the guy issuing the ultimatum wears a tutu in off hours and fondles knives when talking about political opponents.

a capella on June 12, 2009 at 8:54 AM

This morning I was listening to local radio and, I can’t remember his name, but, there is a morning blurb from CBS, no less, and he out and out said, “The takeover by this administration might be ok in other countries, but, this is FASCISM and in America, this does not fly. Mr. President needs to come down to earth,” and just like that they said their name and repeated, “From CBS news.” I was standing there kind of stunned. Does anyone know if this was local or the national news? Did anyone else hear this? I really want to hear it again. Normally it is just background noise and they don’t make such critical statements of the admin. What do you think?

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 8:54 AM

the White House called Walpin and told him he had an hour to resign or get fired

Having lived in the Chicago area all of my life, I expect the Obama White House to do things like this. Sad part is McMaverick would only have been slightly better.

Tommy_G on June 12, 2009 at 8:55 AM

America is in a deep state of denial about Obama. I don’t think even his most vocal critics are negative enough. The next few years are going to be worse than anyone currently believes.

zmdavid on June 12, 2009 at 8:55 AM

Ah, the winds of Change blowing through the Beltway. Don’t you just love the smell of corruption in the morning?

johnsteele on June 12, 2009 at 8:55 AM

How much you wanna bet there is someone from ACORN waiting in the wings to be the next IG?

BigD on June 12, 2009 at 8:56 AM

Or will they roll over and allow Obama to accrue even more power to protect his buddies and to allow corruption to run rampant?

There you go again with those rose-colored glasses, Ed.

SouthernGent on June 12, 2009 at 8:56 AM

Congress will cower in the corner and whimper like a beaten dog.

doriangrey on June 12, 2009 at 8:56 AM

Wow, how I miss George W. Bush.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 8:56 AM

Will someone please provide verifiable examples of blatant corruption or power grabs by the executive office that might compare to any recent president? My background in politics is not lengthy enough to know if this is vastly out of the norm, or if we should really be worried…

Thanks.

BKeyser on June 12, 2009 at 8:57 AM

Imagine how much ACORN will be able to get away with now.

Imagine how bad Black Panther voter fraud will be from now on.

Hail to the Precedent.

reaganaut on June 12, 2009 at 8:57 AM

In a weak economy Kool-aid sales are throught the roof!
Drink up little Bambis

bluegrass on June 12, 2009 at 8:58 AM

Ed,

So this goes completely against the RAT Board provision you posted in Feb. that was part of the Porkulus bill?

Has Obama messed with Joe?!

Brat on June 12, 2009 at 8:58 AM

Will Congress stand up to the executive branch and protect the Inspectors General? Or will they roll over and allow Obama to accrue even more power to protect his buddies and to allow corruption to run rampant?

This is exactly what I don’t understand. Congress loves their power…why are they just sitting by and letting Obama bypass them…all these czars and things…seriously, somebody explain this to me.

ladyingray on June 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM

Congress will cower in the corner and whimper like a beaten dog.

doriangrey on June 12, 2009 at 8:56 AM

Ths implies that Congress (controlled by the Democrats) is not in fact complicit in this takeover; a “fact” not in evidence. All of this suits the Democrats “just fine thank you ma’am” because they don’t believe in America any longer and haven’t for 50 years.

johnsteele on June 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM

“Youse got some gorgeous kids there, shame if anything was to, you know, happen to em.”

Akzed on June 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM

From the link updates it appears the firing will proceed and other IGs have also been threatened with job loss. Sounds like a trend.

a capella on June 12, 2009 at 9:00 AM

“Youse got some gorgeous kids there, shame if anything was to, you know, happen to em.”

Akzed on June 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM

Touche.

johnsteele on June 12, 2009 at 9:00 AM

I wonder if the guy issuing the ultimatum wears a tutu in off hours and fondles knives when talking about political opponents.

a capella on June 12, 2009 at 8:54 AM

Snort! No doubt about it.

At least Grassley put it out there and hopefully more will not let the administration get away with every whim.

I’m not holding my breath, but one can wish.

tru2tx on June 12, 2009 at 9:00 AM

This should be huge news, and I should be surprised that it isn’t. Wonder why I’m not.

ProfessorMiao on June 12, 2009 at 9:01 AM

For the first time in my adult life, I am ashamed of my country.

DougDavis on June 12, 2009 at 9:01 AM

It’s more of the madman theory of the Presidency — and once again, it involves abuse of power.

The state of Obama’s mental health is not only fair game, but it’s necessary that the people pursue it. Where are Obama’s physical and mental health records? Is he at increased risk for more than just cardiovascular problems?

JiangxiDad on June 12, 2009 at 9:01 AM

Ok, so is the IG guy Walpin fired or not?
Or is The Obama administration satisfied that their message was delivered and understood by Walpin?

Just how badly divided will the democrats in congress be if The Obama administration openly turns to Chicago gangland tactics and rival gang leaders start to disappear?

Skandia Recluse on June 12, 2009 at 9:01 AM

For the first time in my adult life, I am ashamed of my country.

DougDavis on June 12, 2009 at 9:01 AM

I’m more worried for my country.

johnsteele on June 12, 2009 at 9:02 AM

You betta watch how ya talking
And where ya walking
Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk.
I really hate to trip but I gotta lob,
As they croak, I see myself in the pistol smoke.
Fool, I’m the kinda g that little homie’s wanna be like,
On my knees in the night
Saying prayers in the street light.

[Chorus]
We’ve been spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta’s paradise.
We’ve been spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta’s paradise.
We keep spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta’s paradise.
We keep spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta’s paradise.

TheBigOldDog on June 12, 2009 at 9:02 AM

Another attempt to circumvent any legislative oversight (like the Czars) and to concentrate power in the exuecutive. You can contact Se. Grassley to show support: grassley.senate.gov

4Freedom on June 12, 2009 at 9:02 AM

Will someone please provide verifiable examples of blatant corruption or power grabs by the executive office that might compare to any recent president? My background in politics is not lengthy enough to know if this is vastly out of the norm, or if we should really be worried…

BKeyser on June 12, 2009 at 8:57 AM

Had anything like this happened during Bush’s time, you would have heard about it from every media outlet.

I’d go with ‘really be worried.’

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:02 AM

nothing political going on here /sarc/

cmsinaz on June 12, 2009 at 9:02 AM

From the link updates it appears the firing will proceed and other IGs have also been threatened with job loss. Sounds like a trend.

a capella on June 12, 2009 at 9:00 AM

Yup, good thing the SCOTUS refused to hear the Chrysler case…

doriangrey on June 12, 2009 at 9:02 AM

I assume this fired IG will within the next week have been interviewed by Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Chris Matthews and Brian Williams. On second thought, maybe his story isn’t as interesting as Scott McClellan’s was.

Marcus on June 12, 2009 at 9:02 AM

Wow, our next election can’t come soon enough.

boomer on June 12, 2009 at 9:03 AM

If you ran a poll of your readers, I believe that a big majority would go for Congress rolling over.

burt on June 12, 2009 at 9:03 AM

Wow, our next election can’t come soon enough.

boomer on June 12, 2009 at 9:03 AM

Next election? What next election?

johnsteele on June 12, 2009 at 9:04 AM

I wonder if the guy issuing the ultimatum wears a tutu in off hours and fondles knives when talking about political opponents.

a capella on June 12, 2009 at 8:54 AM

jee wiz, what a childish comment… Rahm prefers leotards, not tutus

gatorboy on June 12, 2009 at 9:04 AM

Transparency you can believe in. As I said before …….
Bullshit This ole boy don’t beleve in it. Drink your Kool-Aid and give him praise, simpletons.

bluegrass on June 12, 2009 at 9:04 AM

Obama is our Supreme Leader. You are not free to act contrary to his divine rulings. That is the bottom line. The IG and Chrysler’s bondholders should both be lucky that Obama’s henchmen did not quietly disappear them (or members of their families) like Chavez does.

Outlander on June 12, 2009 at 9:04 AM

This is exactly what I don’t understand. Congress loves their power…why are they just sitting by and letting Obama bypass them…all these czars and things…seriously, somebody explain this to me.

ladyingray on June 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM

Because, I think, many of them are cowardly, concerned almost entirely with their political popularity. Obama’s popular, and they’re reluctant to resist him too much.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:05 AM

Move along, nothing to see here.

Soros’s sock puppet is a 21st century version of the Spanish leftist thug Caballero. Or Allende. Take your pick.

PimFortuynsGhost on June 12, 2009 at 9:06 AM

The Democrat vision of a socialist paradise must be stronger than their individual integrity or ethics. One or two lone voices will speak up and then quietly retreat.

sherry on June 12, 2009 at 9:07 AM

Well this is nauseating. Again. It’s getting to the point where I can’t enjoy my HA with my coffee in the morning.

Too much depressing truth before noon.

anniekc on June 12, 2009 at 9:08 AM

Oh, so what… thuggery, power grabs…what does that matter when Obama can speak so smoothly? So nuanced. And he’s real cool. He makes fun of his big ears. That’s so funny. And his daughters are cute. So’s his little dog. And date night! Hey, c’mon, date night was the bomb. She drank martinis. He didn’t wear a tie. They looked so g-damn cool….

CarolynM on June 12, 2009 at 9:09 AM

After years of screaming that Bush was a fascist, now America is getting a full-blown example of what fascism really IS by the Democrats. Obama yearns mightily for perpetual rule, a-la-the Daley Machine in Chicago, and is doing his best to implement it. Rule of law? No. Rule of Obama. Mussolini has to be applauding from his front-row seat in Hell.

bradley11 on June 12, 2009 at 9:09 AM

The funny thing about Obama and his ‘Chicago style’ politics is going to be how he handles the health care issue.

MOST of the major health insurance companies are based in. . . wait for it. . . CHICAGO. They know Chicago politics much better than this ‘Hawaiian’. Obama doesn’t know it yet, but he’s met his match with the medical insurance companies. They play hardball, and they have more money than the government.

ThackerAgency on June 12, 2009 at 9:11 AM

Hope and change

Capitalist Infidel on June 12, 2009 at 8:53 AM


Hype and bait-n-switch.

Disturb the Universe on June 12, 2009 at 9:12 AM

I believe this administration is on track to be the most corrupt in U.S. history.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:12 AM

Will Congress stand up to the executive branch and protect the Inspectors General? Or will they roll over…

My dollar to your donut says… roll over.

Where the hell is the GOP outrage? This country is being ‘re-made’ into the antithesis of its former self almost overnight, and GOP pols can’t say sh*t even if they had a mouthful.

petefrt on June 12, 2009 at 9:13 AM

Wow, our next election can’t come soon enough.

boomer on June 12, 2009 at 9:03 AM

Obama knows this. The freakshow thing about it is that OUR REPUBLICAN REPS KNOW IT TOO and are still not saying anything. I called mine again this morning and begged them, even the liberal one, to please PLEASE stand for America. PLEASE. I normally call them angry. I was almost in tears.

I don’t really know what to do or think. What I wish we could have (Maybe this could be a HotAir special like the greenroom or the Obamaturisms) a running list of all the shoddy/anti-constitutional/dangerous/illegal things Obama is doing because, per their Alinksy METHODOLOGY, I cannot keep up and it’s working. We are growing weary.

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:13 AM

You get what you vote for.

Unfortunately, half of the country is still infatuated with “The One”. I just hope it wears off quick enough to save the country.

kam582 on June 12, 2009 at 9:13 AM

Just because he cosponsored the act doesn’t mean he either read it or believes in it. Obama is precocious. He doesn’t have to understand or to believe in anything except how to mesmerise the electorate.

burt on June 12, 2009 at 9:15 AM

Watch the Anti-American/Pro-Jihadi Traitor Democratic Left come out and fall all over themselves, with their rectal-sock-puppets in the MSM as back-up, trying to DEFEND this; sorta like they’re doing with Letterman’s attacks on Palin’s 14yo daughter!

Man, can you imagine if the Bush White House had done this….

Oh yeah, I know, that’s “different”…as I’ve had a few accomadating Mind-slave Leftists explain to me recently, about other things THE ONE, Barack HUSSEIN Obama (PBUH)(SWT)(SAW) has done…

Dale in Atlanta on June 12, 2009 at 9:15 AM

He hasn’t even been office 5 months and look what all has transpired. Republicans have to get Congress back, otherwise there is no telling what damage Obama and his Dems will continue to extol

golfballs03 on June 12, 2009 at 9:16 AM

Wow, our next election can’t come soon enough.

boomer on June 12, 2009 at 9:03 AM

LOL!!! He thinks we’re actually going to have another presidential election. Whew… good one.

Daggett on June 12, 2009 at 9:16 AM

ThackerAgency on June 12, 2009 at 9:11 AM

What can they do? I read that insurance agencies rather like part of the plan O wants to initiate. If gov. will mandate every employer to provide health insurance to every employee, isn’t that a plus for their industry?

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Good grief. EVERY DAY it’s something disturbing coming from the White House. Every. single. day. I didn’t vote for the guy but no way did I think he’d be as bad as he is.

scalleywag on June 12, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Those of us who work in or have worked in public education know very well that it is professionally and personally very dangerous to point out illegal as well as incompetent activity by “people of color.” From stealing equipment to the misuse of credit cards, you are to look the other way and keep your mouth shut.

Americorp is just one more of these taxpayer funded piggy banks designed to enrich preferred minorities.

mr1216 on June 12, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Some say Obamugabe is the anti-Christ, I am thinking he may be the second coming…

of Mohammed.

TheSitRep on June 12, 2009 at 9:18 AM

“deeply troubled” ??

I’m so tired of this civil outrage to this dangerous, thuggery and third world take over of Republic!

How about just saying it like it is.

Sen Grassley…how about…

“This is shocking and dangerous. A stunning abuse of power and we are aggressively looking into what is happening here”!!!!

! Sounds about right to me.

katy on June 12, 2009 at 9:19 AM

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:13 AM

Don’t despair. When unemployment hits double digits, the dollar crashes, gas prices soar, etc., these people will be unceremoniously voted out.

And don’t forget–Obama didn’t get much more than half the vote. Now that people have seen his methods and agenda, he won’t win again (and will lose Congress in 2010).

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:19 AM

Oh… and then Sen. Grassely…

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

katy on June 12, 2009 at 9:20 AM

he won’t win again (and will lose Congress in 2010).

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:19 AM

He’s already 10 steps ahead of the 2010 election.

It’s not going to happen.

katy on June 12, 2009 at 9:21 AM

Obamacorps in the making . . . when he corners the market on brown cloth for brown shirts it will all be over. You’ve had it people; bend over grab your ankles and kiss your posteriors goodbye. Thank you enlightened voters, you really stuck it to us this time.

rplat on June 12, 2009 at 9:21 AM

Don’t despair. When unemployment hits double digits, the dollar crashes, gas prices soar, etc., these people will be unceremoniously voted out. And don’t forget–Obama didn’t get much more than half the vote. Now that people have seen his methods and agenda, he won’t win again (and will lose Congress in 2010).
jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:19 AM

With everything he’s nationalizing, though, Americans may become so dependent on the government that they’ll never vote Republicans back into power. That’s what happened in England in the 1950s, and even Margaret Thatcher wasn’t strong enough to undo most of it!

Outlander on June 12, 2009 at 9:22 AM

He’s already 10 steps ahead of the 2010 election.
It’s not going to happen.
katy on June 12, 2009 at 9:21 AM

If you mean the election isn’t going to happen, I disagree. That would be asking for half the states to leave the Union. Or for a military coup.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:23 AM

How Nixonian.

/ is Archibald Cox still alive?

Sefton on June 12, 2009 at 9:24 AM

With everything he’s nationalizing, though, Americans may become so dependent on the government that they’ll never vote Republicans back into power. That’s what happened in England in the 1950s, and even Margaret Thatcher wasn’t strong enough to undo most of it!

Outlander on June 12, 2009 at 9:22 AM

She couldn’t reverse all of it, but she did get elected and have a good run in office.

Are we stuck with more socialism for years to come? Yes. Can Obama hold on to power forever? Nope.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:25 AM

This is exactly what I don’t understand. Congress loves their power…why are they just sitting by and letting Obama bypass them…all these czars and things…seriously, somebody explain this to me.

ladyingray on June 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM

Obama is a money machine.

The Dems in Congress bow to money machines.

Obama actually has job approval numbers and popularity.

The Dems in Congress long for the days of 30% approval ratings and are only popular amongst some family members.

myrenovations on June 12, 2009 at 9:25 AM

Wow, our next election can’t come soon enough.

boomer on June 12, 2009 at 9:03 AM

I don’t agree. The electorate is not yet ready to turn over congress. They are certainly not yet ready to get rid of Obama. A quick eletion would confirm the crud in DC.

burt on June 12, 2009 at 9:25 AM

If gov. will mandate every employer to provide health insurance to every employee, isn’t that a plus for their industry?

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:17 AM

No. Government is going to offer a “public option” which competes with insurance. Obama says this is to keep private insurance “honest,” but he’s lying through his teeth.

No insurance company can compete with an institution (government) with virtually unlimited revenue (taxes, including taxes on private insurance).

The private insurance companies will quickly go out of business, and we’ll be left with a single payer system. Then health care will be rationed to keep costs down.

Daggett on June 12, 2009 at 9:26 AM

Sefton on June 12, 2009 at 9:24 AM

My thoughts exactly. Only this time, the media is playing the role of Charles Colson, defender of the president.

Slublog on June 12, 2009 at 9:26 AM

LOL!!! He thinks we’re actually going to have another presidential election. Whew… good one.

Daggett on June 12, 2009 at 9:16 AM

Isn’t it sad that, for all the raving lunatic fears of the left during the last eight years, this could feasibly happen on Obama’s watch? NOTHING, NOTHING would surprise me now. All these initiatives have been nothing short of corruption and unconstitutional—patently unAmerican. What wouldn’t he try? All he needs is a good “Crisis” to call a halt to elections. Neat, huh?

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:26 AM

/ is Archibald Cox still alive?

Sefton on June 12, 2009 at 9:24 AM

I think he is dead.

myrenovations on June 12, 2009 at 9:26 AM

Name the times Obama fired someone that he has been stopped. Until some court or legislation gives him some rejection, he is a loose cannon.

seven on June 12, 2009 at 9:28 AM

a means to combat waste, fraud, and abuse

Well, can’t have any of that in the transparent hopey-changey era.

PaddyJ on June 12, 2009 at 9:29 AM

Hugo Chavez comes to America …

tarpon on June 12, 2009 at 9:30 AM

Will Congress stand up to the executive branch and protect the Inspectors General? Or will they roll over and allow Obama to accrue even more power to protect his buddies and to allow corruption to run rampant?

Rollover. Sit. Stay. Paw. Good boy!

redfoxbluestate on June 12, 2009 at 9:31 AM

Daggett on June 12, 2009 at 9:26 AM

I realize that. I am thinking that there was an added clause which mandated ALL employers would have to offer some form of insurance and that the insurance companies were largely behind the plan. I remember thinking this was a little schizophrenic of the companies because of exactly what you said about pseudo “competition.”

btw, doesn’t it make you want to punch something when Obama says something like “competativeness” or “competition” knowing full well that he hates capitalism and is flat out lying his a** off and spitting at conservative capitalists? I do.

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:31 AM

Unfortunately, half of the country is still infatuated with “The One”. I just hope it wears off quick enough to save the country.

kam582 on June 12, 2009 at 9:13 AM

THIS freaks me out more than anything! I know that personally in the past I have, at times been a little embarrassed and appalled at American behavior; It would seem like we might be living up to Europe’s rude opinions of us- we eat too much, we’re too invested in pop culture, we think we’re great just because we’re American, (well. yeah) But when I see that Obama has an APPROVAL rating of 62% from FOX news polls! (ARE YOU KIDDING ME??) I want to go ballistic! Who are these people?? What color is the sky in their worlds? To get to 62% he has to have sucked in some of the people who didn’t even vote for him! Are they just oblivious? Do they not want to appear “racist”? I don’t even understand how they can “approve of him personally”, but not like his policies. WTF? HE IS HIS POLICIES! It’s when I see these ridiculous approval numbers that I, NOW seriously question not just my fellow American’s choices, but their sanity!

Rant over.

anniekc on June 12, 2009 at 9:32 AM

Didn’t a couple months ago the White House tried to preempt Inspectors General across the board?

CP on June 12, 2009 at 9:32 AM

Corrupt, power-hungry people can’t play well together for long. Either one violently seizes power, or they end up fighting amongst themselves.

If you pray, pray for strife and confusion among the leftists. Tower of Babel.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:32 AM

Hugo Chavez comes to America …

tarpon on June 12, 2009 at 9:30 AM

To learn how to become a true leftist radical.

sherry on June 12, 2009 at 9:33 AM

This smells of Rahm. The little puppet master who thinks he is Sonny Corleone.

Limerick on June 12, 2009 at 9:33 AM

Some say Obamugabe is the anti-Christ, I am thinking he may be the second coming…

of Mohammed.

TheSitRep on June 12, 2009 at 9:18 AM

Searching for something that differentiates the two…..

BobMbx on June 12, 2009 at 9:33 AM

The GOP congress is going to have a lot of investigations on their hands in 2010.

pearson on June 12, 2009 at 9:34 AM

Meanwhile at MSNBC … a fax rattles off the fax machine …

FROM: RAUM EMMANUEL

TO: ALL MSNBC SOLDIERS (HI OLBE!)

SUBJ: OPERATION CHARACTER ASSASINATION (THIS WEEKS TARGET – GERALD WALPIN)

GET ON THIS BASTARD NOW! I WANT STORIES OUT THERE ABOUT HIM VISITING PROSTITUTES. LINK HIM TO RUSH LIMBAUGH – SOMEHOW!! THERE’S A POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN WALPIN AND TORTURING TERROR SUSPECTS.

PLEASE PASS THIS NOTE TO DAVID LETTERMAN – I WANT HIM ACTIVE ON THIS TOO. WALPIN MAY HAVE SMALL CHILDREN THAT CAN BE SEXUALLY EXPLOITED IN LATE NIGHT COMEDY ROUTINES.

THIS ISN’T A REQUEST – IT’S AN ORDER – GET HOT!

HondaV65 on June 12, 2009 at 9:34 AM

Arugula republic.

the_nile on June 12, 2009 at 9:35 AM

Rant over.
anniekc on June 12, 2009 at 9:32 AM

Agreed. People don’t want the truth badly enough to seek it out, so they let the media tell them what to believe.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:36 AM

btw, doesn’t it make you want to punch something when Obama says something like “competativeness” or “competition” knowing full well that he hates capitalism and is flat out lying his a** off and spitting at conservative capitalists? I do.

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:31 AM

Absolutely. I don’t know which p*sses me off more, the fact that he tells these lies, or the fact that the government press repeats them without challenge.

Daggett on June 12, 2009 at 9:36 AM

Don’t despair. When unemployment hits double digits, the dollar crashes, gas prices soar, etc., these people will be unceremoniously voted out.

And don’t forget–Obama didn’t get much more than half the vote. Now that people have seen his methods and agenda, he won’t win again (and will lose Congress in 2010).

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:19 AM

Only if ACORN runs out of cash for cigarettes, liquor, drugs, pocket money and a healthy stack of fictitious registered voters.

TheBigOldDog on June 12, 2009 at 9:36 AM

I wonder why those liberals who screamed so loudly over the so called “unitary executive” power grab by Bush are now utterly silent now that Obama is actually doing the things they charged Bush with doing?

(Unitary executive is nothing more than an assertion that the president is in charge of the executive branch, and not congress.)

PS: That actually was a rhetorical question.

MarkTheGreat on June 12, 2009 at 9:37 AM

I want someone to come in and just be a crazy man in office, slashing government left and right. Heck yes. Use the newly “consolidated” power that Obama has amassed and fire EVERYONE from EVERYTHING he instituted and give. businesses. BACK. Slash and cut every single government tie to business. Kill unions. End public education. End welfare or make it a ONE YEAR DEAL. PERIOD. NO EXTENSIONS. GET A JOB. Close the borders, reward legal immigration!!! And, when it is all said and done, cancel all the federal expansions so the next guy can’t abuse it and look forward to probably being loved AND hated, simultaneously. Probably a one-termer and a real servant of the people, not himself.

Isn’t that a lovely dream?

Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 9:37 AM

Wake up America!!!
by Pam Geller
I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied history all my life. I think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus..

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it.. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 – 15 years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We demanded and then codified into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people whom we knew could never pay back? Why? We learned recently that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has “loaned” two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700B we all argued about so strenuously just this past September.

Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of “We the People,” who loaned our powers to our elected leaders.. Apparently not..

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why?

We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity.. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?). We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla, Alaska. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.)

Mr. Obama’s winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change…radical change Why?

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

And that is only the beginning.

I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his “brown shirts” would bully them into submission.

And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people on his side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe, and across the world.

He did it with a compliant media – Did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and…change. And the people surely got what they voted for. (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.) Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchillpointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though.

Don’t forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe. It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years – a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S.. presidency – it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.

As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong, close my eyes, have another latte and ignore what is transpiring around me.

Some people scoff at me; others laugh or think I am foolish, naive, or both. Perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe – and why I believe it. I pray I am wrong. But, I do not think I am.

About the author via Google…

Pamela “Atlas” Geller began her publishing career at The New York Daily News and subsequently took over operation ofThe New York Observer as Associate Publisher. She left The Observer after the birth of her fourth child, but remained involved in various projects including American Associates, Ben Gurion University and being Senior Vice-President Strategic Planning and Performance Evaluation at The Brandeis School.

After 9/11, Atlas had the veil of oblivion violently lifted from her consciousness and immersed herself in the education and understanding of geopolitics, Islam, terror, foreign affairs and imminent threats the mainstream media and the government wouldn’t cover or discuss.

reshas1 on June 12, 2009 at 9:37 AM

Only if ACORN runs out of cash for cigarettes, liquor, drugs, pocket money and a healthy stack of fictitious registered voters.
TheBigOldDog on June 12, 2009 at 9:36 AM

Well, my hope is that (1) voter fraud isn’t quite as easy as voter registration fraud, and (2) they can’t possibly get enough fraudulent votes to resist the tidal wave of anti-Democrat sentiment that’s coming.

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:39 AM

“The takeover by this administration might be ok in other countries, but, this is FASCISM and in America, this does not fly. (from Mommypundit on June 12, 2009 at 8:54 AM)

From the The Constitution Club

State intervention in economic production arises only when private initiative is lacking or insufficient, or when the political interests of the State are involved. This intervention may take the form of control, assistance or direct management. (pp. 135-136)
—Benito Mussolini, 1935, “Fascism: Doctrine and Institutions”

“OKAY! OKAY! I understand, but I am not the one running automobile and insurance companies. Your messenger didn’t say it or do it. Barry and Benito did. I am just the messenger.

Rovin on June 12, 2009 at 9:40 AM

jazz_piano on June 12, 2009 at 9:39 AM

I hope you’re right but there’s a reason the Left fights so hard against any voter fraud reform. They fight it as hard, or harder, than they do for abortion.

TheBigOldDog on June 12, 2009 at 9:41 AM

Rule of law? We ain’t got no Rule of law. We don’t need no Rule of law! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ Rule of law!

Rebar on June 12, 2009 at 9:41 AM

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