white house

Was It The Cost Of The Ethics Complaints That Lead Palin To Resign?

That seems to be the reason gaining the most traction, that Palin couldn’t work and the cost of defending herself against all the ethics complaints was too much to handle. Here’s a segment from FOX News where Sean Parnell, Palin’s successor, repeats just that.

I can buy that as a reason, but does that mean she is ready for the White House? Absolutely not. Think of Bill Clinton. During his tenure in the White House he faced over 50 ethics investigations, from Monica Lewinsky to who was on their Christmas card list, with only the former sticking. Throughout all that Clinton was able to remain one of the most popular Presidents ever and do thinks like turn the deficit into a surplus.

So knowing that then who would be lay blame for these investigations on? Would it be the Democrats and liberal groups, who most likely filed most of the complaints against Palin, or would it be the Republicans, who started the entire culture of investigating our leaders? I would say the former. It would be nice if Republicans could also remember that. They thought it would be fun to bring ethics complaint after ethics complaint against our leaders, but when the tables are turned and the leader happens to be from their own party those investigations aren’t so much fun. It’s a level of hypocrisy that has very serious political consequences.

Well That Lasted Long

At the beginning of the week the health industry was all gung-ho to work with the administration to ease to costs of healthcare. Now it looks like they are yelling out “SIKE!”

Hospitals and insurance companies said Thursday that President Obama had substantially overstated their promise earlier this week to reduce the growth of health spending.

Mr. Obama invited health industry leaders to the White House on Monday to trumpet their cost-control commitments. But three days later, confusion swirled in Washington as the companies’ trade associations raced to tamp down angst among members around the country.

After meeting with six major health care organizations, Mr. Obama hailed their cost-cutting promise as historic.

So can we stop the game of make believe and acknowledge that fact that these people really aren’t going to fix the problems themselves? Greed trumps common sense any day of the week. We have seen it in the auto industry, banking and now health care. If we want it fixed then we have to fix it – not them.

Back To The Real Discussion Of Torture

While the media and right try to pin everything involving torture on Nancy Pelosi, today it’s time to go back to the real criminals involved – the previous administration. At a time when the American press abandoned their core principals and became nothing more than an echo chamber for the Bush White House, Cheney was working to generate even more reasons to invade Iraq, particularly a link between Saddam and 9/11.

Temper Tantrum

Meghan McCain didn’t get everything done her way at the correspondents’ dinner, so she ended up having a little temper tantrum:

Sen. John McCain’s daughter — who writes online for The Daily Beast and will soon release a book about life as a Republican — lost it after getting stopped by security when she arrived at the White House Correspondents dinner Saturday. The problem? She had only two tickets, but brought two friends.

“The security guard sent her to talk to someone to sort out the situation, but Meghan got bratty and nastily told him, ‘We’ll just stand here then,’ like an insolent child,” our source said, adding that after dealing with the guard, “She muttered to her friends, ‘Does he even know who the f--- I am?’ ”

That wasn’t it. She also complained about the air-conditioning, having to wait and get upset that Wanda Sykes poked fun at her family. Little rich brat. That pretty much sums it up. Well maybe not the little part.

“Cinco De Cuatro”

Obama had a celebration yesterday with Mexico’s ambassador and had a little gaff:

President Barack Obama is celebrating Cinco de Mayo a little early.

On the eve of the Mexican holiday, Obama on Monday had an event in the East Room of the White House with Mexico's Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan (sahr-oo-KHAN').

Obama joked that it was "Cinco de Cuatro," botching a play on the Spanish word for "four" when he meant to say "Cuatro de Mayo," or the Fourth of May. He tried again, but he still did not get it right.

The right is now going on about this and saying “if George Bush had said this”.. Allow me to explain the difference to the thick headed on the right.

When President Obama makes a gaff like this he is quick to acknowledge it and openly joke it off. Bush made these gaffs and didn’t even realize he had made them.

Also when Bush made “gaffs” like “bring em’ on” and “we will conduct a crusade”, those resulted in death. The simple gaffs Obama has made are the most innocent in nature.

Of course I doubt people like Michelle Malkin are even capable of comprehending something like this, but it was worth pointing out as it goes to the heart of the issue that the right lacks basic common sense.

If You Can’t Beat Them…..

Since the GOP doesn’t seem to be able to distance themselves from the disaster known as Bush, it looks like they will now embrace them:

Former White House press secretary Dana Perino, former Bush counselor Ed Gillespie and former White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto are among those set to provide words of wisdom to House Republican press secretaries at their annual workshop this Friday.

Now there’s a lineup, but since when is a time of “worship” turned into business time? Or are they just going to worship the Bush years?

Kumar Goes To Washington!

Kal Penn is getting a new gig, and this one isn’t in Hollywood:

I understand it was your decision to leave House. True?
KAL PENN: Yes. I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It's similar to what I was doing on the campaign.

Will you actually be working in the White House?
PENN: This particular office is in the executive building. The White House has two buildings: the actual White House and an old Navy building called the Old Executive Office.

Talk about reaching out to the younger generation. Penn says he is taking a huge pay cut for this job, so it shows that he is truly interested in doing some good or at least being part of it.

But can you imagine how the right is going to respond to this? “Hollywood is taking over the Capital!” I hear Malkin is on suicide watch right now.

No Money For You!

Looks like the well is dry for GM and Chrysler:

The White House says neither GM nor Chrysler submitted acceptable plans to receive more bailout money, setting the stage for a crisis in Detroit and putting in motion what could be the final two months of two American auto giants.

The Obama administration, however, has decided not to require the automakers to immediately repay government loan money they previously received, since that would force both companies into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

I really want to hear some explanations on these decisions. We could be looking at the end of a major American era, one that is responsible for America’s position as a global leader today. It’s also not going to help the job numbers in the foreseeable future.

Still, I can’t stop and wonder how much of the auto problems are still the side effect of the much larger illness of frozen credit markets. If that’s the case, then why have we dumped so much more money into the banks and seen no cure yet?

It also makes me wonder about the decision for the administration to force Rick Wagner out as CEO of GM. There appears to be a major double standard here. We force out the CEO of GM, yet our tax dollars go to bonuses of bank execs that helped put GM, Chrysler and the whole nation in this mess. I got a feeling a bunch of Democrats on the hill will be asking the same questions today.

Public Anger Is Growing

The Obama administration is in trouble. Public anger over these AIG bonuses appear to be the final straw:

The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about a populist backlash against banks and Wall Street, worried that anger at financial institutions could also end up being directed at Congress and the White House and could complicate President Obama’s agenda.

As Greg Sargent points out this morning, the meme the administration is pushing that this outrage is flowing through from the Bush administration and problems that happened then isn’t cutting it either.

Also the whole notion that the administration’s “hands are tied” is a bunch of bullshit. It was easy to tell the automakers that they had to restructure their companies, including compensation, but those same concessions don’t/can’t carry over to Wall Street firms?

If the Obama administration wants to push their agenda through, they need to listen to the American people’s agenda and stop this madness. Congressional leaders are already upset and they will be hearing it more from their constituents, so that means less support for Obama in Congress.

RNC Spokesman Re-Asserts Desire For Obama/America To Fail

That spokesman would be the main one – Rush Limbaugh:

LIMBAUGH: I am told South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford called me an idiot, not by name. But he said, “Anyone who wants Obama to fail is an idiot.” I don’t anybody else who said it. So, I guess he’s talking about– … Politicians have different audiences than I do and they’ve got to say things in different ways. So, after he said, “Anyone who wants Obama to fail is an idiot,” then went on in his own way to say, “Gosh, I hope this doesn’t work.” … He just had to say, “We don’t want the president to fail.”

Hell we don’t! We want something to blow up here politically. We want something to not go right. … We’re talking about freedom that is under assault!

Again Republicans – if you continue to bow down to this man and take his word as gospel then the future of the Republican Party will be that as the current Green Party or any other third party. Someone needs to set him straight right now and that someone must be from the upper levels of the Republican Party.

The Democrats didn’t bow down to every wish of Move On, the ACLU, or any other left wing organization and look what that got them – the White House and a solid majority. So why is the Republicans so hell bent on bowing down to the special interest group that is Rush Limbaugh and his following?

To state, then re-affirm your desire for our President to fail in such a dire time means you are hoping for the failure of America as a whole. That is the simplest fact there is. Rush Limbaugh is continuing to wish our nation on the brink gets pushed over. I don’t remember anyone ever making such wishes before, rather it was during the Bush years or the Clinton years. This is a new low in politics and public discussion and it needs to be taken on now.

Take It Or Leave It

Chuck Schumer isn’t having any of this a la carte crap that governors like Bobby Jindhal is trying. He has released a letter sent to the White House urging them to send either all funds or none at all to state. The money quote (no pun intended – ok maybe a little one):

As you know, Section 1607(a) of the economic recovery legislation provides that the Governor of each state must certify a request for stimulus funds before any money can flow. No language in this provision, however, permits the governor to selectively adopt some components of the bill while rejecting others. To allow such picking and choosing would, in effect, empower the governors with a line-item veto authority that President Obama himself did not possess at the time he signed the legislation. It would also undermine the overall success of the bill, as the components most singled out for criticism by these governors are among the most productive measures in terms of stimulating the economy.

I like the coining of the phrase “line item veto” in this part of Schumer’s letter. That’s exactly what Jindhal is trying to do. Hopefully the White House will heed the words of Schumer and deny any more money to Louisiana by simply stating their governor isn’t accepting the stimulus package.{[}]lt;/p>

8 People Arrested In Phelps-Pot-Gate

This goes beyond absurd:

We've now learned that since investigators began trying to build a case, they've made eight arrests: seven for drug possession and one for distribution. These are arrests that resulted as the sheriff's department served search warrants.

We've also learned that the department has located and confiscated that bong.

So the police in Columbia, S.C. have nothing better to do? I like how Sully puts it:

He stands as living proof that pot-smoking is perfectly compatible with being a world-historic athlete. And that cannot stand. These laws are about enforcing lies.

Precisely. If someone in the White House reads this, perhaps we could see Obama’s first pardons be to these eight people, with one pending for Phelps. Also this Sherriff should be looking for a new job, unless there is 0 other, more serious crimes in Richland County. I mean crimes like rape, murder, assault, theft, or anything that involves hurting another – not the refrigerator and your waist line.

Add 100 More To The Unemployment Numbers

Michael Steele has asked all the top staffers at the RNC to resign. Maybe he wants to give jobs to the old Bush White House staff?

Hey Andy Card – What About Jackets In The White House?

Following up on my post about Andy Card demanding Obama “respect the Oval Office” and where a suit jacket at all times, I have no found this picture via HuffPo:

Maybe Andy should have spent time making the same demands of his former boss, instead of running out to get him cheeseburgers. But Bush isn’t the only one to break the “golden Card rule”. Look at all the former presidents who have done the same thing – including Reagan. Now how dare Andy Card go out there and publicly blast the The Gipper. I certainly hope the Republican circles prepare the firing squad for such an act of GOP treason.

America’s Biggest Problem – Obama’s Jacket

Or lack their off:

At least one prominent former Bush official has the following message for President Obama: I don’t care if it’s warm enough to grow orchids in the Oval Office. Put your suit jacket on.

In an interview scheduled to run Wednesday night, Andrew H. Card Jr. told the syndicated news show Inside Edition that “there should be a dress code of respect” in the White House and that he wished Mr. Obama “would wear a suit coat and tie.”

Mr. Card, who was George W. Bush’s first chief of staff, becomes the first member of that famously buttoned-up administration to criticize the more relaxed Obama dress code.
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So the right hand man of the President who lead this country over the cliff of economic depression, as well as lied us into war is telling the new President (who has 3 times the approval rating of the former) what to wear? Amazing, but not as amazing as this:

“The Oval Office symbolizes…the Constitution, the hopes and dreams, and I’m going to say democracy. And when you have a dress code in the Supreme Court and a dress code on the floor of the Senate, floor of the House, I think it’s appropriate to have an expectation that there will be a dress code that respects the office of the President.”

Who the fuck does Card think he is? He worked for a President that totally shredded the Constitution. Apparently Card believes the only respect the Constitution deserves is through apparel. This guy is sick.

I seriously want this interview aired 24/7 on every station in America. The people need to see that the Republicans don’t worry about things like the law, or the economy. Instead they only worry about how people dress.