More Change You Can Believe In

[CA_Scouter]

Merlyn has a point. M.. you are forgiven.. ;-)

 

Wouldn't it be better for our country if we stopped pointing fingers and instead put those fingers to work fixing things?

 

I remember a quote from someone somewhere... something like 'I may not have voted for him but he's still MY president'

 

 

[frankj]

I'll tell you why it is worthy of comment. BHO repeated the "change" mantra over and over during his campaign and we aren't even in a couple of weeks and 3 attempts to appoint people run into the same old problems. Or, are we all supposed to so sophisticated that we really don't expect successful candidates to follow through on what they say? Yes, he is now our President, but there is nothing wrong in expecting him to appoint people who aren't tainted.

[vol_scouter]

CA_scouter,

 

I seem to remember bumper stickers saying: "He's not my president" after Bush was elected. Those who voted for Obama should not expect the 48% of voters who did not vote for him to support his socialist programs.

[GernBlansten]

I always thought the conservatives viewed themselves as better Americans, putting country before politics. I guess they are just as shallow as they think the liberals are.

[DanKroh]

Just watched the Obama interview from Nightly News, and I think it's pretty classy.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29002023#29002023

 

"I'm here on television saying I screwed up, and that's part of the era of responsibility. It's not never making mistakes; it's owning up to them and trying to make sure you never repeat them and that's what we intend to do."

 

That's certainly a change that I can believe in.

[CA_Scouter]

Vol...

 

to quote one of my favs..

 

"...there you go again... "

 

and two wrongs don't make a right...

 

 

 

[scoutldr]

I'm waiting for my President to request Mr. Geithner's resignation.

[John-in-KC]

The Osama Transistion Vetting Process : IT WORKS...not. It's a PR check-a-block!

 

Between Beavah, Lisabob and their respective peers and (in Lisa's case) students), they could do a better job reading the questionairres than the current clowns are.

[BrentAllen]

I'm still waiting for MY president to lead by example. How about some change I can believe in?

 

"President Obama lectured voters during the campaign about the need to make sacrifices for the environment. But now it's warm and toasty in the White House -- so much so that aides have likened it to a tropical hot house -- and Obama is under fire for turning up the heat.

 

Obama made climate change a staple of his stump speech last year, calling on Americans to lower their energy use and set a model for the rest of the world in combating climate change.

 

During a campaign event in Oregon in May, Obama said we have to "lead by example." "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times," he said.

 

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen."

 

But for the first few weeks of his presidency, that's precisely what has happened in the White House.

 

Though he's spent more than 20 years in Chicago, the president was born in Hawaii. And so he "likes it warm" in the Oval Office, said Chief of Staff David Axelrod. "You could grow orchids in there," he told the New York Times.

 

With few orchids growing in the heartland, critics are saying that Obama -- who urged individual sacrifice in an inaugural address that called for a "new era of responsibility" -- hasn't been willing to bear the cold with the rest of the country.

 

"It's stunning hypocrisy," said Christopher Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and author of two books critical of global warming activists. "Obama spins the dial up, takes off his coat and seeks to mandate that we turn the dial down," he said."

 

Well, at least he and Gore are consistent hypocrites.

 

[Lisabob]

John, I don't care what your views are on the current president, but please get his name right. OBama with a B. It is not too much to ask that we show just that much respect for whoever holds the office.

 

As for the current situation with the appointees. Maybe this is cynical. But finding someone who is both highly qualified for the job and who has enough experience to make Washington work, on one hand, and who is spotless and completely above reproach on the other, seems somewhat unlikely. People who've been around Washington long enough to really know how to play the game are frequently a little muddy. That goes for both parties, whether you like and agree with the individuals or not. It isn't as if Obama was the first new president ever to nominate controversial people.

 

So, what do you want? Neophytes with spotless records? Or insiders who can get things done but aren't so spotless? I submit you can't always have both.

[scottteng]

Realistically I expect that the guy in charge of making sure I pay my taxes has paid all of his own. I like the proposed Rangel rule by some congressman when one gets caught cheating and is forced to file an amendment a one checks the Rangel rule box and is forgiven all interest and penalties. Others call it the DRAG rule for Daschle Rangel and Geitner. They should all be in prison just like you would be if you forgot to pay your taxes. Impeach Obama.

[scoutldr]

I don't mind controversial people. Heck, I like Joycelyn Elders. I do draw the line at criminals, however. Last I checked, tax fraud is a crime.

[John-in-KC]

Lisa, you're right ... that was a goof.

 

The Obama Transition Vetting Process ...

[Hal_Crawford]

I believe Geithner and Daschle have paid their back taxes, penalties and interest. This is what would be expected of you or me or Republican politicians. The Senate, including a number of Republicans has confirmed Geithner and Daschle has withdrawn. It's over. This thread is, to quote Shakespeare, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing".

[eisely]

To respond to Lisa's question, I am not looking for saints for appointees. We are all impefect human beings and we all probably have done things of which we are not particularly proud. Tax cheats cross a line.

 

I think the woman was dealt with very unfairly compared to the others. Her problem occurred several years back and she dealt with it at that time. I think she did pay interest and penalties. It is my understanding that neither Geithner nor Daeschle paid any penalties, just interest. If someone has better information on that point, please provide it.

 

It comes down to two points.

 

Point one - character counts. Neither Geithner nor Daeschle exhibited much of this since they both cheated and both put off dealing with their problems until they believed it was likely they would be appointed to something.

 

Point two - the laxity and/or incompetence in the vetting. These were self inflicted wounds by the nascent Obama administration. These errors cannot be laid at the feet of the evil republicans, the vast right wing conspiracy, or Fox news. It is to Obama's credit that he has taken responsibility for these errors. Nevertheless, it does not give me much comfort to think that this administration may be so clumsily incompetent. The jury is still out and I am keeping my fingers crossed.