Steve Rattner Car Czar: Obama Squandered Billions

Former Car Czar Steven Rattner left the Obama administration within five months of signing on. He walked out with little respect for anyone in Obama's inner circle, including Rahm Emanuel and Tim Geithner, according to snippets from his coming tell-all book. But that was likely not the reason for leaving the Treasury. Rattner was in trouble with the New York Attorney General. Maybe the administration wanted him to leave, but official statements of his departure did not lend us to believe that to be the case. While the book is stirring political waters, there is little-trumpeted news of Rattner  claiming Obama's transition team refused to work with Bush advisers - advice that would have saved taxpayers "billions of dollars." That's big news, but the press only slightly mentions this inconvenient bombshell.

Steve Rattner

The accusation of squandering billions trillons is so familiar to the administration, they aren't even bothering to refute the charge. They are, however, upset, that Rahm Emanuel has been accused of saying "f*** the UAW." The administration is frantically scrambling to deny that Rahm would EVER say such a terrible thing about a union member. Not only did he not say it, he didn't think it either, is the White House position. According to the White House "Rahm tirelessly defended and advocated on behalf of the auto workers," all-the-while working to f*** the rest of us.

Rattner admits that he had absolutely no background or interest in the auto industry when he was offered the job as Obama Car Czar. Rattner's background is in journalism (he was a New York Times reporter), communications, investment banking. In Spring 2009, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave Rattner and Quadrangle Group (which Rattner co-founded) his $16 billion "blind trust" to manage while Bloomberg considered running for U.S. president. Rattner continued in that capacity even as he entered the Treasury as Car Czar.

Rattner and the Quadrangle Group are now in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a pay-to-play scheme. The Quadrangle Group and Rattner separated before he left the Treasury. Cronyism gone wrong - billions gone wrong. Nothing unusual coming from the U.S. Treasury or the White House.

Tarp Covers West Wing of White House: Mosque Under Construction

A strange white tarp (not TARP) is covering the West Wing of the White House. Just kidding, of course, about the mosque, but.... Remember Libya's Moammar Gaddafi wanting to pitch a tent in Central Park? Maybe he's coming to visit. This view is said to be taken from the Rose Garden.

West Wing Floor Plan

The West Wing is the section of the White House that houses all of the official offices of the President. By the way, did you know that Katie Johnson is Obama's "personal secretary." Before taking the position with Obama, Johnson worked for Rahm Emanuel for two years as his special assistant. 

Katie Johnson - Obama's Personal Secretary

Thanks to Master Sculptor David Lemon for the tip!

White House Budget $1.5B for Farmers: What Budget? Does WH Have Spending Power?

Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff, has told Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) the White House will find $1.5 BILLION for farmers suffering from disasters across the country, including for her state of Arkansas, from the budget. What budget? We don't have a budget. He means from Obama's stash, which comes from only the Almighty knows where.

White House

Lincoln successfully got the $1.5 billion of agricultural disaster assistance in a bill designed to aid small businesses. Republican blocked the vote. But apparently Rahm will find it, and provide it through "administrative assistance" from Obama's stash? 

Emanuel called Lincoln on Thursday morning to tell her the administration would find $1.5 billion within its budget to help farmers in Arkansas and around the country who are coping with natural disasters.

Emanuel promised to provide the assistance administratively to get her to agree to delete $1.5 billion in disaster relief assistance for farmers from small-business legislation. 

Emanuel’s intervention shows how closely the president and his senior aides are following the bill Democrats are trying to push through Congress. 

Since when does the Executive Branch have the right to spend? Again, from what Budget will Rahm find the $1.5 billion? Only Congress has the power to spend. The point is, if Congress does not agree to spend taxpayer dollars, the President cannot just take care of it himself.

Note: this has nothing to do with farmers getting money that may be due them. It has everything to do with how they get it. From what authority does White House have that power?

Rahm Emanuel Can't Bang Heads - Emanuel to Quit Obama

Rahm Emanuel, Obama's close friend and White House Chief of Staff is expected to quit within the next six months because he can't "bang heads together" to get Obama's policies through. The guess is, he will leave after the November 2010 elections.

Rahm Emanuel and Barack Obama

This quote from an unnamed source:

I would bet he will go after the midterms," said a leading Democratic consultant in Washington. "Nobody thinks it's working by they can't get rid of him - that would look awful. He needs the right sort of job to go to but the consensus is he'll go."

The Telegraph says Rahm wanted the healthcare legislation scaled down because of partisan divide, but Obama, David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett wanted it all, and that's what they got, but not without some migraines that still linger.

Emanuel reportedly wants to be Chicago's Mayor, but needs Richard Daley to step down in 2012.

Obama $50 billion for State Local Aid: Pelosi Hecklers Get Paid

Nancy Pelosi was relentlessly heckled in a recent speech. The hecklers were members of her usually adoring choir.  This time, her minions were unhappy with her. They wanted more state aid to fund her massive programs. It appears her own personal knight in shining armor, Barack Obama, has rushed to her aid and on Saturday (yes, on Saturday) asked Congress for a fast $50 BILLION for what he sees as "emergency aid." The emergency is placating Nancy Pelosi's voters. See a video below.

Projected Deficits and Debt Increases

2010 Budget (OMB) & CBO Historical Data

The Washington Post says Obama is "pleading:"

President Obama urged reluctant lawmakers Saturday to quickly approve nearly $50 Billion in emergency aid to state and local governments, saying the money is needed to avoid "massive layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters" and to support the still-fragile economic recovery.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Obama defended last year's huge economic stimulus package, saying it helped break the economy's free fall, but argued that more spending is urgent and unavoidable. "We must take these emergency measures," he wrote in an appeal aimed primarily at members of his own party.

Remember all those teacher and police jobs Obama's stimulus saved? Apparently, we are asked to save them again,  because...the money was sent...but didn't save anything.

House Minority Leader, John Boehner (R-OH) said he was at the White House on Thursday and there was no mention of a $50 Billion bombshell hitting the American people. He also reminds that there is no budget out of the House this year.

But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) argued the president wants to use money already approved in the stimulus act to fund struggling state budgets. 

“The money that has already been appropriated in the Recovery Act, that has not been spent could be spent now,” Hoyer responded. “We can’t stimulate and depress at the same time. 

If the money is already tagged and approved for state aid, why is Obama asking for it? Something smells like dead fish:

White House chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel has said that the administration wants to both cut spending and stimulate the economy in the coming months. 

If Obama can accomplish this, with much of Congress up for re-election in November, then he is a wizard...or Congress is as more corrupt than we can begin to comprehend. But from a Democrat point-of-view, outraging moderate Democrats, Independents and Conservatives may be preferable to standing on principle against Unions. A note about the graphic above: without a Federal Budget, the CBO can hardly project debt or deficits on a downward path. Related information on Deficits and Debt at Seeking Alpha.

John Boehner on Obama's $50 Billion Bombshell

Linked by The Lonely Conservative - Thanks Karen!

Rahm Emanuel Directed Bill Clinton to Offer Joe Sestak a Job

A bribe via Rahm Emanuel, via former President Bill Clinton: If Sestak is smart, he will come clean, quickly and face the consequences, which will be few if he steps up now. I understand a Sestak press conference is imminent. The thing to remember is that the prize for the White House was moving Sestak aside to give Sen. Arlen Specter a chance to retain his senate seat from Pennsylvania (and vote for every Obama initiative). Every Pennsylvanian should be outraged. Updates as available, and after Sestak's presser. See updates below.

Barack Obama with Bill Clinton and Rahm Emanuel

A bribe via Rahm Emanuel, via former President Bill Clinton: If Sestak is smart, he will come clean, quickly and face the consequences, which will be few if he steps up now. I understand a Sestak press conference is imminent. The thing to remember is that the prize for the White House was moving Sestak aside to give Sen. Arlen Specter a chance to retain his senate seat from Pennsylvania (and vote for every Obama initiative). Every Pennsylvanian should be outraged. Updates as available, and after Sestak's presser. See updates below.

If Rahm Emanuel was involved as Greg Sargent at The Plum Line is reporting, we know that Obama had his Chicago hands all over it:

But the news that Clinton is at the center of this whole story is noteworthy on its own because of the former president's stature, and underscores how heavily invested the White House was in dissuading Sestak from running. The White House sent Clinton to talk to Sestak because Arlen Specter, constituting the 60th Dem vote in the Senate, was viewed as key to enacting Obama's agenda.

 Can it get any uglier than a former President doing this? Can you imagine George W. Bush offering a bribe like this - or any bribe for that matter?

Update 11:40 a.m.
From White House Counsel Robert Bauer via Fox News' Major Garrett from a White House Report:

White House key points, from Bauer (paraphrased):
1) There were "factual errors" in reporting
2) Sestak was not offered the job of Secretary of the Navy
3) At no time did Sestak seek the job of Secretary of the Navy
4) The offer was of uncompensated advisory board options
5) One option was for Sestak to stay in the house, and serve on advisory positions to President without compensation.
6) White House staff did not discuss the options with Sestak
7)Emanuel talked to Clinton about optional positions to offer
8) Nothing nefarious about it, and other administratons have done the same thing.

Just minutes ago [11:42 a.m.],  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) was on Fox News and said the "Statute" says that nothing of value can be legally offered, either  directly or indirectly, He also said Sestak has said that the White House had conversations with his [Sestak's] brother, who is his campaign manager

Update 1:00 p.m. EDT:
So, the White House and Sestak have their story worked out on Friday afternoon before Memorial Day weekend - what a classy bunch - absolutely not respect for American voters:
Sestak has issued a statement, but I'm not yet finding it on line. Originally, Sestak said Clinton/Rahm Emanuel offered him a" job, not an "advisory position." Today's story from Sestak, however,  says he was only offered a position on a presidential board, with no compensation, while remaining a U.S. Representative in the House.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey on FOX said "this is politics as usual." To that comment, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said if that is true, let it stop now, and he said he would stop it! Mukasey said this would only break one of the statutes if the offer was for a position created by Congress, such as Secretary of Navy. Others are seeing it differently.

Linked by Talk Wisdom - Thank you!

Greg Craig Offered Judgeship to Leave White House Counsel Quietly

It apparently is a habit, deeply ingrained - probably from years in Chicago politics and sleeping with a woman (Michelle Obama) who worked in Mayor Daley's office. President Obama, currently under fire for  offering Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) a "job" to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate race to make it smooth sailing for the ridiculous Arlen Specter, offered White House counsel Greg Craig a judgeship to quietly leave his White House position - all this according to a new book by Jonathan Alter.

Obama Administration casting a shadow on the Presidency

Craig was blamed for Obama's failure to sell the closing of Guantanamo, and he infamously made the late night call to Inspector General Gerald Walpin...firing him because Obama had "lost confidence" in him. Nevermind that Inspector Generals cannot be "fired" in such a manner. And it was also about Walpin ringing the alarm bell about Obama's pet AmeriCorp and his friend, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (former NBA star) and the misuse of millions of taxpayer monies.

Well, let's hope we don't become immune to these serious allegations.

The real scoop in Alter's book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One, is billed as the first to dish on the White House environment surrounding the President daily, and seems to have plenty to say about Rahm Emanuel, the President's Chief of Staff:

Certain employees loved when “Rahmbo” called them “princess.” Others didn’t.

 “Take your f—ing tampon out and tell me what you have to say,” Emanuel told an unnamed male aide during a meeting in his office, wrote Alter, who asserts that reports Emanuel “mellowed over time were untrue.” 

Charming.

Rep. Darrell Issa is attempting to get some answers on the Sestak job offer. The story is finally gaining legs. It's an important issue. We have the need to know.

Everyone letting this White House degrade the presidency, including Barack Obama, deserves the humiliating loss coming their way in the next two years.

Rahm Emanuel Sean Hannity: Rahm Emanuel First Amendment Overrated (video)

In the video below, Rahm Emanuel tells a reporter the First Amendment is overrated. This administration is a parasite sucking the lifeblood, which is freedom, out of our Republic. So many things have happened so quickly in the past year, we can't begin to keep up, and that is the plan of the Marxist, Communist Saul Alinsky, at whose feet Barack Obama learned the tools of organizing America into a force to destruct, and reconstruct our Nation into the highest order of socialism by:

...feel[ing] so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the prevailing system that they are willing to let go of the past and chance the future ~ Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals (prologue page xix)

The disruption of the present organization is the first step toward community organization. Present arrangements [US Constitution] must be disorganized if they are to be displaced by new patterns ~ Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals (page 116 in my trade paperback)

To make the audacious dreams of Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel come true, they have to denigrate the First Amendment, change it, "word code" it, demolish it. We must find a way to keep track of the chaos this administration is purposefully engineering. Here is another Alinsky quote that describes the puzzling behavior of the birth, death and rebirth of health care, all within one week after the election of Republican Senator Scott Brown from Massachusetts:

Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose. ~ Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals (Page 128 in my trade paperback)

Rahm Emanuel - First Amendment Overrated (video)

Tip of the Maggie Mae to David Lemon

The Day ObamaKare Died Video: The Day National Health Care Died

I'm not sure National Health Care has died. Rahm Emanuel is said to be hunkered down in the White House stripping down the ObamaKare bill. Since Republicans have repeatedly said they want health care, just not this health care, Emanuel is planning to force Republicans to vote. And, Reconciliation looms, needing only 51 votes. See a clever video below.

 The Day ObamaKare Died (video)

A tip of the Maggie Mae to my next-to-littlest brother.

Related and Background:
Senator Max Baucus says Health Care Alive! Rahm Emanuel Stripping Down Health Care

Rahm Emanuel America Disgusted with Israelis: Rahm Emanuel Stay Away from Kotel

Israeli activists have sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, asking him to stay away from the Kotel (Wailing Wall) when he comes to Israel for his son's bar-mitzva. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel say that Emanuel has hurt Israel's interest, and the men accuse the President's left-hand man of telling Israel's LA consul "Americans were 'disgusted with Israelis.'

Kotel in Jerusalem

From ArutzSheva: The men promise Emanuel a "welcome you deserve," if he makes an appearance at Kotel, also known as the Western Wall and the Wailing Wall:

Rightwing activists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel have a suggestion to U.S. President Barack Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel: Don't come to the Kotel when you celebrate your son's Bar Mitzvah. If he does celebrate the event at the holy site, the two promised that they would "help" Emanuel commemorate the day in a "unique" manner. The two expressed their concerns in a letter they sent Emanuel on the subject.

Ben-Gvir and Marzel wrote in the letter that "throughout the past year you have been whispering in Obama's ear that he should pressure Israel, working like a fifth column in the White House against the Jewish people and the state of Israel. Recently you even told our consul in Los Angeles that Americans were 'disgusted with Israelis.' Unlike Israeli leaders, we will not brownnose and try to find favor in your eyes. We promise to welcome you in a manner you deserve – not with flowers and candy, but with our disgust for what you represent," the letter said.

To me, the importance of this letter is not whether or not Emanuel shall and can show up at the Kotel, although it is the premier issue to the activists. As an American, I want to know if there is truth to Emanuel telling the Los Angeles counsel that Americans are disgusted with Israelis? If this is true, Rahm Emanuel needs to step down from his White House office, and move on to the Chicago machine that still grinds for him daily. Emanuel does not speak for the American people.

Max Baucus Health Care Alive! Rahm Emanuel Stripped Down Health Care: Emanuel Force Repubs to Vote on Health Care

On January 21st, Senator Max Baucus said about health care: "No way is it dead...we will find a way to pass it." Below the fold in a Politico article dated today, it was reported that Rahm Emanuel was hunkered-down, working on a stripped-down version of health care, in the hopes of forcing Republicans to vote. Friends, this is the Chicago-machine we're dealing with. It's not over till it's over. Update 1-22-10: Rush Limbaugh is reporting right now, that the reconciliation option, needing only 51 votes to pass health care, is on the table. Dems will be spending the next 4 or 5 days trying to figure out a way to get the legislation through.

From Politico 1-21-10:

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said, “No way is it dead, because it’s so important for the country. And we will find a way to pass [it].”

From Politico 1-22-10:

Emanuel, for his part, is now pushing for a stripped-down health care bill that could be passed within a few weeks and force Republicans, for a change, to take a few tough votes.

Can Rahm Emanuel resurrect a stripped-down version of ObamaKare, and foist it on us - the incredibly naive public who thinks the legislation is dead, done and over?

Can Emanuel craft a bill that guilts Republicans into reaching across the aisle, and force their hands on their oft-mentioned desire for some version of health care, just not Obama's version?

Can there be a plan, with backdoors and loopholes not easily seen in a health care bill designed to sucker Republicans, and save the President's badly tarnished image - battered ego, and diminished credibility?

Just sit back, close your eyes and imagine such a bill. When the image is burned into your conscience, pick up the phone and call your representative and senator.

Rahm Emanuels Brother is Ezekiel Emanuel: Peter Orszags Medicare Plan

Rahm Emanuel is the brother of Ezekiel Emanuel, a physician. Rahm and Ezekiel share some hard-hearted outlooks on life and how you and I are owed some social justice. Peter Orszag, Obama's budget director wants Congress to give up control of Medicare and grant it to the President.

Ezekiel Emanuel

The intrepid Betsy McCaughey, who has uncovered many of the dark details of President Obama's health care plan, and tied the birth to former Senator Tom Daschle, now tells us about Ezekiel Emanuel and Peter Orszag. As brother to Barack Obama's close friend and adviser, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Dr. Emanuel is is a health policy adivser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of the Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research. He has the President's ear, all 4 of them.

Savings, he writes, will require changing how doctors think about their patients: Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, "as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others" (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008).

McCaughey responds that "Emanuel wants doctors to look beyond the needs of their patients and consider social justice, such as whether the money could be better spent on somebody else."

Emanuel, however, believes that "communitarianism" should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those "who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia" (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. '96). He explicitly defends discrimination against older patients: "Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years" (Lancet, Jan. 31).

McCaughey points out that your child with cerebral palsy or your mother with Parkinson's will be not high on the list for care. This is the most astonishing news to me. Peter Orszag, Obama's budget director has asked Congress to give up its own authority over Medicare and gift it to a new "Presidentially-appointed bureaucracy" with no accountability to anyone but the President. Think about it. This may appeal to Congress because this is one less very difficult issue, pushed by a hardline Socialist President, they would have to deal with at their hometown Townhall meetings. They have their hands full right now. No doubt some are growing weary. But not all. After all, we are talking about power:

Peter Orszag

At a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee in late June, several senators objected to the loss of congressional power under the plan. "We're elected to make the hard decisions," Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe told her colleagues, according to people at the meeting.

Similar objections have cropped up in the House this week. Mr. Orszag's proposal last Friday ignited a heated debate among House Democrats. Hospitals and doctor groups are already lobbying against the proposal.

You've heard this one before:

One idea is to change incentives so doctors focus more on delivering better care, not more treatments. The administration has proposed financial penalties for hospitals that frequently readmit patients, a sign they weren't properly treated in the first place. Mr. Orszag calls such ideas game-changers.

So now we have to worry that our own Senators will have no say in Medicare. It may be left up to Obama and those whom he may choose. Poor Kathleen Sebelius. Does she have any power left in this administration? Thank you to Holger Awakens who got the conversation started. See the video, Deadly Doctor at Holger's.

Darrell Issa Rahm Emanuel: No Chicago Political Machine (Full Text)

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent a letter to Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel demanding a response to a Politico article stating that Emanuel used "Chicago-style" tactics to intimidate the state of Arizona after Arizona Senator Jon Kyle (R) expressed negative opinions about the stimulus and how the stimulus money is being spent. In the letter, Issa tells Emanuel that Washington, D.C. is not a Chicago political machine.

Darrell Issa

The letter accuses Emanuel of an "assault" on Kyl and "Chicago-style politics" through the letters that suggest "if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state...please let me know."

[Issa] You've unfortunately reacted by once again resorting to the playbook of the Chicago political machine." As Politico reports, you "launched a coordinated effort ot jam" Senator Kyl and other administration critics:

In response, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry published a column saying "Mr. President, Don't Bully Arizona." In my view, this is an important step. Issa called it as he sees it: intimidation through "Chicago-playbook tactics." Most importantly, he is demanding a response from the nauseatingly haughty Rahm Emanuel.

We'll see if he get is. We do not see letters like this making their way through Congress and landing in the White House. Note, hilariously, Issa attached a "glossary" of terms to describe the "communication and "records" he is asking for, and defining how the words "referring or relating," should be interpreted. Here's the full text with some bold and red text for emphasis, chosen by me:

*****

Written on U.S. House of Representative, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform letterhead and dated August 4, 2009. As you know, Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) recently raised questions about the failure of the stimulus and suggested on a national television show that stimulus money scheduled to be spent in future years ought to be returned to the American taxpayers. Following Senator Kyl's remarks, according to Politico, you coordinated an "assault" on Senator Kyl and other critics of your policies by directing four cabinet secretaries to write to Jan Brewer, the Governor of Arizona, asking pointedly if, in light of Senator Kyl's remarks, Governor Brewer wished to forfeit taxpayer money directed to Arizona by the stimulus.

These tactics have been characterized as "a fist to the nose" and a message to "Back off." While this type of scare tactic may work in Chicago, it will not work to intimidate me or other Members of the United States Congress.

At the risk of adding to the "weeks of frustration" you've reportedly felt in response to criticism of the Administration's ineffective and wasteful policies, please allow me to bring the facts about the stimulus to your attention. In selling the stimulus package, the Administration promised the Congress and the American people that the legislation would create or save 3.5 million jobs and prevent the U.S. unemployment rate from rising above 8%.

I thought the outdated and discredited Keynesian economic theory behind your effort was misguided and I opposed the stimulus. Unfortunately, recent economic data has validated my opposition.-The U.S. economy lost 433,000 jobs in June, bringing the unemployment rate to 9.5%. These job losses come on the heels of other declining economic indicators, and bring the total number of American jobs lost since President Obama took office to over 2.6 million.

I and others have dared to bring these facts to the attention of President Obama, the Congress and the American people. You've unfortunately reacted by once again resorting to the playbook of the Chicago political machine. As Politico reports, you "launched a coordinated effort to jam" Senator Kyl and other Administration critics:
[A]fter seeing Kyl and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) again paint the legislation as a failure on Sunday talk shows, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel directed that the letters from the Cabinet secretaries be sent to [Governor] Brewer, according to two administration officials.
The fact that the letters were coordinated by you to maximize the level of intimidation is supported by the timing, structure, and content of each letter. Not only were the four letters all sent the day following Senator Kyl's remarks, but they were also remarkably similar in tone and sentence structure. For example, consider the following comparison: Letter from Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation:

On Sunday, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren't presently underway. I believe the stimulus has been very effective in creating job opportunities throughout the country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know [emphasis added].

Letter from Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior:

Some key Republican leaders in Congress have publicly questioned whether the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working and suggested cancelling all projects that are not currently in progress. I believe they are wrong. The stimulus funds provided through the Recovery Act are a very effective way to create job opportunities throughout the Country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to Arizona, please let me know [emphasis added].

Politico reports that in response to these letters, Governor Brewer "knew she'd been thrown a high, hard one." The president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry felt the need to respond to these tactics by penning a column under the headline: 

"Mr. President: Don't Bully Arizona." At what point do you believe your practice of Chicago-style politics violates a public official's right to speak out in favor of alternative policies? The American people have a right to know what role you played in developing the threatening letters to Governor Brewer and whether you intend to continue to engage in these tactics in the future.

Since I represent a district in the great state of Califomia, I hope that you will not take this letter as an indication of Governor Schwarzenegger's position on stimulus funds dedicated to California nor his position on any other public policy issue. I can assure you that any attempt to intimidate me or silence my criticism of the stimulus through such Chicago-style tactics will be futile. 

 In order to assist the Committee with its investigation of this issue, please provide the following information by close of business on Tuesday, August 11, 2009:

1. Your response to Politico 's report that "White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel directed that the letters from the Cabinet secretaries be sent to [Governor] Brewer, according to two administration officials."

2. A full and complete explanation of the development of the four July 13 letters from the cabinet secretaries to Governor Brewer, including but not limited to the role you or any other White House official played in writing the letters or encouraging the writing of the letters.

3. All records and communications between you and Secretary LaHood, Secretary Salazar, Secretary Donovan, and Secretary Vilsack referring or relating to the decision to send the July 13 letters to Governor Brewer.

4. A full and complete explanation of the role of the Democratic National Committee and the White House Office of Political Affairs in authoring, encouraging, facilitating, or directing the four July 13 letters from the cabinet secretaries to Governor Brewer. Please note that, for purposes of responding to this request, the terms "records," "communications," and "referring or relating" should be interpreted consistently with the attached Definitions of Terms.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Christopher Hixon or Brien Beattie of the Committee staff at (202)225-5074, The letter is signed "Darrell E. Issa, Ranking Member" End Issa letter.

*****

The quote from Politico:

Earlier this month, at the direction of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, four cabinet secretaries fired off letters to Jan Brewer, the GOP governor of Arizona, citing Kyl’s critique and asking if the state still wanted the funds.

Read a portion of the letter from the Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, with a link to the full text in pdf - which is what you see above.

Health Care Stealth: Happening Now! Call these Senators

Beware: The mammoth cost of health care should be the last of your concerns, because the legislation, itself, will put the quality of your life at risk. I received the following in an email from Maggie's Notebook contributor, Jim Simpson at Truth or Consequences. A health care vote is coming in the Senate if Rahm Emanuel and Barack Obama stamp their foot a few more time. DO NOT think this is over until after recess. If you've been checking the headline, you know that is not the case. Now is the time to ramp-up the fight. Even in the newly, supposedly re-worked plan to make it more palatable to Republicans, dire issues still remain. Forget about cost. The issues are: 1) The day the plan takes effect, if you change your job, you will never again be able to have a private plan, no matter what your new employer offers you. You will be on government health care, like it or not. Do not be deceived that you will have an option. 2) Five years after the plan goes into effect, if you are still with same employer, on a private plan, your employer's plan must match the government plan. 3) Your medical records will be in government hands. If you believe the President when he says your records will be private, remember that we cannot keep homeland security and military information private. If ever anything is communist, taking charge of our health records is absolutely dictatorial. This is one you should care deeply about. 4) Doctors pay will be bundled: he/she will not be paid for when he/she treats you but by how the government deems he has managed your case. Your doctor will be removed from guiding your care in all ways. 5) We are told that no one will be excluded from this plan - but the truth is seniors will be excluded. No more hip or knee replacements, no more pace makers - all of that is probable. And what good is to be covered if you doctor cannot treat you adequately? There is so much more. Please visit Ironic Surrealism for a list of tweets from people who are going through the bill line-by-line and quoting the bill. To give you some idea what you'll find some astonishing tweets. Here's an example:

Fed Govt mandates eligibility 4 State Family Planning Svcs. Say abortion & State Sovereign. Nurse Home Visit Svcs – “increasing birth intervals btwn pregnancies.” Govt ABORTIONS any1?

What you do in the next few hours may determine the future of healthcare in this country. You have to call the following Senators RIGHT NOW. While we all have been breathing a sigh of relief that the Healthcare bill would not come up for a vote before the Senate recess, Rahm Emmanuel and the Senate Democrats are quietly managing to manipulate Republican Senators into supporting a changed healthcare bill worked out in a six-member panel of the Senate Finance Committee. The Washington Post reported today that A VOTE MAY OCCUR BEFORE THE RECESS. The members of that panel are listed below. It has not been voted on in Committee yet, but if it wins with Republican support, the Democrats will call the bill "Bipartisan" then remove whatever positive changes Republicans made when the Senate version goes to the Conference Committee to work out differences with the House bill. The House bill is the terror that everyone has been commenting on, and with Pelosi in charge, it WILL NOT CHANGE. THIS IS THE BILL THEY WANT, and it brings with it the following horrors: euthanasia for seniors, drastically reduced healthcare availablity, no private healthcare at all, taxes, taxes and more taxes, wiping out the private healthcare industry and on and on. The bill will destroy both our healthcare system and add yet another body slam to an economy already reeling from Obama's other monstrous initiatives. CALLING IS BEST. ONLY FAX OR E-MAIL IF YOU CAN'T GET THROUGH. E-MAIL ONLY IF YOU ARE FROM THE STATE. Beg them, plead with them, tell them anything, but try to convince them not to support it. Tell them you will withhold donations to any and all Republicans if they support it. This bill is a DISASTER!! Tell them that. Put them on the defensive. Make sure they hear your voice!! CALL THE DEMOCRATS TOO. If you are a democrat, tell them you will withhold donations to any and all Democrats if they vote for it. Let them know that you are outraged. Yesterday in my calls to Congressmen I expressed my shocked disbelief that anyone could possibly be so reckless and irresponsible as to dream up such an overtly destructive piece of legislation. They need to know how we feel! Pass this e-mail on to everyone you know and urge they do the same. Republicans Chuck Grassley (Ranking Member) Phone: (202) 224-3744 Fax: (202) 224-6020 Olympia Snowe Phone: (202) 224-5344 Toll Free: (800) 432-1599 Fax: (202) 224-1946 Mike Enzi Phone: (202) 224-3424 Fax: (202) 228-0359 Toll free: (888) 250-1879 Democrats Max Baucus (Chairman) Phone: (202) 224-2651 Fax: (202) 224-9412 Jeff Bingaman Phone: (202) 224-5521 TDD: (202) 224-1792 Tollfree (in NM): 1-800-443-8658 Kent Conrad Phone: (202) 224-2043 Fax: (202) 224-7776 FOXNews just announced that the House has reached a compromise with Blue Dog Democrats. Details later. The announcement is that they have cut $100 BILLION from the bill. If you believe that...see me about a good deal on the Empire State Building and a secret way to build your real estate portfolio. Health care stealth in Washington, D.C. right now. Update 7-30-09: Sprain your ankle. Denied an MRI or whatever the doctor prescribes. TODAY, you can decide to pay for treatment now denied to you, out of your own pocket. Now, we don't what to do that, BUT we can mortgage our house or sell our car if we want to, to get the necessary treatment. AFTER health care reform passes, you no longer have that option. Your doctor is not important in the management of your health care.

Emanuel Carville Begala Stephanopoulos: The Gang of Four

The President's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, rendevous' with the most Liberal of Liberal pundits - every morning, and these four have hooked-up nearly every morning for 17 years. The Gang of Four are all employed by MSNBC, ABC or Barack Obama. James Carville - MSNBC, Paul Begala - MSNBC and George Stephanopoulus - ABC. That's a conference call coming out of, or into, the highest level of the White House...to or from the media - every morning! And Obama whines about Limbaugh! A Politico article describes what each of these pundits bring to the conversation each morning, and the characterizations first indicate that each man has his own strengths and areas of expertise. Carville's wife, Republican strategist Mary Matalin, says it's like listening to "girl talk." Right. Al Hunt, Bloomberg's Washington Bureau Chief says he talks to Carville almost daily, and of the 17-year conference call, he says:

there's rarely more than one degree of separation between them," - no matter any subject in the news. There is no parallel, he said, to a group of friends who has remained so central to the daily shaping of Washington conversation as these Clinton-era comrades.

Begala hints at the truth:

Still, the line between journalism and politics is not always bright. Begala said he often can’t remember the originator of any particular insight: “We talk so much — was this my idea that James changed, or was this George’s observation that Rahm tweaked?”

I guess it would be wrong of me to assume that Carville, Begala, Stephanopoulos et al might hold back critical information gleemed from their insider, Rahm Emanuel - like something damaging to the President, or dangerous to the Nation, - something like Iran BEING nuclear, sooner rather than later? I guess it would be wrong of me to assume that Rahm Emanuel might provide highly sensitive information to these three bastions of Liberal verbosity, information or hints that deserve no spin when they do come out - something like Iran BEING nuclear? I guess it would be wrong of me to assume that the Gang of Four controls the news at MSNBC and ABC?

By Any Other Name...

Cross posted by Findalis of Monkey in the Middle Funny how after the election in November all the dirt that is on and surrounds President-Elect Barack Obama is coming to the surface. I guess that he didn't hide it deep enough. During the election we heard about Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko and ACORN. Now it is the on-going saga of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The governor has been indicted on conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, as well as soliciting bribes. He is accused of trying to sell the vacant Senate seat of Barack Obama to the highest bidder. He has been a subject of a Federal investigation for years, including being subject to a wire tap of his phone. And the tapes show a link to the incoming President.

Emanuel talked directly to gov: source

President-elect Barack Obama's incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had a deeper involvement in pressing for a U.S. Senate seat appointment than previously reported, the Sun-Times has learned. Emanuel had direct discussions about the seat with Gov. Blagojevich, who is is accused of trying to auction it to the highest bidder. Emanuel talked with the governor in the days following the Nov. 4 election and pressed early on for the appointment of Valerie Jarrett to the post, sources with knowledge of the conversations told the Sun-Times. There was no indication from sources that Emanuel brokered a deal, however. A source with the Obama camp strongly denied Emanuel spoke with the governor directly about the seat, saying Emanuel only spoke with Blagojevich once recently to say he was taking the chief of staff post. But sources with knowledge of the investigation said Blagojevich told his aides about the calls with Emanuel and sometimes gave them directions afterward. Sources said that early on, Emanuel pushed for the appointment of Jarrett to the governor and his staff and asked that it be done by a certain date. At least some of the conversations between Emanuel and Blagojevich were likely caught on tape, sources said. Full Story

The duties of a Chief of Staff is to run interference for your boss. The Chief of Staff does nothing without the President's knowledge and okay. It has now come out that Emanuel has been talking to Blagojevich and that a few of the conversations were taped. I am reminded of Watergate and what brought Nixon down. That started with a 3rd rate burglary, a cover-up by White House staff, and the eventual resignation of President Nixon. This could go the same way. A discredited governor (Blago), a crooked neighbor (Rezko), a candidate for the Senate seat (Jackson Jr.) and a Chief of Staff (Emanuel) all singing a pretty song to the Feds for an deal to keep them out of prison. Which will lead to a sitting President fulfilling his office behind bars in a Federal Penitentiary.

Now that would be a first!