Too Bad It Wasn't Geithner Or Gates

by: Chris Bowers

Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 13:30


My only reaction to Daschle's withdrawal from Health and Human Services is that I wish either Treasury Secretary Geithner or Defense Secretary Gates had been defeated, too.

Giethner, like Daschle, had tax issues, and yet he was confirmed by the Senate. Now, he is about to light hundreds of billions of dollars on fire as part of the biggest corporate welfare program in history. He also worked with the Bush administration in handling the first $350 billion of the bailout.

Robert Gates does not have any tax issues that I know of, but he did spend several years producing erroneous intelligence on the Soviet Union. Also, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has argued that the Department of Defense, which Gates manages, has $300 billion of cost over-runs every year. Again, that is a lot of money to set on fire.

The three largest federal departments, in terms of budget outlays, are easily Treasury, Defense, and Health and Human Services. While I don't want to defend Daschle, I do wonder why nominees for the two other large federal departments--both of whom were directly tied to the Bush administration, both of whom have ethical questions, and both of whom are currently lighting hundreds of billions of dollars on fire--passed and Daschle was defeated. Why did Daschle have to fall on his sword, but Gates and Geithner did not? It is a worthwhile question to ask, and one of the few thoughts I have on the Daschle story.
Chris Bowers :: Too Bad It Wasn't Geithner Or Gates

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Too Bad It Wasn't Geithner Or Gates | 34 comments
Maybe this is the cynic in me... (4.00 / 2)
But with seemingly more negative stuff coming out on Daschle every few days and now Nancy Killefer also withdrawing over a few hundred dollars worth of taxes that she supposedly paid back in 2005, the only thing I can think of is "There's more where that came from."

In other words, they withdrew and Geithner did not because there's even more stuff out there waiting to be exposed.

Agreed (4.00 / 1)
At first I was not at all against Daschle, but more stuff came up and then I decided he needed to go.
[ Parent ]
The money paid to him by insurance lobbyists... (4.00 / 6)
...was worse, in my mind, than some stupid tax error...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!
[ Parent ]
"there's more where that came from" (4.00 / 2)
Obama would be wise to launch a massive national tax audit drive for people making over 'x' per year. Apparently, only the middle class actually bother to pay taxes.

We clearly need that revenue - desperately - and this is obviously a widespread problem among wealthy individuals who are public figures and who know in advance that their tax records will be under scrutiny. Imagine how widespread this must be among wealthy individuals who are not in the public sphere and who do not anticipate that kind of scrutiny.  

"Don't hate the media, become the media" -Jello Biafra

[ Parent ]
Another question... (4.00 / 6)
Why did Daschle have to wait until everybody had lept on his back to defend him before falling on his sword?

It's really one of those shit-or-get-off-the-pot situations. If you're gonna go to the mat for a nomination, do it; if you're gonna cave, do it right away so you can cut off the bad press. Letting it drag out, especially after the Giethner thing, is just stupid.

Conduct your own interview of Sarah Palin!

they thought they could get away with it, like with Geithner -- they could have, too, (4.00 / 4)
if Killefer hadn't withdrew today.

Congress would have totally approved Daschle.

[ Parent ]
I think you already answered your own question (4.00 / 3)
Giethner, like Daschle, had tax issues, and yet he was confirmed by the Senate. Now, he is about to light hundreds of billions of dollars on fire as part of the biggest corporate welfare program in history. He also worked with the Bush administration in handling the first $350 billion of the bailout.

Robert Gates does not have any tax issues that I know of, but he did spend several years producing erroneous intelligence on the Soviet Union. Also, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has argued that the Department of Defense, which Gates manages, has $300 billion of cost over-runs every year. Again, that is a lot of money to set on fire.

These are the reasons they were confirmed, like the saying goes it's not a bug it's a feature.

Obama seems only concerned about optics (4.00 / 4)
He was ready to stand behind Daschle until the NYT came out against him.

If the Villagers had risen up against Geithner or Gates, they wouldn't be where they are.

Note that Obama is not lifting a finger (as far as I can tell) to end Republican obstruction of Hilda Solis's nomination. If the beltway media barons got mad about that, Obama would do something. However, the media establishment isn't pro-union, so they couldn't care less about Solis being held up on totally ideological grounds.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.

Her confirmation is on the way. (4.00 / 5)
Kennedy got the hold lifted.
[ Parent ]
thanks--hadn't heard that (0.00 / 0)
Kennedy stepped up to the plate.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.
[ Parent ]
This is probably the end of health care reform... (0.00 / 0)
There isn't anyone else qualified and connected enough to massage something like this through the Senate...  Plus, any new person would be coming in late.

The right wingers should be happy.. any meaningful health care reform is dead...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

If that is the case ... (4.00 / 2)
then all those millions the health care industry paid to Daschle were worth it .. to those companies .. obviously .. Daschle should be ashamed of himself(but that seems to be a DC trait .. they have no shame)
[ Parent ]
If you don't get at least some support... (0.00 / 0)
...from the special interests, any meaningful reform is doomed... Do you remember what happened in 1993-94?  You need to get a good number of the people you hate onboard or you are toast.

Any reform plan is dead, now...


REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

[ Parent ]
I flat do not believe (4.00 / 4)
Geithner's explanation, and it is absurd that he is in charge of the Treasury Department.

There are two troubling aspects to these appointments, which are related:

*They show bad political judgement.  The transition team knew about Geithner's tax problems, but went ahead anyway.
*They betray an amazingly elitist attitude.

The more I think about these appointments, the more they trouble me.    

Obama should make Geithner quit now -- it looks even worse that he got in, but (0.00 / 0)
the other 2 "withdrew".

(of course, that would assume Obama actually cared about ethics and "responsibility" bla bla bla)

[ Parent ]
Geithner should reason for a bunch of reasons... (4.00 / 1)
...the tax thing least among them.

He should resign as the honorable thing to do for acknowledging his part in the economic malpractice unleashed on this country in the form of deregulation and fed monetary policy in the last 10 years and for his ungodly ties to the same banking/wall street interests that gorged themselves from those same lax rules and then gorged themselves again on taxpayer money to cover their tracks.

Obama is FAILING on the economy, because he doesn't understand the root causes of the problem, or is taking advice from people like Geithner who have no interest in being honest about the root causes of the problems. And shoveling money to failed banks ain't gonna get it done.

[ Parent ]
Er... (0.00 / 0)
"resign"

Sorry.

[ Parent ]
great chance to nominate another Republican (0.00 / 0)
Maybe McConnell?

Seriously, it's odd that what seem like reasonable mistakes doom Daschle when he openly was getting rich off his political connections from the health care industry.  It is a sick system.

New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.

Cat-killer Frist? (4.00 / 1)
god forbid.
[ Parent ]
Gates doesn't have to be re-confirmed, right? (4.00 / 1)
So you know, he doesn't have to go through the scrutiny of confirmation hearings or anything.  

Obama's appointments et al (4.00 / 2)
I find it outrageous that since getting elected, we have seen leaks like a sieve from the Obama white house, poor if ANY vetting of nominees, and the total embarassment of Obama at having FOUR of his nominees with serious background issues, be it taxes or investigations. He has now squandered whatever goodwill there was in Congress, he is trying the american patience with more bullshit about "Change we can Believe in" but staffing his cabinet positions with 'been there, done that'.
It is amazing to me how quickly the promise of a new tomorrow has been dashed and will continue to be unless these new bozos get a clue as to how to live their message and get things done.
Gettner should have withdrawn or never been nominated; RIchardson was a lying two faced scumbag, and now Daschle, who NEVER should have been nominated, and definitely should have been vetted. It's very sad.
Gregg too -- and they were dealing w/that Governor -- a la Blago (0.00 / 0)
it's arrogance -- like when Obama "had never heard any of Wright's sermons" and Ayers was "just a guy in my neighborhood", etc.

they thought the press would let them get away with what Republicans always get away with.

[ Parent ]
they knew about Richardson, they knew about Geithner, they knew (0.00 / 0)
about Killefer, they knew about Daschle, etc ...

they just figured they'd get away with it all.

[ Parent ]
"New Hampshire Governor John Lynch flatly contradicts Robert Gibbs's claim that the White House is staying out of the business of choosing senators." (0.00 / 0)
-- Gibbs lying about talking with Gregg's senator -- http://www.politico.com/blogs/...
[ Parent ]
The Republicans lost in 2006 (0.00 / 0)
partly because they were the party of corruption.  I guarantee Rush and co. and the MSM are busy sticking the Dems with that label right now.  And Obama is "post-partisan", so he's not one of "them"; his cleanness doesn't reflect on the Dems.  Why do I feel like 1994 is coming again?
[ Parent ]
Vetting? (4.00 / 1)
What happened to No Drama Obama? Why didn't they see these tax problems coming?

"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."
I can think (4.00 / 1)
of no comparable mistake that Obama made during the campaign. ...
[ Parent ]
'Cos Daschle lied to the Obama team... (0.00 / 0)
...he withheld the tax problems that he knew about until after the nomination was announced...

The kind of stuff that Daschle was guilty of would be difficult to find from any vetting team on their own...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

[ Parent ]
is it Geithner and Killefer and Richardson's faults too? they lied too? (4.00 / 1)
it's the fault of Daschle?

that's not believable -- they knew all along.

and over and over we heard about the "transition teams" -- and extensive questionnaires -- and vetting -- for months. And for 2 years -- how extraordinarily ethical and responsible they'd be overall.

[ Parent ]
Geithner told the transition team... (0.00 / 0)
Richarson did not, and I do not know about Killefer...

The betting teams were good, but they can't read minds, nor are they all powerful...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

[ Parent ]
they were all powerful when it came to the Clintons -- (4.00 / 1)
Richardson's investigation was public and ongoing news -- they knew about everything on everyone.

you're making the Administration and Transition Teams out to be naive and gullible fools -- that's a mistake you should never make about Politicans.

what they made the Clintons do vettingwise proves otherwise -- and the ready excuses for the Raytheon lobbyist at Defense proves otherwise too.

[ Parent ]
Has anyone noticed that . . . (4.00 / 2)
Obama's appointments are 1) right wing/corporate Democrats and 2) plagued with ethics problems.

Coincidence?

Was It Partisan Scalp Hunting? (0.00 / 0)
I really don't know, but if the question is why Daschle and not Gates or Geithner, it might be that certain groups found Daschle more offensive or it could just be that he was the "sexiest" target.

It could be that it was about politics and not policy and the lesson for the left is to fire more salvos that have nothing to do with policy.

Things You Don't Talk About in Polite Company: Religion, Politics, the Occasional Intersection of Both

light hundreds of billions of dollars on fire (0.00 / 0)
its TRILLIONS chris, please get it right.

~* the * Will * to go on *~
Too Bad It Wasn't Geithner Or Gates | 34 comments
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