Tom Vilsack offered to resign over Shirley Sherrod

[sabra]

Source: Politico

Tom Vilsack is a guy who lives for his job, but that did not stop him from telling President Obama a few weeks ago that he was willing to hand in his resignation.

Having stepped on the true third rail of American politics - - race - - Vilsack was willing to throw himself from the sled before somebody else did it for him.

In a 75-minute, exclusive interview Tuesday, Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture, told me about his suspension of Shirley Sherrod and his subsequent meetings with President Obama about it. Vilsack also spoke frankly about how without the labor of illegal immigrants, the price of food in the United States would cost “three, four, or five times more than it does now.”

More quiet than shy, he even talked about the mosque near ground zero in New York.

As Vilsack has gone from job to job - - from mayor to state legislator to governor of Iowa and now secretary of agriculture - - he has kept a framed quotation on his wall, a famous one by Teddy Roosevelt that talks about the man who struggles in the arena and how “if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41430.html

[WhiteTara]

1. don't just offer Tom

DO IT!

[no_hypocrisy]

3. + 1

Sherrod was called twice on cell phone and it was demanded that she resign immediately on the phone.

[arcane1]

8. Well-said! n/t

[LostinVA]

11. +1

[No Elephants]

27. Please see Reply 25. No reason for Vilsack to resign, IMO.

[aquart]

2. Yet he still has a job and Sherrod does not.

[babylonsister]

4. She didn't want it...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9005448

[aquart]

6. I kinda think she's entitled to whatever she wants just now.

The fact remains is that she had a job. Now she doesn't. Vilsack sacked her. She pays for his mistake and he doesn't.

He has an obligation to make it right for HER, on her terms, not what suits him. Because he was such a complete and utter horse's ass.

[katandmoon]

17. Exactly. Why didn't he restore her to her OLD job instead of giving her one she doesn't want?

Not that I don't think the answer to that is pretty clear.

[Botany]

5. He should be made to pull over to the side war and fired by cell phone

He gave into fear of what lies Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart were going to say.

[Enrique]

7. Politico trying to rehabilitate Vilsack

good luck with that.

edit: i just read the whole article and enjoyed it very much, as comedy. I'm sure some funny people on the Internet will be mocking this interview soon. :rofl:

[No Elephants]

25. Politico could care less about Vilsack. the target, IMO, is diminishing cries of "racism."

Or, at a minimum, turning them against Democrats.


The RW has been after that for a very long time.

[pattmarty]

9. My opinion, he should have been fired. The problem was that they.......

.......(the whole White House staff) ALL were scared shitless of the RW. So far in my opinion, this was one of the most disgraceful things done by this Admin.

[LostinVA]

12. I agree

[sarge43]

13. +1000 n/t

[katandmoon]

18. Ditto

[TheWraith]

23. Looking at some of the names that agree with you, how am I surprised?

People who find a new "most horrible thing yet!" about the Obama administration every four days like clockwork. If they wait that long.

[No Elephants]

24. Twice, Cook told Sherrod that the WH was demanding her resignation ASAP. Was Cook ever fired?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20011099-503544.html


If Cheryl Cook had lied to Sherrod about the role of the WH in this debacle, Cook would, IMO, have been fired, and very publicly (a) because anyone in the Executive Branch who lied about something like that should be fired; and (b) because firing her would have ended the impression that the WH was behind Sherrod's firing. But, Cook was never fired.

Disproving what posters who criticize this administration say would be a lot more effective than simply trying to attack posters for critizing.

[pattmarty]

30. Oh, so you think is was a good idea? Keep on cheerleading......

[ladjf]

10. IMO his offer to resign was a hollow, grandstanding move. If

the Administration had wanted him out they would have said so. nt

[peace13]

14. Bye bye Tom!

Go away!

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. Sounds like a good guy...there was no reason to resign over this incident

The left has blown it completely out of proportion. I think he reacted too hastily, of course, but not for the totally ludicrous reason that he was"'scared of right wing media," which strikes me as utter nonsense and Left imaginings, but because he has to deal with the endless discrimination cases facing the USDA.

Needless to say, various parties here call for the guy's head, but he strikes me as generally reasonable and competent, even if I disagree with some of his politics, especially regarding giant agribusiness and especially Monsanto.

[Iowa]

19. No...

He's not a "good guy". He's a self-serving, anti-labor, corporate whoring, weasel. I know; I worked under the guy.

[KurtNYC]

21. He believed Andrew Breitbart -- sounds like a Tool to me

If he keeps his job, ugh, he needs to stop letting Breitbart and Fox tell him who to fire.

Officials in the Obama admin answering to Fox is completely wrong -- he should be let go just to remind others.

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. Meh

He believed his undersecretary, at best, and certainly acted in too much haste, but the so-called progressives has generally made a mountain out of a molehill on this one because it fits some narrative they've concocted.

[No Elephants]

26. It's the RW that has been beating this story. See Reply 25.

[Enrique]

29. that should be Politico's headline: "Tom Vilsack is a good guy"

that's what this interview is: "Secretary Vilsack, share with our readers some quotes and anecdotes showing how you are a good guy after all..."

[Dogtown]

16. I understand that Sherrod has accepted a

"consultancy" position with the agency. Perhaps he should be reassigned to a position as her liaisson/assistant.....

[Dawson Leery]

20. Sherrod should get Vilsack's job.

[No Elephants]

28. IMO, the NAACP and the WH had a lot more to do with Sherrod's firing than Vilsack.

Please see Reply 24.