HOLY COW... Ray LaHood, (sp?) Republican just said he does not

[Peacetrain]

understand why Gregg pulled out of the cabinet, on the Maddow Show.. :wow:

He said that Gregg sought out the position also (edit)

[Parker CA]

1. He also said he thought it was very odd, especially since Gregg went to multiple

Obama admin people and basically asked for the job. He said it's very strange to ask the President for a job and to then leave in this manner. He wasn't shy about stating that he thought it was definitely a strange situation.

[Peacetrain]

2. Amazing, NT

[Thrill]

6. Republicans must have scared Gregg somehow. Not sure what they have on him

.

[Peacetrain]

8. I think you are right!!

[SuperTrouper]

25. Has gregg traveled through Minneapolis? It is indeed strange that Gregg pulled out

I think that the noise of skeletal bones in the closet scared him off...

[firedupdem]

3. Ray is from Illinois and he's not to be messed with! I know he's

a puke, but he's always been pretty well respected. Good!

[Peacetrain]

5. I have to admit, I am just stunned, because of the

way the Republicans have been marching in lockstep over the cliff. That was just so honest.

[grantcart]

4. I never thought seeing a guy slowly put himself into the noose and twist in the wind would be

so much fun.


thanks Gregg this has been a real treat.


Of course the funniest part of the whole deal is that he left because he thought he would have problems with the Census.


Now who is going to have more influence on the 2010 census? The Commerce Secretary or the stupid Senator from NH.


I smell a vetting problem - somebody is worried about his taxes.

[Peacetrain]

7. Something is definitely amiss.. there is more to this story to come out later

:)

[DebJ]

19. agree on vetting problem: he just said he also won't run again

for Congress.

[AtomicKitten]

9. LaHood put the myth that Obama sought out Gregg for Commerce to bed once and for all.

Probably a petty point, but it's a petty point made by petty people in the wingnuts' drive to undermine Obama in any way possible.

LaHood is an example of the upside of Obama's experiment in bipartisanship.

[Clio the Leo]

10. "but I dont know otherwise either...."

ha ha, that was funny.

Rachel: Do you have any reason to believe other GOP Senators pulled him pack?

Lahood: I dont have any reason to believe so ..... pause ..... but I dont have any reason to believe otherwise either (grin.)

that was cute.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

11. Hmm. Gregg sought the position, but when Census powers were weakened

for the Commerce Secretary, he withdrew.

The timing of these events and the huge influence of the Decennial Census on redistricting and government spending allocations to states and localities would suggest Gregg might have had a hidden agenda, wouldn't it?

[Vinca]

14. I'm not getting this whole census brouhaha. Isn't a number a number? nt

[starroute]

18. No, a number is not just a number

The census is a hot political issue because it determines each state's number of Congressional seats, electoral college votes, and percentages of federal aid.

Democrats have insisted for years that most blue states are undercounted because they have large numbers of homeless and other marginal groups who are not picked up by mailings or door-to-door census takers. They have suggested that statistical sampling be used to supplement the traditional census for this reason -- which Republicans have just as strongly opposed.

Even aside from the sampling issue, it's obvious that putting more money into the census could help include additional people who would otherwise not be counted -- which may cast light on Gregg's opposition to allocating increased funding.

There are also issues such as the fact that, if I recall correctly, federal prisoners are counted where they are incarcerated. This swells the official population of the generally rural states where most federal prisons are located -- even though the prisoners can't vote and thus don't affect the red state alignment of these areas -- while decreasing the official population of the urban areas which have the highest rates of incarceration.

So altogether, the census is sure to be a political hot potato over the next year.

[Vinca]

24. Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me. nt

[Hekate]

12. Does anybody besides me think Gregg was renditioned to the cloakroom & waterboarded until...

... he repented of his associations with the Obama Administration?

Weird.

Hekate

[Peacetrain]

22. That was crossing my mind also.. wonder what those phone records

would show.. I am thinking the neocons were burning up the wires to Gregg..that and the talking heads like Limbaugh and Hannity who are their (the neocons) mouthpieces

[mucifer]

13. La Hood, being in the IL leg when Obama was, has known Prez Obama longer

than the repub senators. I think that is why he isn't playing their game.

[wroberts189]

15. So now a progressive will go in right? Hello Obama ....

dude had a skeleton is his closet ....all pubs do.

[wroberts189]

16. He was getting replaced in congress by another pub right?

By a Dem governer.


I see this as good news.

[MasonJar]

17. I believe that Gregg thought he'd be in a position to throw a big GOPer

wrench in the 2010 census plus influence (negatively) green investment, etc. He was probably a Republican plant, since they will do anything, but when Gregg found out that Obama had taken census away, he knew the game was up. So he quit in time to vote against the stimulus package.

[Jennicut]

20. LaHood is good for a Repub, he actually states the truth!

Nice to see his refuses to play partisan games.

[Peacetrain]

23. Keeps me from completely losing faith in them

I may disagree with him on policy,but at least he is honest

[Hansel]

21. An example of the method to Obama's madness.

All he has to do is to get a handful of Republicans to work with him in an honest manner. LaHood now knows him to be a genuine person who truly wants to be non-partisan (I hate the word bi-partisan because there is more than just Dems and Repubs, but I digress).

LaHood is now defending Obama against the juvenile antics of his own party. "His" numbers will grow as it becomes readily apparent that the county is on Obama's side and the Republicans begin to realize that the American people respect those who work positively with him. This will enable moderate Republicans to come out of hiding and start reclaiming their party.

It's utter and pure cunning. He's picking them off one at a time. In turn they will move the masses.

In the end we can work with Republicans. Just not the monsters who have hijacked their party. I'm guessing the Gregg was pushed as much as he jumped. Obama is not going to have any time for Republicans who put party 1st. They're not the ones he needs or wants to win over. But he will test them all.