My take on Judd Gregg and the crime syndicate with whom he's conspried

[Stinky The Clown]

The whole issue comes down to the Census.

Consider all this .....

Richardson steps aside. Obama is still saying he wants a real bipartisan cabinet. The Command and Control center of the repubican party sees an opportunity. They appeal to Gregg, who they know is hot to get "the illegals" out of the country.

"Judd. Baby. Lissen here. Go tell that Obama guy you wanna be his Commerce Secretary. You can help the cause big time by just making the census come out our way."

Gregg thinks about that and likes the idea. The Command and Control guys could not give a shit less about illegals. They want Census data they can live with.

For Gerrymandering. (Think of the Texas House Democrats fleeing to Oklahoma a few years back and Delay cackling with glee. Imagine that in a boatload of red and near red states.)

For a more or less unrelated reason, Obama yanks Census out from under Gregg.

Gregg bags it. And in the process makes himself look stupid and Obama ineffectual and naive.

Typically, Command and Control wins, even in the process of losing.

[NMDemDist2]

1. yup that pretty much covers it K&N n/t

[babylonsister]

2. How does this make Obama look inneffectual and naive?

Gregg was hired in good faith on both sides and Gregg backed out. Why does Obama deserve any negatives for what Gregg did?

Statement from the White House:

"Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President's agenda. Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama's key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways. We regret that he has had a change of heart".

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Out on Main Street ...........

.... a lot of people see this as Gregg making a chump out of Obama. At best, some people might see him as naive for even trying the bipartisan thing.

I expect many here won't agree with that. But it *is* a subtext that will play out quietly.

[babylonsister]

7. Granted, I haven't been on Main Street, but from here, Gregg

looks like the chump. Then again, I am a bit isolated by many like minds.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. Someone who worked for Gregg

was implicated recently in the Abramoff scandal. Check the name "Kevin Koonce".

I don't know how much of it will reach back to Gregg. With Abramoff singing, anything could happen.

I think it has a whole lot to do with Abramoff. If it had been a matter like the census, there would have been no great hurry, and this "dropping out" would have been handled according to protocol. That is not at all what happened today.

I suspect we're just seeing the beginning of this story.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. I *hope* that IS the case ....... I *hope* that is NOT the case.

If it is the case, then we all need to be popping some Jiffy Pop.

If it IS the case, they look once again careless in vetting a nominee. Which is why I'm hoping that's not the case.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

6. If it's part of a Federal probe,

as the Abramoff investigation is, there's absolutely no way for the White House to know what's going on.

So, that's not careless. It's deliberately kept quiet so as not to contaminate future possible witnesses.

[KharmaTrain]

10. They're Zeroing In On Thad Cochrane, Too

Todd Boulanger...who last summer played talking head for McCain on teevee...a Team Abramoff member...just pleaded guilty to giving away free concert tickets and access to luxuary boxes to a bunch of Congresscritters. Yep, Gregg's COS is on that list, as well as Cochrane's...who complained there weren't any Hebrew National Hot Dogs.

I think you're onto something...Abramoff and his ilk have been singing and my bets are prosecutors were holding their fire waiting to see if the boooosh regime would either try to stonewall any invetigation or try to squash any trial by dropping the pardon bomb. Now that both are out of the way, we may see Hurricane Abramoff once again sweep ashore with Cat 5 winds.

Cheers...

[DCKit]

12. Makes me wonder if they'll bother to go after those who've alredy retired to "spend more time....".

It'd be like watching Ken Starr going after the Clintons - except it'd be way more fun with a cast of thousands, actual crimes and all that shit.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

13. What I heard is

precisely that - the prosecutors were not going to indict anyone until after Fuckface was well out of the White House for fear of his, as you put it, "dropping the pardon bomb."

Abramoff's been singing his head off, I hear.

Gonna be interesting. Keep your popcorn close by.........................

[babylonsister]

9. Here's a thread on Gregg's stench...

and it's a story from last week.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5040612

[tularetom]

8. What you're saying is that this whole thing could have turned into

a real embarrassment for Mr Gregg had not the President gracefully provided him an opportunity to save face by withdrawing his acceptance of the cabinet position and saving Obama from having to fire him in disgrace when all the sordid details emerge.

I like that version.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

14. You are so generous

I don't think Gregg even had the wits about him to let OUR PRESIDENT OBAMA make that gracious gesture. The haste with which he took the dive makes me very, very curious. Granted, this bunch of GOPigs in Congress these days has no respect for the traditions of the past, the handshakes, the friendships, the putting aside of the differences after 5 pm and having a drink together - but even by their porcine standards, Gregg's pulling out was hasty and ill-conceived.

You do NOT do that to a President, no matter what his Party affiliation.

Like I just said to someone else, keep your popcorn dry....................

[tularetom]

15. The political landscape is littered with the corpses of those who assumed this President was naive

Gregg and his asshole buddies may want to talk to John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

Oops, McCain IS one of Gregg's asshole buddies.

Oh well, it's Obama that will look smart when Gregg is linked to Abramoff six months from now.

[havocmom]

17. Along that line, one wonders if Gregg got a good lesson about the surveillance on Americans

that the GOP was OK with doing. Nothing keeps everyone in line quite like blackmail.

The other day, Gregg didn't vote on possibly THE most important bill in a very long time, owing to the possibility that he was Cabinet bound... NH only got half a voice because of that, yet Gregg was not going to resign his seat, just yet. Seems he just wasn't that into, well, anything. My guess is there are some bones rattling in his attic and he was being bullied.

Agree, we are just seeing the beginning of this one. It's gonna get ugly for the GOP.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

19. Indeed...........

Popcorn, POPCORN, GET YER HOT POPCORN HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KharmaTrain]

11. Here's The Deal With The Census...

While the federal government counts, its up to the states to do the gerrymandering. The key there is Democrats now control more state legislatures than they did in 2000. Hopefully more will be added in 2010 and there's little the GOOP can do...especially in the East and Midwest. I see a bunch of GOOPers getting lumped into one district...opposite of what we saw on 2000.

No doubt the "illegals" are gonna be a big stink by the GOOP in 2010...nothing like hate and xenophobia. The largest Hispanic gains have been in states that have trended or turned blue. If the GOOP continues to demonize them, look for Arizona and Texas turning bluer in two years.

Cheers...

[NNN0LHI]

18. Its money too

Federal resources allocated to states are based on what the current census numbers show.

And I think some red states have been inflating their census numbers to get more federal money than they actually deserve.

Don

[NNN0LHI]

16. Then again it could have been something as simple as getting caught with a live boy or a dead girl

Never know about these Rethugs.

Don

[hologram]

20. Stinky gets bingo.

Jerry Mandering bites the dust.

[deaniac21]

21. s t r e t c h

[Stinky The Clown]

22. .