Obama Team Feels Richardson Wasn't Forthcoming About Investigation Before Being Offered Commerce

BertieW says, “according to the WSJ today Obama will be proposing a $300B tax cut - larger than Bush's.” The Obama folks must be listening to the likes of economist Nouriel Roubini who says the US needs radical Keynesian policies to prevent a 2-year recession from turning into a systemic meltdown and a decade long global economic Depression. Roubini suggests unemployment benefits should be sharply increased together with a targeted tax rebates. He says federal block grants should be given to state and local government to boost their infrastructure spending (roads, sewer systems, bridges) while creating decent paying jobs.

"And, manufacturing jobs become less than 10% of America’s workforce."

At the risk on injecting facts in to the concatenation of posts about the number of people voting for Obama being a proof that Richardson is innocent, you are off base.

There are about 146M people employed now. In the 1950's there were about 53M. There is no way that a 1950's manufacturing economy could support 146M workers.

There have been huge gains in productivity, componentization and automated manufacturing. You simply dont need armies of people any more to make things. Even if we magically went back to a 50's economy, you wouldnt need the 53M people with modern techniques.

Who is employing all of these extra people? The business large and small that are allowed to reinvest and expand because their tax burden has been decreased.

Truth? I haven't paid that much attention to what is going on with Richardson. It is not likely that he has done any thing different from any of the other politicians of his ilk.

Most likely in the end he will be vindicated. What I do know is that with his experience, he would have made an excellent Commerce secretary and we all are the worse off by not having him there.

That is not what this is all about though. This is about the begining of a partisian witch hunt that will likely not stop during the duration of the Obama presidency.

Hopefully people will quickly see this for what it is, and effort by some really selfish and mean spirited people, to try and derail what 59 million American voters have rightly put in place.

Another side affect of this will be an allienation of the GOP by the hispanic community. Good one guys!
The GOP never seemed to care much for minorities anyway. tsk tsk tsk...

“I would love to know exactly how trickle down job creation does not exist, YET trickle down job loss DOES ?????” Here’s how: decent family wage jobs were outsourced, while 15,000 families in the top 0.01% of the population drew 5.5% of the nation’s total income, an even higher share than during the last Gilded Age.

ok, this may be the single most idiotic partisan comment i have read out here in a long long time!

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What did I say? Right wingers are only capable of partisian character assination and smear tactics. (I guess the gutter is just what they know)

I proposed numerous good "inteligent" debate talking points today. what did I get back ? insults? ----yep

“And more people are employed under Bush than ever before”. Doing what? Over the past 8 years the US Census shows the number of people living under the poverty line rose by 5.7 million, to 12.5% of the population. And, manufacturing jobs become less than 10% of America’s workforce. Economic GDP growth is not the same as economic health. The last 8 years of taxes for the rich did not decent paying family wage jobs.

I have two questions; (1) why was none of this known or brought to light by the media when he was campaigning for president? and (2) If he is confident at all that he has done nothing that would jepordize his confirmation, why wouldn't he hang in there?

"Only a Republican would even consider something along the lines of hiring or firing someone based upon political affiliation."
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LOL, LOL, LOL,

ok, this may be the single most idiotic partisan comment i have read out here in a long long time!

"We “simpleton” voters failed to notice that the last 8 years of tinkle down economics didn't create jobs "
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I would love to know exactly how trickle down job creation does not exist, YET trickle down job loss DOES ?????

The point being that the voting public has spoken. These folks didn't just loose, they were slaughtered!! 9 million votes!! The people of this country have spoken and they have spoken loudly!

So instead of taking it in stride and being good right wingers and going home, they instead start the smear and the accusations. It was almost funny as in this last election they couln't offer anything else! I remeber one being so frustrated and saying "well can't we throw Ayers at them" They completely failed to understand that our country is in hard time and in need of solutions. They just don't get it. Character assisination doesn't work!
Only hard work and good management will save us from our current ills.
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David Williams ,

Your finding it bothersome that your guy is being criticized and taking heat?

Stange, I dont remember all you liberals lying down and giving Bush any kind of a shot. EVEN during this past election, these sites were plastered with people still claiming he "stole" the 2000 election. Talk about need to get over it!!!

The idea that any liberal is whinig about smears & accusations after what happened to Palin shows just how pathetic you people are. You love to dish it out, but you can't take it.

Richardson knew all along he was a tainted appointee. If Obama did not know, then this is just more proof of exactly how inexperienced he is! If he did know, this is just the evidence that shows us he is indeed a pure product of the "Chicago-Style" of politics.

Instead of whing about us talking about this, why are you not all over Richardson????? We sure did not create his problem!

"I truely hope that a special prosecutor will be appointed to hunt down the source of who is ordering these wire taps"

I think I can solve that mystery for you. Judges approve application for wiretaps based on the evidence presented to them by investigators.

In the Blago case, I believe the evidence presented included affidavit information from Rezko who has been convicted on earlier charges for many of his corrupt dealings.

In Richardson's case the investigation started at CDR Financial Investments, where in 2004 Philadelphia Mayor John Street's staff were indited on a pay-to-play for municipal bonds. In return for fast tracking the award for the company to advise on muni bonds, the local politico get campaign donations or perks.

In December Birmingham Mayor Larry Longstreet and former state Democratic Chairman William Blount were arrested for the a similar kickback scheme involving CDF Financial.

So it would be absurd for federal investigators not to at least look at another CDF client Bill Richardson who got $100,000 in donations and then awarded them $1.4M in fees.

If you want to see something sinister in investigating these payoffs, you are alone.

The Obama team is saying that Richardson was not forthcoming? LOL! I think that it is suffering from projecting on Richardson what it itself does...also called hypocrisy. I mean, Obama is one of the least forthcoming people that I know. Look at Birth Certificate Gate to name a few.

BTW- will you be writing letters to the editor when Obama fires the current US Attorneys?

Only a Republican would even consider something along the lines of hiring or firing someone based upon political affiliation.

To anyone else it is about whether or not the person is qualified for the job.

Unfortunately we are all but too aware that this administrations tendency to put 'cronys' in positions where they are obviously not qualified. This practice came to light following Katrina. So if Obama did remove some of these attorneys, I would think it would be because they didn't belong there (via qualifications) in the first place.

The FBI is running wire taps on Governors and so far all appear to be Democrats. If that is not political I do not know what politics is.

You said they investigate 'Felonies' ?

Well they obviously had these wire taps well in place and well before any 'felonies' ever became known.

I truely hope that a special prosecutor will be appointed to hunt down the source of who is ordering these wire taps and why! and yes they are abusing the separation between federal and state. The Executive branch has most definately over stepped its boundries.

REPUBLICANS have too find a way to JUSTIFY why they LOST! So of course THEY are not going to BLAME THEMSELVES for the LOST. So REPUBLICANS (try) to make themselves feel better about how SMART they (THINK) they are, by saying it is the simpleminded DEMOCRATS fault the REPUBLICANS lost!

Interesting to see all these anti-Obama types desperately scratching around for any little bit of dirt on Obama . . . and coming up with so little in the way of corruption.

Corruption is the Bush family and their ties to the non-democratic Saudis and oil Kingdoms, and Cheney moving from Halliburton to the Vice-Presidency and the ensuing single source contracts and the gorging of money to their oil, banking and military industrial buddies.

I've never trusted Richardson as far as I can throw him. He mantipulated the situation in the primaries between Hillary and Barack. He desevere this-big time. As my Granny used to say, "God don't like ugly."

"The FBI has no business interfering with a state executive. Remember we have a constitution which separates powers to the states? "

The FBI investigates felonies. This has nothing to do with separation of powers.

BTW- will you be writing letters to the editor when Obama fires the current US Attorneys?

"We “simpleton” voters failed to notice that the last 8 years of tinkle down economics didn't create jobs and that this crashed economy ran parallel with charging billions on 2 pre-emptive wars."

Interesting. You are aware that more tax money has been collected in recent Bush years than in any Clinton year? In fact Federal tax revenue was twice as much under Bush as under Clinton.

And more people are employed under Bush than ever before.

So essentially the tax cut created a larger economy (you can check the GDP stats if you feel like responding) which resulted in more jobs and more tax revenue.

Now I say 'interesting' because apparently, according to the WSJ today (they didnt cover the cat story), Obama will be proposing a $300B tax cut- larger than Bush's. It will included cutting taxes on business.

I DO BELIEVE THAT DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS TO CHANGE BY HERSELF BEFORE CHANGE AMERICA. Democratic, because, is to manufacture of sex scandals, a corrupt implementation to sell senete seat, to pay to play, a dirty money laundry and even porn. The following examples which have happened for not during 10 years, but for one year, 2008 except Jim McGreevey's case(D-NJ).

Cohen (D-NJ Rep.-Porn w/child at office)
Bill Richardson(D-New Mexico Gov.-received illegal dirty money $1.6M)
Rod Blago(D-ILL Gov.-Criminal to sale the seat)
Rahm Emmanuel(D-ILL Rep.-misleading of the Obama's seat)
David Paterson(D-NY Gov. took cocain,had affairs 3 times)
Jim McGreevey(D-NJ Gov.married man have affair w/gay)
Eilot Spilzer(D-NY Gov.to buy prostitution & mooney laundry)
Charles Rangel (D-Rep NY, Tax Fraud, my district),
John Ed (D-NY the canditate extramarital affair,NC), Tim Mahoney (D-Rep.Fla), Newsome (D-SF Mayor, affair w/wife of his aid), Tony Villar (D-LA Mayor, divorced as affair)