Judd Gregg Quits as Commerce Pick, Cites Conservative Census Concerns
Judd Gregg has dropped out as commerce secretary, citing not only the stimulus package but also the decision to move control of the upcoming census into the White House. My colleague Michael Barone has written a couple of times on this issue. If you've not followed it closely, check out his posts here, here, and here to find out what conservatives are worried about.
This issue has been building over the last few days, culminating with the GOP threatening to sue if the White House retains control of the census:
GOP leaders sent Obama a letter to the White House on Wednesday demanding a reversal of the plan.
"If the president doesn't acquiesce to our letter, then we will seek the courts," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, at a news conference Thursday.
"Ultimately I don't think there's any question among federal courts about whether or not this is a personal power of the presidency or whether or not executive privilege would be waived if he started doing functions like this," Issa said.
A spokesman for Issa told FOXNews.com that the lawmaker wouldn't initiate a lawsuit but would lend his support to any individual or group that did.
Two commerce nominees out now; who's next? Maybe Obama needs "Would you be willing to serve as commerce secretary" added as a question on the 2010 Census survey.
Oh and: Cue another round of discussions about the meaning and limits of bipartisanship.
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- Read more by Robert Schlesinger.
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- Read more about the census.
Tags: census | conservatives | Commerce Department | Judd Gregg | Obama administration
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Reader Comments
Commerce Secretary job description rewrite
It isn't just the Obama Corruption and Patronage Act of 2009 that is turning so many stomachs, it's Rahmbo Emanuel announcing he will run the Census, so he can expand the Dems' pay for play list of donors for 2010 elections and any more $150 million coronations. I can't imagine anyone but the most loyal Obama follower taking Commerce Secretary while Emanuel is dismantling it.
President Obama might keep someone in the job if he just called it the Secretary of Facist Government Business Partnerships. I hear there is a great colleague of Axelrod, Obama and Emanual whom they once praised for all his partnerships(until a DA released some selected tapes to the public) who is looking for work. That could be the big f___ job he always wanted, though it doesn't pay anything like Emanuel's $14 million two year career as an "investment banker." or Bill Clinton's $40 million foundation of wealth and influence especially for Middle Eastern countries that want to influence America. His name starts with a B.
Playing Politics
Before accepting the Commerce Secretary position, Senator Gregg specifically said he would leave the Senate only if his seat was left to another Republican and the other people involved agreed to that condition, so asserting that Gregg was offered the Commerce Secretary position in an attempt to gain another seat for the democrats in the Senate is erroneous.
In fact, according to another article on this web site: "Historically, governors have rarely picked someone from the other side of the aisle to fill a vacated seat. The last time one did, without state law demanding it, was in 1960."
The GOP might not have complained
but every media outlet in the world and every left wing organization would have been screaming at the top of their lungs, but when President Obama does it it's consider "CHANGE".
I'm sorry but the Office of the President is not an On the Job Training position, it requires LEADERSHIP. I am not seeing much of that. It's past time to drop the campaign crap, the blaming and the fear mongering and start leading this nation.
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