This thread is chock-full of people with hate n’ rage but not serious argument, so a new one in GD it is.
Judd Gregg is named Commerce secretary. After a few days, he says that on second thought his differences with Obama are enough that it would not make sense for him be in that job, and so withdraws his name. He admits it was a mistake, that he should not have taken it to begin with and that he’s sorry for wasting everyone’s time. He said nothing negative about Obama’s team, and went out of his way to say he still thinks that the Obama administration will do many good things, even though he differs from them enough them that it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to actually be a member. For this, he is being called “arrogant, self-serving, blindly partisan, obstructionist, selfish”, and “pussy weasel-assed chickenshit gutless two-faced coward” etc.
Can someone please explain to me why?
If he was really some sort of scheming partisan out to make Obama look bad, the logical thing for him to do would have been either
Stay in place and make Obama look bad
back out and make Obama look bad, by claiming that the Obama team had broken promises or misrepresented or some such. There’s no proof otherwise, and he could make a an ugly he-said/he-said in the media for two weeks, and give Obama a huge black eye.
Instead, he chose to make himself look bad, saying it was all his fault and offering no blame whatsoever to the administration. How, exactly, does this add up to a nefarious plot?
A week ago, a lot of people, including me, said they appreciated Obama’s straightforward “I screwed up.” Why should we not also appreciate Gregg’s “I made a mistake?”
Because it appears to be a calculated “mistake” based on the fact that he had to know in advance that his worldview was different enough from Obama’s that it was going to be difficult to reconcile working for an administration to which you are politically diametrically opposed. And yet he wants us to believe that after so many years of political experience, he was simply blinded by the wonderful opportunity to serve this fine administration and he didn’t consider that? I would think it’s safe to assume he’s not stupid, so it’s got to be calculated. What else would it be?
As an aside, I don’t think my comments in the other thread reflected “hate 'n rage” but more disgust at partisan politicking. Are you really looking for a discussion or do you want us all to come in here and say, “You’re right, furt, Gregg clearly wasn’t right for that position and it’s a good thing he got out before he got any change on him”?
ETA: I forgot to add, if it doesn’t make Obama look bad, why are so many conservatives anxious to crow there goes Obama, screwing up again?
His differing views are the reason he was offered the position. Obama said he would include repubs to get their input in crafting policy. If Gregg says he quit because he did not agree with the dems, I am shocked he could not figure that out earlier. That was the point after all.
I think the party reached him. They want the repubs to be 100 % in lockstep opposition to any dem .programs. His being inside would imply that some repubs are trying to compromise .Can’t have that.
And now Gregg says it’s unlikely that he’ll run again in 2010. So that will almost certainly be another Democratic Senator. If discipline is what the Republican hierarchy is after they appear to be attempting to achieve it through the dissolution of their ranks.
Most, of course, are ignoring that Greg definitely had no problems until after Obama announced his plan to administer the census from the White House. This is probably simple reaction to that, and nothing more.
Purge, purge, purge…if they keep grinding off their outlying corners, in 10 years the Republican party will consist of the Westboro Baptist Church and three Christian Identity compounds in Idaho.
I don’t understand the attacks on Gregg either. It’s possible that he dropped out because of the census issue. I personally don’t have any opinion one way or another about the issue but it is a legitimate reason to quit. Or perhaps he already had some doubts when he accepted and these doubts grew stronger and he changed his mind. Basically we don’t know why he chose to quit so it’s hard to judge but there is no reason to believe it was anything other than an honest decision on his part. It doesn’t hurt Obama either IMO, if anything it supports the narrative about him reaching out to Republicans only to be rebuffed. Basically it’s a non-issue which will be forgotten in a week.
You’re just asserting the topic of the thread – I don’t think it appears to be any such thing.
I have no idea what he “had to know” or even what he did know. Neither do you. Neither do either of us know any of the specifics of what was said between either party on how much latitude he’s be given to shape policy, publicly differ from the administration, or what responsibilities he’d have.
I dunno … a mistake? Smart people do make them.
I once applied for a better-paying job, interviewed, and was hired … then backed out before starting because I realized that, upon reflection of somethings discussed in the interview, I’d hate the job and be miserable, even though the money was good. Was this a calculated effort to screw the company on my part?
If the shoe don’t fit, don’t put it on. I wasn’t thinking of you, which is why I didn’t name you. If you think that’s not an apt description of others in that thread, we’ll have to agree to disagree.
Could be, but Gregg repeatedly downplayed this in the press conference. He was pushed on it three times, and each time said it was a trivial issue that he would not elaborate on because it was so trivial.
I think what is setting off some folks’ alarm bells is both the method and the timing of his withdrawal. Waiting just one more day to withdraw, and doing so quietly, would have lent more weight to the “honest decision” notion. Instead, he chose to release his statement on the same day, and at the same time, that Obama was speaking about the stimulus package, and to hold a press conference to make sure that his decision was announced as loudly as possible.
Mind you, this is after Gregg himself asked for the job to begin with and went all the way through the process up to being nominated before deciding it wasn’t right for him.
So, it strikes me as off. I’m not enraged by it, though I do find it disappointing.
From here, the census thing looks like a garbage GOP talking point and nothing else. I think Gregg withdrew because he decided it wasn’t a good idea for him (and he did suggest himself, right?). Obama’s people did sound pissed off at first because the last thing they needed, after Daschle and Geithner, was another bump in the road.
You can’t honestly tell me that anybody gives half a damn about either the Commerce Secretary or the census. It’s something for the press and political diehards to talk about, and some people may be wondering why Obama’s administration has had these problems with its nominees - although this one isn’t connected to any of the other issues - but I don’t think this scandal is about to shake the nation to its core if you know what I mean.
Given that he cited it as one of the reasons in his initial press release, it was probably involved, but since it wasn’t the only reason, and he talked about a lot of other stuff and didn’t want to talk about the census in the press conference, I’m inclined to think it definitely wasn’t just the census.
I think the idea is that the census move indicated a lack of confidence about him on the part of the administration. He may also sincerely believe that it was a political power-grab that he couldn’t support.
Supposedly, he was going to wait a day or two to announce it but the news was getting leaked and he decided it was better to make it official than to let it grind around the rumor mill all weekend.
I don’t have any strong emotion towards Gregg. I think he’s a bit of a dink for not realizing what the job was and a little weak for backing out of the “loyal opposition” role but… whatever. Better everyone have these epiphanies and make these decisions now than 18 months from now. I don’t think this was some calculated attack on the administration or anything.
Yeah, funny how every time he extended his hand to the Republicans, he pulled back a stump. Only the insane and the terminally stupid continue to feed the dogs that way.
FWIW, he’s been discussing it with them for several days. Presumably, they could have asked him to wait; but that in turn would risk having it leak out early.