# I pit Obama and what he is doing with the census **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 11, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310 "2009-02-11T02:07:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/1 "2009-02-11T02:07:03Z")
Less than three weeks in office and Obama is already screwing us over. > [@](#): > > President Obama has decided to bring the U.S. Census Bureau under White House jurisdiction, a move that incensed House Republicans, who fired off a blistering letter to him Thursday, calling it “outrageous and unprecedented” and a “blatant partisan and political maneuver.” > > The move would shift the chain of command with the bureau and the Commerce Department, where the bureau currently resides. It comes after the Congressional Black Caucus, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and other groups expressed displeasure with Obama’s nominee for Commerce secretary, Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. [http://www.govexec.com/story\_page.cfm?articleid=41986&dcn=todaysnews](http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41986&dcn=todaysnews) The audacity of this blatant attempt to take over the census so that it can be manipulated in secrecy is worse than anything the libs ever claimed Bush did. If the census remains in Commerce, its procedures and guidelines are open for review by Congress. By pulling it into the White House, Obama has insured that there will be no accountability, no review and no accuracy. Here ya go, folks. You got what you voted for. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/2 "2009-02-11T02:12:00Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Here ya go, folks. You got what you voted for. That’s a nice change from what we’ve seen in recent years. [Sorry - don’t want to go there, but you left it wide open.] The Census Bureau should be transparent. I’m not sure why it’s part of the Commerce Department, but I guess it has to be somewhere. I’d like to know if it’s true that minority voters have been historically undercounted, however. If true, that needs to be fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/3 "2009-02-11T02:13:13Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Less than three weeks in office and Obama is already screwing us over. > > [http://www.govexec.com/story\_page.cfm?articleid=41986&dcn=todaysnews](http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41986&dcn=todaysnews) > > The audacity of this blatant attempt to take over the census so that it can be manipulated in secrecy is worse than anything the libs ever claimed Bush did. > > If the census remains in Commerce, its procedures and guidelines are open for review by Congress. By pulling it into the White House, Obama has insured that there will be no accountability, no review and no accuracy. > > Here ya go, folks. You got what you voted for. Why do you assume there will be no accuracy? ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/4 "2009-02-11T02:17:27Z")
Oh man! If the next census isn’t accurate I’m moving to somewhere else with real family values, and a dependable census. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/5 "2009-02-11T02:19:35Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The audacity of this blatant attempt to take over the census so that it can be manipulated in secrecy is worse than anything the libs ever claimed Bush did. Yeah, moving a program to a different department is way worse than causing the deaths of perhaps a couple hundred thousand innocent people. You do a disservice to the wise turtle who’s name you drag through the mud. Also you’re a fucking loon. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/6 "2009-02-11T02:25:01Z")
Since Humpy won’t return, maybe we can turn this into a productive discussion. Are there any plausible reasons why the Commerce Department would be more open to accountability, review, and accuracy than the White House? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/7 "2009-02-11T02:30:02Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Are there any plausible reasons why the Commerce Department would be more open to accountability, review, and accuracy than the White House? His contention was that Commerce has to answer to Congress and the White House doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/8 "2009-02-11T02:31:42Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The audacity of this blatant attempt to take over the census so that it can be manipulated in secrecy is worse than anything the libs ever claimed Bush did. I just wanted to quote this for the pure laugh value. Cite that the move from commerce to the white house is so that “it can be manipulated in secrecy”? Or is this simply paranoid delusional ramblings? And I claim that Bush presided over an unprecedented increase in your national debt, to over 10 Trillion dollars. That’s pretty bad, don’tcha think. (or to re-phrase, “don’tcha think?”) ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/9 "2009-02-11T02:33:29Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > If the census remains in Commerce, its procedures and guidelines are open for review by Congress. By pulling it into the White House, Obama has insured that there will be no accountability, no review and no accuracy. > > Here ya go, folks. You got what you voted for. From the article you cited: > [@](#): > > A White House spokesman confirmed Thursday that Obama plans to work closely with the bureau, which will remain within the Commerce Department. Cute conspiracy theory, but you should have read a little further down the article you cited. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/10 "2009-02-11T02:33:49Z")
Isn’t the Census just a database of statistics? Useful and constantly accessed statistics, but not really anything to get too excitable about, I would’ve thought. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/11 "2009-02-11T02:34:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > His contention was that Commerce has to answer to Congress and the White House doesn’t. I have to admit that I don’t know what that means. Do you? The staffers working on the census can be called in congressional hearings whether they work in the White House or some other building. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/12 "2009-02-11T02:39:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Isn’t the Census just a database of statistics? Useful and constantly accessed statistics, but not really anything to get too excitable about, I would’ve thought. One of the claims is that he can use this power to [do a sort of unoverseeable gerrymandering,](http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/have-they-no-shame-a-power-grab-at-the-census/) as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/13 "2009-02-11T02:39:41Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I have to admit that I don’t know what that means. Do you? No, I don’t. I guess the difference would be an oversight committee, but for practical purposes I don’t know why it matters. The rest of the OP is so over the top ludicrous that I’m not sure **Clothahump** knows either. If there’s a real issue with undercounting, the president SHOULD get more closely involved. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/14 "2009-02-11T02:40:49Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The audacity of this blatant attempt to take over the census so that it can be manipulated in secrecy is worse than anything the libs ever claimed Bush did. While there’s an argument to be made about Obama making a poor move on this, this statement is either really fucking stupid or you’re a troll. Take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/15 "2009-02-11T02:43:22Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The audacity of this blatant attempt to take over the census so that it can be manipulated in secrecy is worse than anything the libs ever claimed Bush did. Worse than anything Bush **actually** did? I suppose that depends on your partisan leanings. Worse than anything _liberals ever claimed Bush did_? No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, I think you should admit that’s rather hard to believe. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/16 "2009-02-11T02:46:26Z")
> [@](#): > > The audacity of this blatant attempt to take over the census so that it can be manipulated in secrecy is worse than anything the libs ever claimed Bush did. If Obama’s reason for doing this was so he could conceal the evidence that he was a serial killer, it still wouldn’t be worse than some of the things Bush did. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/17 "2009-02-11T02:46:29Z")
I think the biggest stupidity is the assumption that manipulation of statistics to suit an agenda is the motivation behind this. Statistics are manipulated by default, that’s their role. No matter who’s in charge, they get bent into any shape required of them. I can’t see that this is any different to how it’s always been. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/18 "2009-02-11T02:54:40Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > While there’s an argument to be made about Obama making a poor move on this, this statement is either really fucking stupid or you’re a troll. > > Take your pick. Why can’t it be **both?** That seems more logical to me. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/19 "2009-02-11T03:00:35Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I think the biggest stupidity is the assumption that manipulation of statistics to suit an agenda is the motivation behind this. > > Statistics are manipulated by default, that’s their role. No matter who’s in charge, they get bent into any shape required of them. > > I can’t see that this is any different to how it’s always been. I suppose that’s an argument, but it’s a bad one. The Commerce department generally has a reputation for honesty and independance. But thre’s simply no reason at all for Obama to have anything to do with this, any more than if he suddenly announced that the White House was going to oversee tax returns this year. It injects politics into a carefully balanced situation and can do no good. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/20 "2009-02-11T03:10:14Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > It injects politics into a carefully balanced situation and can do no good. Well, it’s already done **some** good. It’s made the vein on **Clothahump’s** left temple throb like a Keith Moon drum solo. And that’s good enough for me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310.md?page=2)