# 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:** 4\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/141 "2009-02-16T15:56:07Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > Obama has _ensured_. > > I can’t believe no one has caught that yet. Someone must’ve, and I missed it. > Seriously, it’s very difficult to take doom 'n gloom seriously when you can’t even spell properly/use the correct word. My apologies for the tpyo. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/142 "2009-02-16T16:46:35Z")
> [@ambushed](#): > > It is! At least very close. The evidence available to the public leads compellingly to that conclusion. > > To summarize: > > 1. Gregg _ **asks Obama** _ (not the other way around) for the appointment as Commerce Secretary (perhaps because he wanted to be able to fulfill his wish of a watered-down census in the first place?) > > 2. Obama grants Gregg his wish. > > 3. Individuals and groups who are aware of Gregg’s contempt for a census that includes everyone (such as those listed by **Boyo Jim** ), including illegal immigrants (who are more likely to vote Democratic), something that is anathema to most Republican leaders, come forth with their deep concerns. > > 4. When Obama learns from those groups of Gregg’s preference for an unfairly limited census – something Gregg has fought for in the past – the President agrees to move control of the census out from under Gregg’s jurisdiction. Obama does this out his zeal for bipartisanship, because he still wanted Gregg as his Commerce Secretary. Moving the census to another department would alllow Obama to get his nomination approved by the Senate Democrats who would otherwise vote against him based on Gregg’s hostility to the census. > > 5. When Gregg learns that one key area which he apparently wanted to control – the census – is now out of the Commerce Secretary’s jurisdiction (probably along with other reasons), _he decides he doesn’t want the job anymore_ and so he withdraws his nomination. > > 6. Conspiracy nutjobs on the SDMB insist that there was something suspicious and/or nefarious involved! > > Thanks, Clothachump and your conspiracy-minded fellow posters, for raising my spirits with laughter… [insert] 5a. When asked at his press _conference_ why he referred to the census issue in his press _release_, he realizes that saying the real reason right out loud would be abysmally stupid, so he refuses three times to elaborate on it.[/insert] ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/143 "2009-02-16T23:40:41Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > My apologies for the tpyo. > > 😃 Sounds like a hip-hop ode urging people to be good to your servers and cab drivers. Tip! Yo! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310/144 "2009-02-17T00:36:37Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Oh, absolutely. I wasn’t making the point that they don’t matter. I was just making the point that they shouldn’t be voting as long as they’re in illegal/undocumented status, even if they DO vote Democratic. No, but they **should** be counted for district-apportionment purposes; lots of people ineligible to vote are so counted, including children and (depending on the state) convicted felons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-obama-and-what-he-is-doing-with-the-census/485310.md?page=7)