I still remember the blazing headline by Huffington Post, "Driving Mr. Daschle."
That summed it up for me.
Tom Daschle was or is just a rich D.C. type who helped Barack Obama. Sure, Obama owes him immensely, but at what cost?
You don't have a car and driver from a "political ally" for three years, then know about this possible impediment since June, but just recently let it surface for nothing. And for the record, who knows anyone giving anything for free without getting something for it, especially in politics?
The money? Getting 2 million from a lobbyist firm? But not a lobbyist, while married to one? Is the smell test passing, yet? That is the problem, it did not.
And while not technically a lobbyist, "Daschle, in fact, made millions of dollars since he left government doing stuff that looks, smells and tastes a lot like lobbying — work that led to the taxes flap that forced him to apologize to his former colleagues on Monday for what he called a 'completely inadvertent' mistake," Scherer writes.
And this from the New York Times:
During almost two years on the campaign trail, Barack Obama vowed to slay the demons of Washington, bar lobbyists from his administration and usher in what he would later call in his Inaugural Address a “new era of responsibility.” What he did not talk much about were the asterisks.
The exceptions that went unmentioned now include a pair of cabinet nominees who did not pay all of their taxes. Then there is the lobbyist for a military contractor who is now slated to become the No. 2 official in the Pentagon. And there are the others brought into government from the influence industry even if not formally registered as lobbyists.
Many people voted for Barack Obama for NOT BUSINESS as usual. Yes, Daschle is needed, badly, but when Nancy Killefer withdrew today for her tax issues and it was LESS than Geithner, this is embarrassing. Obama has called for a new era for responsibility, this includes those working for the government and around him must do so as well. This also means that Obama needs to stop taking the hypocrite pills, because the Daschle fiasco has made him look just like that.
We needed Daschle and I am sure he will be a strong adviser for Obama, but in the end his behavior or lack of responsibility was the thing that took him down. While we need to get the stimulus package passed, this is nothing or has been nothing but a distraction.
Again, rich folks and taxes or lack of paying them. When we joes and joesettas have to pay or don't pay the tax man, he is after us like "you know what", but rich folk, another story.
Lastly, youtube can be a biatch. Here an ad that sums it up for Tom Daschle.
Source
TPM
White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, Transcript on Daschle
Home Page
Share
