The American Spectator

Carston| 2.9.09 @ 1:29PM

If the change in culture he is referring to is it being more corrupt, he is off to a great start.

Gene| 2.9.09 @ 1:34PM

and he has been in office less than three weeks, way to go bama

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 2:14PM

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around this gem, "We are changing the culture in Washington, it takes time." Really? You're changing Washington by repeatedly nominating thieves and cheaters? As Alice (Alice in Wonderland) so eloquently stated, "...Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't."

Mrs. Jackson| 2.9.09 @ 2:17PM

Obama drinks beer?

Believe that one and I've got a stimulus bill for you to vote for....

Morris| 2.9.09 @ 3:44PM

This is the best that you can come up with Philip Klein? I don't know if the "throw everything against the wall and see what sticks" routine will work this time. As for Hannity, the president should not involve himself with any multi-millionaire talking head! He needs to keep doing what he is doing and stay amongst the regular folks.

Steve| 2.9.09 @ 3:51PM

Obama drinks beer?

http://blogs.reuters.com/reuters-dealzone/files/2008/07/obama-beer.jpg

Mrs. Jackson, where is that stimulus bill you have?

Frosty| 2.9.09 @ 3:54PM

Sure, the 'regular' folks; the people who just bought and paid for Obama by electing him POTUS.

How to do something effective| 2.9.09 @ 3:54PM

She didn't really ask a question, that was just a rant. A real question would have thrown him for a loop and shown him to be an empty suit. Instead, all she did was help the MSM help him look good.

If anyone wants to do something effective, see the guide at my name's link describing how to come up with real questions, the type that Obama and his friends would have a great deal of trouble with.

JLW| 2.9.09 @ 3:58PM

I would think he drinks Russian-made vodka.

Kat| 2.9.09 @ 4:29PM

I thought Tyra made an excellent point; Obama should be challenged on the corruption of his nominees. Props to her for her courage. Keep sticking it to the 'One'.

24AheadDotCom| 2.9.09 @ 5:57PM

She did make an excellent point. And then, BHO was able to deflect it and spout the same boilerplate he's used before. The fact that the NYT reported it should show that it wasn't that damaging a question.

You have to ask an actual question, and craft the question in such a way that BHO will have trouble deflecting it.

Interloper| 2.9.09 @ 6:10PM

"You have come to our count[r]y..."?

'Tyra' may have played the role of useful idiot to the hilt by demonstrating the kind of delusional conspiracy believers who make up much of the far Right. President Obama was right to thank her. She gave him an unintentional gift.

Amazingly, 'Tyra's' fellow travelers, including Phil Klein (from a group she likely has other 'interesting' conspiracy claims about) do not realize when they have been pwnd. You would think they would have learned for all the 'help' Sarah Palin's followers provided her.

Even if she said 'county,' which does not fit the context as well, 'Tyra' tried to hold President Obama responsible for the failings of others. In most cases, rather minor failings at that. I don't recall George W. Bush answering questions about his failed cabinet, many members of which are still refusing to testify before Congressional panels.

(Note: I am treating this anecdote, which is appearing on far Right blogs and possibly originated here, as true, though it may not be.)

ConservativeWanderer| 2.9.09 @ 7:01PM

Interloper, which of Bush 43's Cabinet members had unpaid taxes?

For that matter, which of Clinton's, or Bush 41's, or Reagan's, or Carter's, or Ford's, or Nixon's, or Johnson's, or Kennedy's, or Eisenhower's, or Truman's, or... well, you get the idea.

I guess Obama really is Changing the culture in Washington... to one where being a tax cheat doesn't disqualify you from being named to the Cabinet!

Alan Brooks| 2.9.09 @ 7:08PM

yeah, it takes time to build a bridge to the 22nd century.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 7:25PM

Just keep challenging Obama on his 'porkulous' bill. Eventually the criticism will stick, especially when the economy tanks even more. Don't let up on him, he obviously doesn't know what he is doing.

Interloper| 2.9.09 @ 8:03PM

With the exception of Geithner, President Obama's nominees have had the kinds of tax problems typical of the upper middle-class and wealthy, whether they are Democrats or Republicans. The nanny issue has occurred so often since the 1980s, you'd think anyone even considering federal employment at a high level would do his or her own due diligence.

Geithner's problem was so arcane most people would miss it, and his tax software did not flag it. Daschle, on the other hand, is inexcusable in failing to pay such a high amount of back taxes.

Context means a lot. Check of Tara's (correct spelling) comments in this late story.

http://tinyurl.com/asmjkh

Alan Brooks| 2.9.09 @ 8:15PM

yes, Geithner's oversight was an indeed an oversight; everyone knows that.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 8:35PM

Daschle did not pay his taxes for three years (over $200,000) and also didn't declare nearly $100,000 in income for a car and driver. Anyone else would have been indicted. He's corrupt.

ConservativeWanderer| 2.9.09 @ 8:36PM

"With the exception of Geithner, President Obama's nominees have had the kinds of tax problems typical of the upper middle-class and wealthy, whether they are Democrats or Republicans."

Then why didn't any of Bush 43's, Clinton's, Bush 41's, Reagan's, Carter's, etc nominees have these "typical" tax problems? I assume since you can't actually name names that there weren't any tax problems of the magnitude of Daschle's among those administrations... or, really, among ANY of the past administrations, going all the way back to the original George W. (Washington, that is).

Face it, Obama tried a lame spin and it ain't working.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 8:37PM

Geithner is corrupt, too. He was given money to pay his taxes, and even then he didn't. Another liberal tax cheat.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 8:40PM

What else do you expect from Obama? He's just another liberal product of Chicago's political cesspool.

Interloper| 2.9.09 @ 10:28PM

Obviously, anyone interested in knowing what the nominees tax issues were needs to consult sources other than American Spectator. I think no intelligent person believes there were not any nominees with tax problems in previous administrations "going all the way back to the original George W. (Washington, that is)." One has to come here to read something that ridiculous.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 11:40PM

Obviously we have consulted more sources than AmSpec concerning Obama's nominees' tax problems. The information is everywhere--if you care to look. I don't recall any other new president having this many problems with his nominees. Perhaps demos have become even more corrupt in the last eight years.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 11:43PM

Groper, I don't recall issuing you an invitation to blog on this site. Don't let the door hit your buns on your way out to Huff/Post, Move On and DU. Ciao.

ConservativeWanderer| 2.10.09 @ 8:21AM

Well, Interloper, since it is logically impossible to prove a negative (i.e. there were no nominees with Daschle-sized tax problems in previous Cabinets), it is incumbent upon you to prove the positive statement that you are claiming.

Therefore, you will please provide the name of at least one previous cabinet level nominee who failed to pay taxes to the tune of 6 figures, and forthwith, please.

Failing to do so will invalidate your point, because if they exist, you must be able to find them, even if you use sources other than AmSpec. (But I won't accept Wikipedia or similar sources... too easy for you to insert the data yourself.)

Or, alternatively, you can crawl back into your cave and whimper and whine about how unfair it all is.

Jay| 2.10.09 @ 1:02PM

ZOE BAIRD - President Bill Clinton's first nominee for attorney general withdrew in 1993 after it was learned that the $500,000-a-year corporate lawyer employed an illegal immigrant Peruvian couple to provide nanny services for her son and chauffeur her around and didn't pay the required Social Security taxes for them. A federal law enacted in the fall of 1986 made it illegal to hire undocumented workers. Her case gave birth to the term "Nannygate."

RON BROWN - Clinton's then-newly confirmed commerce secretary acknowledged in 1993 he had not paid Social Security taxes for a woman who cleaned his house three hours a week over four or five years. He said he hadn't thought he owed taxes because she worked so few hours, but he scurried to pay the back taxes and penalties and remained in office.

LINDA CHAVEZ - The conservative commentator withdrew in January 2001 as President George W. Bush's nominee to be labor secretary after it was disclosed that she gave a Guatemalan woman free room and board in her home and $1,500 during a two-year period in the early 1990s even though Chavez knew she was an illegal immigrant.

You can always tell the far-lefties in far right clothing because they say moronic things like "Nothing like this has happened in the history of the world EVER!!!"

ruth| 2.10.09 @ 4:44PM

Yeah, the woman Linda Chavez helped out was a battered wife who ran away from her husband. Bad Linda, for helping this girl, no good deed goes unpunished. Of course, with Obama, it's happening repeatedly--that has never happened before. It seems all of his nominees are corrupt. He's brought government down to a new low--Chicago style!

ConservativeWanderer| 2.11.09 @ 8:29AM

Good, you did some research.

By the way, did any of them have 6-figure tax obligations that they tried to skip out on, like Daschle did?

I think not. Therefore, you still haven't answered my challenge.

By the way, Chavez's problem isn't a tax problem per se, so that doesn't count. Chavez GAVE a gift, she didn't RECEIVE one (again, as Daschle did). I'm sure you just included her, since hers was not a tax problem, in an attempt to scream "Republicans do it too!" Epic fail, d00d.

I also note that of the two you name that specifically did have tax problems, both were appointed by a Democrat. Perhaps it's just Democrats that nominate tax cheats, and not Republicans (since we've already dealt with Chavez's non-tax problem)?

PhyCon| 2.11.09 @ 10:46AM

Not only that, CW, but in 1998 Tom Daschle gave a speech on the Senate floor wherein he said, " "Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter." Source.

Then during the confirmation hearings of Linda Chavez he said, ""The labor secretary ought to set the example." - same source as above.

Can anyone recall the word Mr. Daschle's example versus his words is called?