If The GOP Takes The House, Issa Plans New Bailout Probe
From a story this morning on Politico, Republican Darrell Issa plans to go after Obama, Geithner & Summers broadly over the various bailouts, as well as turn up the heat on the Countrywide VIP investigations, even if it means going after fellow Republicans.
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Bailouts, Bailouts, Bailouts. No investigation poses a more significant political danger to Obama than a no-holds-barred GOP probe into TARP, the AIG bailout, the Freddie-Fannie sinkhole and the administration’s de facto takeover of GM and Chrysler.
Reason One: Perhaps the only issue uniting all voters is a shared hatred of all bailouts — so few Democrats, even die-hard liberals, would be willing to stand in front of a bus to defend Obama against attacks.
Reason Two: One GOP aide described the bailouts as a “huge pool” from which to make document and e-mail requests — and issue subpoenas. The prospect of a massive and popular fishing expedition at the West Wing’s expense would delight the Republican base and create a political headache for the president’s team.
Issa seriously rattled Democrats earlier this summer by revealing the lengths he is willing to go to obtain information, asking Google executives if they would be willing to turn over Gmail messages pertaining to administration business.
“If he comes at them, the White House will then have to make up its mind: Will they let their lawyers take over, or will they let the political people run the show?” says Lanny Davis, who counsels Obama to turn over as much as possible as quickly as possible to avoid allegations of stonewalling.
“If Rahm Emanuel is still chief of staff, they will have a huge advantage. He’s been through this before, and he’ll push back against the lawyers,” added Davis.
Countrywide Mortgage and “Angelo’s List.” Sen. Chris Dodd’s embarrassing placement on the company’s VIP mortgage list played a major role in the Connecticut Democrat’s involuntary retirement earlier this year.
Issa — using only the bully pulpit — has already forced Countrywide’s parent, Bank of America, to turn over reams of documents. If he becomes chairman, Issa will use the committee’s power to obtain more information on sweetheart deals, even if it involves GOP politicians, according to a person close to him.
“I think the White House is underestimating him,” says a top congressional Democratic aide. “What makes him so dangerous is that he’s willing to turn on Republicans, too.”
Aug 28, 2010 at 4:22 PM
Reader Comments (18)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/26/BA2H1F44VO.DTL
At Nettleton Middle School, Student Government Posts Were Assigned by Race
http://abcnews.go.com/US/miss-middle-school-bars-black-students-running-class/story?id=11498343
A website advertising a new restaurant in Germany has called for humans to donate body parts for the menu causing outrage.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7967193/Berlin-cannibal-restaurant-calls-for-diners-to-donate-body-parts-for-menu.html
At his rally with tens of thousands on the steps of Lincoln Memorial, Beck used the closing lines of then-candidate Obama's campaign stump speech of 2008.
"One man can change the world," Beck told the crowd. "That man or woman is you. You make the difference."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100828/ap_on_go_ot/us_dc_rally_obama_rhetoric
The lawyers made the comments in their opening legal brief asking a federal appeals court in San Francisco to overturn the judge’s order and allow the Arizona law, known as SB 1070, to take full effect.
Justice Department lawyers are expected to file a reply brief with the appeals court by Sept. 23. Oral argument at the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals is expected in early November.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/322657
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/08/justice-department-gives-second-ultimatum-in-sheriff-arpaio-investigation.html
http://maps.google.com/maps?expIds=17259,18168,25814,25900,26118&sugexp=ldymls&cp=10&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADRA_enUS385&wrapid=tljp1282929839562118&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=lincoln+memorial&fb=1&gl=us&hq=lincoln+memorial&hnear=lincoln+memorial&cid=0,0,16732120314954461649&ei=ufR3TL-UNMSAlAewlqHsCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCcQnwIwAA
Drudge highlighted this yesterday...he believes Google did it on purpose to confuse attendees of the glenn beck rallies in DC today...
America unfortunately deserves what they have if they do not kick every single one of these “distinguished gentlemen and women” of both parties to the curb.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00212
“asking Google executives if they would be willing to turn over Gmail messages pertaining to administration business.”
How much strong arming will be involved in that “asking”?
Yes Gobie, Dubya thanks you for your endorsement of TARP.
“What makes him so dangerous is that he’s willing to turn on Republicans, too.”
How rapidly he will find himself alone, though I would enjoy seeing a face off between him and the almighty Boehner. Part of the flaw of the system is that isolation that will occur if this is anything other than rhetoric, not to mention how the well of campaign contributions would rapidly begin drying up.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll681.xml
Re elections are expensive...
http://www.prlog.org/10536192-john-boehner-was-paid-by-morgan-stanley-to-push-for-tarp-with-112-billion-in-earmarks.html
http://wi.rlc.org/2010/08/paul-ryans-record/
The big money will follow the sacred cows...
http://www.fiscalaccountability.org/index.php?uniquename=budgetnumb
That is what is right, as a first step...
"That is what is right, as a first step..."
The TARP and all the bailouts are corrupt capitalism at it's worst. Make sure Wall Street and the elite don't lose out for taking extreme risks at the expense of the middle class and lower income Americans.
A health care bill that may be a bigger mistake than the TARP, and a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that the banks are already gutting with the help of Dodd and the other banksters in Congress and the Presidential Administration.
Get rid of all the Damn incumbents! There are probably a few who are trying to do a good job but they are completely dominated and left powerless by the corrupt majority. Congress needs to learn they work for the people not the special interests.
Fire em all and let God sort em out. If we do, some where down the line we might have a Congress that will actually listen to the American People and work to represent them and to protect the U.S. Constitution.
I think thats in their job description, and maybe the new ones will live up to it. If not we will vote their asses out too.
I will also be voting against all incumbents.
But again, it is just a first step, and it will be difficult, as you can see by one here, he would protect the herd no matter what they do only to continue the ping pong game of two parties increasing the debt, destroying the value of the dollar by protecting the FED (which is not a government branch), and destroying the backbone of society (the middle class).
All to "fight the good fight", by passing the blame off on each other. Both are responsible.
May they all proudly wear their assless panties over top of their pants on election day so their loyal herds will be able to easily identify them.