Nobody is perfect. And in the world of national politics there is always someone hanging on the periphery of a major candidate/elected official with eyebrow raising issues. But, the fumble of Bill Richardson isn't exactly typical.
To be fair to Team Obama, it may well have been Richardson's fault for not ponying up the full and complete story during the vetting process. Either way it becomes a modest stain on what has been an otherwise smooth transition process (regardless of one's partisan views).
The real interesting twist to all this though is the optics. Many a smart Democrat will admit that a large part of Obama's image, and thus his success in 2008, was a function of perception, not necessarily full, unvarnished reality. Now, regardless of Obama's complicity or lack thereof, there have been two major negative story lines with a serious ethical twist that at least appear to involve the Obama organization (the Blagojevich meltdown being inescapable given the Illinois connection).
As of now it's probably fair to conclude the damage to Obama is minimal, especially in the midst of MSM adoration of the One's pending coronation inauguration. Yet, it's probably equally fair to speculate that one more major story about ethical problems around an incoming Obama administration will start to create a not so positive theme.
Exit topic: is the Hope and Change we were waiting for include 600,000 new federal employees or studied silence of Israel's necessary incursion into Gaza? Bloating the federal bureaucracy is no way to win the middle who bolted to Obama over the economy, meanwhile Obama holding to the status quo on Israel - not that I'm complaining - is not exactly simpatico with the anti-war, pro-Palestinian Left.
Tricky balance, that post-partisan politics.
Posted by Eric Earling at January 04, 2009 08:49 PM | Email Thishttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28485901/
Posted by: Stitch on January 4, 2009 08:59 PMBut evidence is mounting that Obama is already losing ground among key Arab and Muslim audiences that cannot understand why, given his promise of change, he has not spoken out. Arab commentators and editorialists say there is growing disappointment at Obama's detachment - and that his failure to distance himself from George Bush's strongly pro-Israeli stance is encouraging the belief that he either shares Bush's bias or simply does not care.
The Al-Jazeera satellite television station recently broadcast footage of Obama on holiday in Hawaii, wearing shorts and playing golf, juxtaposed with scenes of bloodshed and mayhem in Gaza. Its report criticising "the deafening silence from the Obama team" suggested Obama is losing a battle of perceptions among Muslims that he may not realise has even begun.
Who was it that first said it:
Facts can be stubborn things.
Also:
The Blago-Burris story is a long way from over:
Looks like Blago will hang on to whatever bitter end awaits him; and what a ''film at 11'' shot it will make, if Majority Leader Reid in effect ''stands in the Senate door'' to block Burris from entering the chamber.
Before the election Bush said he was gonna bring "honor" and "integrity" to the White House.
How is that working out? (sic)
Posted by: All Facts Support My Positions on January 4, 2009 09:16 PM
Quote: "In an era of corporate accounting scandals, Pitt had close ties to the accounting industry. And for inexplicable reasons, Pitt met with the heads of companies under active SEC investigation. As a Wall Street lawyer, Pitt had “recommended that clients destroy sensitive documents before they could be used against them – advice that seemed to find echoes in the SEC’s investigations into Enron and its shredder-happy auditor, Arthur Andersen.” Pitt had to recuse himself from many of the SEC’s votes — they were frequently about the clients he had represented as a defense attorney. By July of 2002, Senator (and future GOP presidential candidate) John McCain was calling for Pitt’s resignation.” Pitt, not surprisingly, demoralized the agency. To investor advocacy groups, having Pitt as SEC chief was like putting Osama bin Laden in charge of Homeland Security."
Richardson did what? Jay walk?
Posted by: All Facts Support My Positions on January 4, 2009 09:20 PMIt was refreshing to see that the Colorado governor appointed a qualified man who wasn't related or connected to Ken Salazar.
Posted by: janet s on January 4, 2009 10:54 PMNo complaining... we're merely counting the crooked dominoes that will fall after him.... and enjoying the show.
Hope and change!... with an old cast of corrupt characters.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on January 4, 2009 11:25 PMwake up, people--lib or conservative!! they are schnookering us at EVERY level...
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 5, 2009 05:59 AM"That's not the (fill in the blank) I knew."
Posted by: BrassTax on January 5, 2009 07:05 AMYou are kind of insinuating that the Illinois scandals have all bypassed Obama?
The next scandal is the confirmation of Clinton. She has been doling out millions to donors to the Clinton library for several years now. She is an Obama appointment.
Posted by: swatter on January 5, 2009 07:51 AMHow is that working out?"...
It worked out pretty good on planet earth, how did it work out on YOUR planet?
Posted by: juandos on January 5, 2009 10:09 AMTWO comments regarding that...
1. I'm not going to bother with comments by mindless mantra repeating morons. Instead, I will just press the button on this handy dandy AUTORANTIC VIRTUAL MOONBAT that will say exactly what our moonbats repeatedly, robotically spew. Actually, Stefan can add it/them (there are 2 versions!) to the side bar and save us all a lot of time.
2. Dems to Run the Country Like They Ran Their Blue States
Just as no non-union manufacturer is asking for a government bailout, only Democrat run states are begging for federal funds to avoid the inevitable bankruptcy of the states they have run into the ground. ... According to the Democrat governors, blue states are unable to manage themselves.
... For those of you who are keeping track, combined with Bush's trillion dollar bailout of the financial industry and Obama's trillion dollar "stimulus" affirmative action, another trillion for blue state bailouts will bring the total to $3,000,000,000,000 (3 TRILLION) in new national debt over the next few months, and still counting.
... At the root of the mortgage crisis was a Democrat affirmative action lending policy required by Democrats in congress.
You remember Democrats blocking Republican efforts to remove federal gasoline taxes when gas was $4.00 a gallon. Now the same Democrats are proposing to double the federal gas tax while gas is at $1.65 a gallon. That should stimulate growth...
Non-union manufacturers are not seeking government bailouts. Union manufacturers are... all of which support Democrat politicians in election after election. ...
... For more than 230 years, personal freedom, individual liberty, the unalienable right to Life and the pursuit of Happiness reigned in the greatest nation known to mankind. The most prosperous, powerful, generous nation in human history was the result.
Throughout history, nations run by the proletariat class have gone bankrupt under the weight of endless social spending in a society increasingly unable to produce. Eventually, these nations have become unable to feed their people.
For more than 230 years, America has been the prosperous nation that has fed the millions unable to feed themselves around the globe. Who will feed Americans when they are no longer able to feed themselves?
"Change" - It's here... I fear for those who have not prepared.Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on January 5, 2009 12:34 PM
Chicago. Who Runs it?
Senators : Barack Obama and Dick Durbin
Representative : Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Illinois Governor : Rod Blagojevich (arrested)
Illinois House leader : Mike Madigan
Illinois Attorney General : Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike)
Chicago Mayor : Richard M. Daley (son of Mayor Richard J. Daley)
Illinois Leadership : All Democrats.
Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago.
Body count in the last six months: 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago, 221 killed in Iraq
State pension fund: $44 Billion in debt, worst in the country.
Cook County (Chicago) sales tax: 10.25% highest in country. (Look it up).
Chicago school system: Rated one of the worst in the country.
Of course, they're all blaming each other.
They can't blame Republicans because there aren't any.
Ooops! Did I hit a nerve, Ragnar?
Posted by: Politically Incorrect on January 5, 2009 06:13 PMOoops! Did I hit a nerve, Ragnar?
Posted by: Politically Incorrect on January 5, 2009 06:14 PMNo, scandals are media-driven and the media will not allow any scandals to come within a mile of The One (PBUH).
Posted by: Frank Black on January 6, 2009 09:35 AM