Posted on 02/07/2009 6:09:26 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
President Obama has decided to bring the U.S. Census Bureau under White House jurisdiction, a move that incensed House Republicans, who fired off a blistering letter to him Thursday, calling it "outrageous and unprecedented" and a "blatant partisan and political maneuver."
The move would shift the chain of command with the bureau and the Commerce Department, where the bureau currently resides. It comes after the Congressional Black Caucus, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and other groups expressed displeasure with Obama's nominee for Commerce secretary, Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Gregg, the groups said this week, opposed efforts to secure emergency funding for the 2000 Census, which they asserted exposes a potential lack of commitment to ensuring that hard-to-reach minority populations are properly accounted for in the 2010 census.
A White House spokesman confirmed Thursday that Obama plans to work closely with the bureau, which will remain within the Commerce Department.
"From the first days of the transition the census has been a priority for the president, and a process he wanted to re-evaluate," the spokesman said in a prepared statement.
"There is historic precedent for the director of the census, who works for the Commerce secretary and the president, to work closely with White House senior management -- given the number of decisions that will have to be put before the president," he said. "We plan to return to that model in this administration."
House Republicans reacted quickly. House Oversight and Government Reform ranking member Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Oversight and Government Reform Census Subcommittee ranking member Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., seized on speculation that the move would place the yet-unnamed Census Bureau director under the watchful eye of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, instead of leaving Gregg in charge.
They suggested the move could improperly influence legislative redistricting, which is shaped by Census counts.
"By circumventing the secretary of Commerce's oversight of the Census Bureau and handing it directly to a political operative such as Mr. Emanuel, you are severely jeopardizing the fairness and accuracy of the 2010 Census," Issa and McHenry wrote Obama.
Details of the day-to-day relationship between the White House and the Census Bureau seem hazy.
Aides speculated Thursday that the bureau's budget and public-affairs functions may be routed through OMB, an arrangement that would assuage the fears expressed by advocates concerned that the Census director's public statements and congressional testimony would be subject to censorship by less-than-supportive leadership at Commerce.
Sources on both sides of the issue said black lawmakers and others interested in securing more funding for the 2010 Census had been hoping for assurances of support from Obama as soon as they learned about Gregg's possible selection to Commerce post.
One Democratic aide close to the matter called the administration's decision a direct response to the grievances of minority groups upset with Gregg's appointment.
"People started yelling at them," said the aide, who added that the details of how the White House's interactions with the Census director remain woefully undefined.
"Their answer was 'OK, fine, [Gregg] won't be in charge,'" the aide said. "It wasn't a plan. It was a reaction."
The administration's idea to shift jurisdiction over the Census Bureau was not entirely new.
In September, congressional Democrats, led by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., proposed legislation to make the bureau an independent federal agency. Such agencies report directly to the president, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency did before it became part of the Homeland Security Department.
A Census Bureau spokeswoman declined to comment on any organizational changes until a director is in place.
Who's running ECOMCON?
I don’t think they’re concerned with having a plan. They’re concerned with holding what they’ve got, for their own lifetimes. “Apres moi, le deluge” is their motto.
“You see, Americans are quite a bit different from Europeans and Argentineans..”
Not any more.
President Obama has decided to bring the U.S. Census Bureau under White House jurisdiction
Stick your census up your ass, Mr Obama.
Could be worse, he could have put it under the BATF.
[Sound of door being battered down]
“Census takers, nobody move!
“Woof!”
[Sound of automatic weapons fire]
We are well on the way to dictatorship.
The GOP should direct their wrath and anger at the Dumba$$ Gregg.
I pray for our troops daily, but I hope obama burns in the depths of hell.
Same here. I thought the census lady was going to bust an artery when I told her how many lived here and nothing more.
As for moving control to Reichsfurher Emmanuel, the rats do not intend to give up control of government again. Whatever it takes.
Big, shady maneuver. Why not just place the Census Bureau in the Voter Fraud Department?
Amen and Amen.
I agree. Use their tools and tactics. It will not come easy for Conservatives, but we are in a struggle that requires game-changers at this point (IMO). We need to have some specific plans, though. The problem is that we Conservatives have individuals who are willing to fight a new game but don’t know how to apply their skills effectively. CPAC might be a good place to get some brainstorming going among committed leaders/participants.
Much as I said after the ‘06 election,
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1735119/posts?page=603#603
Just list your race as other. If every single American is a minority, what are they going to do? We’ll all be the same. And after all, isn’t that what we strive for......a homogenous country where everyone gets along.
Seriously, tell all your friends who could be mistaken for caucaasian to correctly list their race as “OTHER.”
Excellent assessment of our pending demise. Shall we send an emissary to France to help us get our country back? Seriously, what are we going to do? The integrity of the national elections was lost in 2000. I agree totally that the Repubs are playing this like everyone is following the rules. It almost looks like, dare I say, that they’re throwing the game.
>Elections will be meaningless, they will be held to lull people into thinking that they have had their say, but they will see to it they never loose.<
Already happening, isn’t it?
Obama’s hit the ground running, just like he and Hillary both boasted they would do. While everyone is terrified about porkulus [rightly so], this is being sneaked in at the same time. They are using Blitzkrieg tactics, Lightning Warfare. There's also the plan of a hearing on 'talk radio imbalance'. There are rumblings of 'war crimes trials'. Not a word is being said about 'guest worker programs', but don't be surprised if a 'guest VOTER program' [other than ACORN] becomes official. The bottom line is, while their popularity might suffer right now, they are trying to knock out the leaders of pro-freedom. It's a fast moving mobile warfare. As things stand, unless their popularity melts down completely through scandals and quick [such as the tax cheat scandals], I believe it will take a miracle to stop them.
Regarding this particular issue, it's very important. Remember the battle over a desire to balance the census through polling rather than counting? We all know how ‘accurate’ polling can be. I suspect this will be the way to destroy the GOP’s chances in the House through redistricting. If we want to have any shred of fairness in future House elections, corrupting the census must be prevented. It's the same as fighting voter fraud.
On the other hand, undermining their popularity, exposing them for the creeps they are, is also important. God bless you guys for your hard work and dedication! FRegards ....
"The internet needs a gatekeeper." -- Hillary Clinton [leader of most of the Obama Administration and power behind the throne]. Key word, census:
True, but Argentina does not have 70 million armed citizens, either.
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