Gregg Withdrawal Ignites Census Rhubarb

Pajamas Media ^ | February 14 | Jennifer Rubin

[AJKauf]

Unfortunately for the Obama administration, Judd Gregg’s withdrawal as commerce secretary has highlighted the effort by the White House to wrest control of the census (and with it, the groundwork for the 2010 Congressional reapportionment). Gregg took a second or third tier issue and vaulted it to the front pages.

Since word had broken that the White House intended to take oversight of the census out of the Commerce Department and give it to the hyper-partisan political operator Rahm Emanuel, the Republicans had worked feverishly to raise public awareness.

The White House power grab to apply "oversight" of the national head count process will set off a war with the GOP. ...

[shadeaud]

Taking bets on how long this will be a topic of conversation. I noticed how the media ignored it totally

[cotton1706]

This issue shows how unskilled Obama and the current left are. Clinton (being a ten year governor)never would have let this happen. He would have gotten Gregg into Commerce, installed the school-marm in his place and THEN moved the census.

If the left hadn’t started screaming and instead made some quiet calls, their schemes would not have reached the light of day. Thank God for inexperience.

[Mannaggia l'America]

Yeah, the MSM swept it under the rug as an issue.

If the GOP were smart (which they are not), they would frame this as the 0bama White House trying to "fix" the census (i.e. fudge the numbers).

[Oldpuppymax]

Look on the bright side. Maybe this will convince Specter, Collins and Snowe to become democrats. Officially, that is.

[cc2k]

Actually, this "second or third tier issue" should have been a top tier issue during last year's Presidential campaign.

Not only does it set the groundwork for the 2010 Congressional Reapportionment. It also sets the groundwork for the 2010 electoral college reapportionment as well.

There are 435 congressional districts, and for each of those, there's a corresponding electoral vote. So there's two big reasons that Rahm & Co. will be moving as many seats as possible to solid blue states.

And this damage will last for 10 years. Which should have placed this issue almost as high as judicial appointments in last year's election issues.

[Girlene]

From Fox, Gregg's Withdrawal Stirs Speculation Over Obama's Census Plan

Some think Obama may find it more difficult to move forward with his plan to move the census into the purview of the Oval Office.

David Webb, a GOP consultant and former decennial manager at the U.S. Census Bureau, said he believes Obama's selection of Gregg was a smokescreen to allow him to push his census plan ahead.

"I looked at it as a political play from the minute it was started," he told FOXNews.com, explaining that groups that lobbied against his selection gave Obama a reason to share oversight of the census. "With him out, it makes it harder to the make the move," he said.

I predict Obama and Rahm will push their census power grab ahead. They must be stopped.

[encm(ss)]

“...Gregg took a second or third tier issue and vaulted it to the front pages. ...”

Houston Chronicle didn’t get that far. It’s on page A-11. If you can find it.

[Old Professer]

Up until now, after the first few weeks of our New-Age President, the word, ‘vet’ was automatically associated with the military by the old folks and the animal doctor at the spay and neuter clinic by the young folk.

Suddenly, everyone is familiar with ‘to vet,’ ‘vetting,’ and ‘vetted’ as being the grail of political suitability; now here we are at the crossroads of where character meets charisma and an otherwise obscure veteran congessman simply demands that the word mean something.

Maybe future generations will remember this moment when Greggvetting overtakes Gerrymandering in the political lexicon.

[ZOOKER]

From a thread that ran yesterday:

They covered this story on NPR today (I know they suck, but it's opposition research - and I always turn the dial in disgust after 15-20 minutes).

Amazing how there's two sides to every story, and NPR chose to air the OTHER ONE. They mentioned that Gregg was involved in oversight of the 2000 census and insinuated that he attempted to skew the numbers. They used the insult that ends all liberal arguments: they called him a Right-Wing Conservative.

According to NPR, because of his sordid history, the WH thought it prudent to assume authority in the census.

You see the flaw, of course - if Craig was known to be a subversive, why offer him the job in the first place?

Oh, and by the way, there was no mention of how Craig's appointment would affect the balance of power in the Senate...