The Mess Harry Reid “Inherited” from Himself
It seems to be the standard Democratic practice now to blame the economic crisis on George W. Bush as if Democrats’ hands were perfectly clean and they had done everything possible to prevent this from happening. Last month, the President said he “inherited” the budget deficit at the same time he was making plans to leave his successor an even bigger deficit.
Now, his fellow Democrat Harry Reid has called the recent Senate passage of the president’s budget is “a critical step” in the direction of cleaning “up the mess we inherited.” Well, it’s a mess Harry Reid inherited from himself given that he began his tenure as Senate Majority Leader well over two years ago.
Wonder what he did it that time to forestall the current crisis. He held a leadership position in one of the three branches of the federal government, the branch with the power over the federal purse strings. He was in a position to prevent this from happening.
In short, even before he took the reins in the Senate, Mr. Reid had the power to take action to avert this crisis. Instead of using his position to effect reform, he used it to block it.
Indeed, in the two years prior to taking charge in the Senate, as the leader of the opposition, he did everything in his power to obstruct Republican reforms. He didn’t want them to see any succees. He did nothing to discourage his Democratic colleagues, notably Connecticut’s Chris Dodd, from thwarting legislation then-President Bush and Republicans proposed to reform the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
He inherited a mess that he helped create. This mess is as much his as it is the former President’s and the budget he and his Senate Democrats just approved will only serve to aggravate matters.
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Broadly speaking, taking personal responsibility is not a characteristic strongly associated with Democrats.
Comment by V the K — April 4, 2009 @ 3:47 pm - April 4, 2009
The Democrats like Reid, can lie straight into the camera because the fifth estate never, never calls them on it. Simple.
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 4, 2009 @ 4:17 pm - April 4, 2009
When the Democrats took over Congress in Jan of 2007 the unemployment rate has risen steadily.
4.6% Jan ‘07
4.9% Dec ‘07
5.1% Mar ‘08
5.6% June ‘08
6.2% Sept ‘08 when Obama’s election seemed apparent.
6.8% Nov ‘08 after Obamateleprompter was elected, and smart businesses began preparing for his anti business agenda.
8.5% Mar ‘09 after two full years of Democrat control of Congress, the banking committee and the purse strings. Since Harry Reid became Majority leader of the Senate, 3,981,000 Americans have lost their jobs.
Nice job Harry Reid and company. Nice. Why not take another tour of Europe Mr President.
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 4, 2009 @ 4:33 pm - April 4, 2009
http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=CES0000000001&output_view=net_1mth
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 4, 2009 @ 4:34 pm - April 4, 2009
I have commented about this on some other blogs and have been attacked with people saying that since there was a Republican President, even with control of Congress, the Democrats really couldn’t do anything so “its not their fault.” I counter with the fact that these “outraged congressmen” (Reid, Frank, Pelosi, etc) were never on TV back then yelling about what was happening. Then of course I get called self-loathing and everything else you can think of b/c I dare to question the Dems and the current President. I then just give up because I’m not going to resort to the name calling. Its all getting a little disgusting.
Comment by BC — April 4, 2009 @ 4:52 pm - April 4, 2009
WILL THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATE ITS SELF. THIS IS BRIBERY AND DISCRIMINATION AT TAXPAYERS’ EXPENSE? ASK SENATOR REID, WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO KNOW OF EQUAL TREATMENT UNDER THE LAW? FORWARD THIS TO THOSE WHO SHARE THE CONCEPT OF EQUAL TREATMENT.
March 29, 2009 Certified Mail 7103 7975 6410 3203 5540
Senator Harry Reid
333 Las Vegas Blvd., South # 8016
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Dear Senator Reid:
As a respected elected official and concern for the public interest the enclosed a matter of bribery and influence peddling in the Executive Branch, Department of Justice. The correspondence or evidence is seen to prevent an investigation of a federal criminal statute, title 18 sec. 1510. Casework, or review, is provided in the enclosed Integrity Committee letter dated February 13, 2009.
To directly or indirectly, corruptly give, offer or promise anything of value to influence an act or to prevent an act can be construed as bribery.
The Integrity Committee letter states the Inspector General EEOC has discretion to open an investigation of a violation of law, title 18. This is patently untrue. To forward a matter of apparent violation of title 18 to a criminal investigator is a 15-minute task. No mention of EEOC ethics official that is required by 28 U.S. Code sec. 535 to report any information relating to violation of any criminal statute, title 18. Assistant Legal Counsel APR 2006 letter has an opposite story to direct a matter of alteration of records, title 18 sec. 1001, to the United States Attorney’s Office. No mention in the OLC letter the IG discretion to open an investigation. What is EEOC hiding not to comply with laws, rules and regulations of the United States? How many other hard working Americans may have been denied fair and impartial treatment?
The Inspector General apparently was promised or given something of value to have duped, misled, or possibly lied to a federal investigative agent to make a false writing of a review in a civil rights claim. Public service is public trust. Each employee has a responsibility to the United States Government and its citizens. This is a force, sense of duty an obligation of public service to comply with the law, rules, and regulations of the United States. Clearly EEOC Washington, DC, field offices, Nevada, California, Arizona, North Carolina and others have a double standard of the obligation of public service and do not share the concept of equal treatment under the law.
As an elected official and Oath of Office to uphold the Constitution and equal treatment under the law that your office promptly forward the entire correspondence to the Attorney General for comment. It is the obligation, an Oath of Office the Attorney General to defend the Constitution and defend equal treatment under the law. Not to do so would only embolden others in public service to perpetuate bribery and influence peddling for private gain. This would add the perception there are those that choose not to have a responsibility to the United States and its citizens may not be fit for public service.
I feel confident your office and colleagues would like to hear the comment and proposed action by the Attorney General of the United States in a civil rights matter.
Sincerely,
CERTIFIED MAIL
Richard J. Davidson
5122 Cedros Ave.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Enclosures
cc: Honorable Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker
EEOC & others
Comment by richard davidson — April 4, 2009 @ 4:53 pm - April 4, 2009
Another mass killing, the SIXTH this month under the Obama administration. This time near my home in Pittsburgh Pa.
But now we can ask, did Obama make him do it?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090404/ap_on_re_us/pittsburgh_shooting;_ylt=AlcvPxWJ8wFbfP0g53hn2kpvzwcF
Second paragraph down implicates the President.
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 4, 2009 @ 6:01 pm - April 4, 2009
God help us all. Please pray for the families of the fallen officers in Pittsburgh. Could the President please come home and try to calm the country down a bit. He has almost 4 more years to have fancy dinners all over the world.
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 4, 2009 @ 6:03 pm - April 4, 2009
I don’t know if anyone noticed, but Obama was a senator under Reid’s leadership for those same two years. I don’t recall his suggesting any legislation to head off this crisis.
In the past, in fact, he trained ACORN members to harass bankers into extending more loans to the poor (those that we now term “toxic loans”) and, as a lawyer, helped to sue Citibank when they failed to make enough risky loans.
He is SO lucky that the press is too polite to raise ANY of this, as he self-righteously shouts that he “inherited this crisis.”
Comment by polly — April 4, 2009 @ 7:33 pm - April 4, 2009
HELL NO!! He needs to stay put and send for the libs in congress. We can do just fine on our own. Let them start their own Socialist Utopia somewhere and leave us the hell alone.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — April 4, 2009 @ 8:15 pm - April 4, 2009
Are you kidding me? He is trying to distract us while Congress passes socialized health care without any debate.
BC,
You might want to point out to your friends that Congress writes the budgets and laws not the president
Comment by American Elephant — April 4, 2009 @ 8:21 pm - April 4, 2009
The motto of the Democrat party is “A lie oft repeated becomes truth”.
They know the importance of repeating their message. Republicans do not. Simple reasons like these bear a huge role in Republican losses.
Comment by American Elephant — April 4, 2009 @ 8:24 pm - April 4, 2009
AE when Republicans repeat talking points the media says….”come on Senator stop giving us talking points”, and the Republican gets embarrassed. A Democrat gives the war room planned response and the media says….”boy this group has their gritts together, look at the unified front, all giving the same message, wow, impressive, back to you Katie.”
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 4, 2009 @ 9:40 pm - April 4, 2009
Almost makes one miss Tom Daschle. Well, almost…
Oh and Gene: I like how Hot Air is referring to “TOTUS”.
Comment by John — April 5, 2009 @ 8:29 am - April 5, 2009
Don’t be too hard on Dingy Harry – someone blew out his pilot light a long time ago.
Obama, Biden, Clinton were just too darn busy the last few years to do anything about the nation’s problems… they take off for a while to run for president and, next thing you know, the country’s gone to hell in a basket.
#5 BC – it’s simple… tell people to see Article i, Section 8 of our (increasingly irrelevant) Constitution: Congress holds the purse strings, not the president.
Comment by SoCalRobert — April 5, 2009 @ 1:24 pm - April 5, 2009
SoCal, seriously, ObamaBidenClinton? Where the hell were Bush and Cheney the last few years? What the hell were they too busy doing to solve the nation’s problems?
Comment by Little Boots — April 5, 2009 @ 6:27 pm - April 5, 2009
Little Boots,
I believe SoCalRobert was refering to then Senators Biden, Obama, and Clinton. Being three senators in the majority party in the congress, and now discovering all these horrible things that happend while they were… voting on them in the senate.
Comment by The_Livewire — April 5, 2009 @ 10:08 pm - April 5, 2009
Over 150 days since Obamateleprompter was elected and he still hasn’t caught Osama Bin Laden. Clocks ticking. What’s the problem?
Little Boobs, Bush and Cheney were busy keeping America safe from nutts and terrorists. In April alone there have been SIX MASS SHOOTINGS in America. Where is President Obama during the carnige? Kissing rings and bowing to KINGS in Europe. How sad. There was a major natural disaster in ND, where was the President? No where to be found. Nice. Here in Pennsylvanian we lost 3 brave Police officers. Their families are grieving. The shooter said he was afraid of Obamas polices before he ambused the policemen. Come home Mr President, come home. At least act like you care.
Comment by Gene on Pennsylvania — April 5, 2009 @ 10:28 pm - April 5, 2009
Humm…things are starting to sound like Dodd’s assertion that he didnt know about the bonuses!!! Apparently, the Honorable Congressmen were just too busy spending their time on more important matters – like being re-elected, appointing friends to “do nothing” positions, etc. At best, their excuses are two edged swords – either you are stupid (therefore, shouldnt be in Congress) or outright liars (therefore, you shouldnt be in Congress. Either way, “White Man Speak with Forked Tongue.”
Comment by Duffy - Native Intelligence — April 6, 2009 @ 12:17 am - April 6, 2009
Here’s hoping that next year will be the last one for Dingy Harry in office as the senator from Nevada.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 6, 2009 @ 11:46 am - April 6, 2009
[...] Reid hailed the passage of his house’s version of the president’s budget as “‘a critical step’ in the direction of cleaning ‘up the mess we inherited.’“Â Now, with the budget he’s passed, we risk creating an even greater mess than the one [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Who’s Going to Clean up the Democrats’ Mess? — April 17, 2009 @ 12:44 pm - April 17, 2009