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Politics has always been a tough business. The more one is involved, the more one sees what goes on behind the scenes. Deals, intimidation, and pressure are all part of the process.
However, the Obama White House has taken the "tough business" of politics to a new level, and these actions by Obama's advisors are getting the attention of members of Congress. It appears that this era of "hope and change" was code for replacing professionalism and respect with scare tactics and threats.
We all know that Obama learned his political skills from hanging around Chicago's left-wing elite. His current chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, also represented the Chicago area in Congress following his stint as an adviser to Bill Clinton. Now, Emanuel is getting himself into trouble -- drawing accusations that he and members of the Obama cabinet are trying to intimidate members of Congress and governors.
In a press release from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the congressman reports "that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been orchestrating an effort to intimidate members of Congress and Governors who raise legitimate concerns regarding the effectiveness of the stimulus."
"I and others have dared to bring these facts to the attention of President Obama, the Congress and the American people," Issa wrote. "You've unfortunately reacted by once again resorting to the playbook of the Chicago political machine."
Issa particularly notes the coordinated effort against Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. Issa quotes a Politico report that claims Emanuel launched a campaign using cabinet secretaries to send letters to Gov. Brewer following remarks by Kyl on the Sunday talk shows where he blasted the stimulus. The idea was to intimidate Gov. Brewer under "suggestion" that stimulus money could be withheld because of the statements by Sen. Kyl.
Issa noted, "The fact that the letters were coordinated by you to maximize the level of intimidation is supported by the timing, structure, and content of each letter. Not only were the four letters all sent the day following Senator Kyl's remarks, but they were also remarkably similar in tone and sentence structure."
In a letter to Rahm Emanuel, Issa is asking for answers. By Tuesday, August 11, Issa has requested that Emanuel provide:
Your response to Politico's report that "White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel directed that the letters from the Cabinet secretaries be sent to [Governor] Brewer, according to two administration officials."
A full and complete explanation of the development of the four July 13 letters from the cabinet secretaries to Governor Brewer, including but not limited to the role you or any other White House official played in writing the letters or encouraging the writing of the letters.
All records and communications between you and Secretary LaHood, Secretary Salazar, Secretary Donovan, and Secretary Vilsack referencing or relating to the decision to send the July 13 letters to Governor Brewer.
A full and complete explanation of the role of the Democratic National Committee and the White House Office of Political Affairs in authoring, encouraging, facilitating, or directing the four July 13 letters from the cabinet secretaries to Governor Brewer.
As Issa notes, "At what point do you believe your practice of Chicago-style politics violates a public official's right to speak out in favor of alternative policies? The American people have a right to know what role you played in developing the threatening letters to Governor Brewer and whether you intend to continue to engage in these tactics in the future."
Just as Obama and his cohorts have the right to sell out America on a socialist agenda, other political leaders have the right to give a different opinion to the American people. They should be able to do this without fear or intimidation.
As we've seen with Obama's reaction to the arrest of Professor Gates, when Obama was quick to play the "race card," we now see that his advisers are quick to use scare tactics against those who oppose Obama's plans. Just think... this is the man (and his team) whom the media hail as a "uniter." What a joke.
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