( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )
Democrat Andrew Romanoff is challenging appointed Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) in the 2010 mid-term elections.
On September 27, 2009, the
Denver Post reported that Romanoff had been offered a job in the Obama administration. That reportage is summarized as follows:
- Jim Messina, Obama's deputy chief of staff under Rahm Emanuel initiated communication with Romanoff shortly after news leaked that Romanoff would be challenging Bennet.
- Messina made "specific suggestions" to Romanoff for placement in the Obama administration, "which included mention of a job at USAID, the foreign aid agency."
- Romanoff rejected the offers.
- Post sources for the story were "several top Colorado Democrats" who "asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject."
- One day after Romanoff formally announced his challenge to Bennet, Obama endorsed Bennet.
- When questioned, Romanoff refused to discuss the matter.
- The White House claimed Romanoff "was never offered a position within the administration."
Clearly, the facts suggest that the Obama White House attempted to offer a thing of value (appointment) in exchange for a promise to not challenge Bennet, thereby supporting Bennet's senatorial position, a "place under the United States". The statute of interest is 18 USC § 211 Bribery, Graft and Conflicts of Interest: Acceptance or solicitation to obtain appointive public office.
Whoever solicits or receives ... any....thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
However, instead of pressing this point, the Post went into damage control for the White House. The Post expended the final 70% (753 words out of 1083 total words) of the article softening the story with soothing words that this is routine presidential behavior. Curiously, only Democrat Party players, including an advisor to the Clinton (the impeached one) White House, are the Post's authority for these soothing words.
Now, there is word of another job offer made to a Democrat, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, challenging an Obama supporter in the Senate, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) in the 2010 mid-term elections. Similarly, this offer was also timed prior to formal announcement by Sestak last summer of his primary bid, Obama has endorsed Specter, Sestak turned down the offer, and the White House denies that a job offer was made.
Apparently, the
Philadelphia Inquirer broke the story on February 19. The
American Spectator picked it up this morning.
American Thinker has also taken note. This time, the object of the solicitation has talked despite "the sensitivity of the subject." When asked if he had been offered a job in the Obama administration in exchange for dropping out of the primary, Sestak replied, "Yes." He also replied yes when asked if it was a high-ranking job.
If it is true that this sort of thing is routine, then 1) Norton, McInnis, et al. will have little to say about it, 2) the political class is truly degenerate, and 3) the country might be best served swapping them out for ethical individuals, even if they are newbies to politics. Sound ethics requires speaking up for what is right, and against what is wrong. "No Comment" does not suffice for speaking up, no matter the sensitivity of the subject. Crime is always a sensitive subject.
Phone calls are logged. Emails are retained. There is likely an evidence trail. An independent prosecutor is called for. People other than bloggers need to be pressing that demand.
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Paul Glover, Radical
Paul Glover, Radical Simplicity: Expanding your wallet, Reducing your footprint. Paul Glover teaches Metropolitan Ecology at Temple cifi certification University. He is founder of Ithaca HOURS local currency, Ithaca Health Alliance, Green Jobs Philly, Citizen Planners of Los Angeles, and many other groups. He is author of Hometown Money, Health Democracy, Los Angeles: A History of the Future,cisa braindumps and other books. He publishes Green Jobs Philly News. He was invited to contend in the 2004 Green Party Presidential primaries, earning delegates at the national convention. In 1978 he walked, entirely on foot, from Boston to San Diego, to study the impact of cities upon this continent. Bob Fiori, Energy Efficiency; Green Entrepenuers. Inspired by the clean energy campaign of Barak Obama and the obvious need to reduce carbon emissions in Pennsylvania and beyond, Bob Fiori created PowerMinders, LLC, an organization whose college student “ambassadors” teach family members and their communites how to reduce energy consumption in their homes and communities. The idea was originally conceived while talking to his son and daughter, both college students, who said young people today “want to cissp get actively involved in stopping global warming; not just stand around while the old folks dither.” PowerMinders, currently involving over 700 college and university students throughout Pennsylvania, was the result and millions of dollars in energy savings has been achieved for Pennsylvania residents. An entrepreneur who has founded companies involved in advertising, direct mail, market research, internet marketing and financial services, Bob said working with PowerMinders’ msce braindumps tudent ambassadors “has been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I started out to inspire them and wound up being inspired by them.”