Dogwalk: Obama Choices Disappointing

51 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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  danofthecommunity on February 01 at 8:52 a.m.

  I agree this one leave me troubled. It sounds like he knew of the problem last June and only told the Obama and Senate sub-committee folks about it late into the process. You’d like to think he would gracefully (although probably nothing graceful about it at this late date) withdraw his name so that precious time, energy, and focus isn’t diverted from much more important things. In fact, you’d like to think he would have never let his name be submitted in the first place knowing this would cause undue negative attention and embarrassment rather he had eventually paid the back taxes or not.

  Surely he’s not the only qualified person to do this job.

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  hmoffsuite on February 01 at 9:00 a.m.

  dan >> “In fact, you’d like to think he would have never let his name be submitted in the first place knowing this would cause undue negative attention and embarrassment rather he had eventually paid the back taxes or not”

  That is the part that I simply can’t understand. It is almost as if he was trying to submarine Obama. Daschle is an arrogant, cocky little ……..

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  Charlie on February 01 at 9:34 a.m.

  I am amazed at how little MSM outrage in the Geitner, Daschle and Richardson problems. If this were Republican candidates the press would be using brickbats to club them, but being Democrats they get “It’s an honest mistake.” Honest mistake my Aunt Fanny, I call it cheating.
  The cesspool called Washington D.C. needs to be pumped dry of corrupt politicians.

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  hmoffsuite on February 01 at 2:05 p.m.

  Charlie >> “If this were Republican candidates the press would be using brickbats to club them, but being Democrats they get “It’s an honest mistake.”

  You are 100% correct. Good observation.

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  Transplanted_Texan on February 01 at 2:21 p.m.

  *Owed - not owes. He paid it back. And yes: http://waywardepiscopalian.blogspot.com/2009/02/tax-cheats-or-honest-brokers-on-daschle.html

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  Transplanted_Texan on February 01 at 2:23 p.m.

  “Surely he’s not the only qualified person to do this job.”

  DOTC - there were a lot of people who wanted Howard Dean for the job (including the Governor himself). However, I do think it could be argued that while there are others who are of course qualified for the job, none would be as skilled at guiding new health care legislation through Congress as a former Senate Majority Leader turned health care expert.

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  Me on February 01 at 3:45 p.m.

  I am just amazed, amazed - these are oversights, simple mistakes - it isn’t their fault, no one told them, they didn’t know.

  On the one hand these are supposed to be exceptional people -held up as smart, highly qualified individuals - but they missed these things - things WE all have to do - pay our taxes. So which is it? ARE they smart? Or are they clueless - which one am I to believe?

  Now all you have to say is that compared to “the last 8 years” this is nothing. It’s the new mantra. Just say that and poof everything is forgiven.

  DC is corrupt, corrupt, corrupt and my hope that change was coming is very much slipping away. And by the way this is non-partisan disgust. I don’t care who it is I’m tired of being told that its ok for these elitist pieces of you know what to do whatever they want and be told it’s the best we can do.

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  Kage_Mann on February 01 at 5:20 p.m.

  I share Me’s outrage.Partisan or not Daschle’s not telling Obama for a month about his tax situation is outrageous. How can not paying $140,000 in back taxes be an oversight?If he’s
  that incompetent he shouldn’t be Sec.of Human and Health Services to begin with,but he doesn’t fool anybody.

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  Transplanted_Texan on February 01 at 5:24 p.m.

  Kage - it’s not like it was income tax. It was a tax on a service, a service that was neither work compensation nor a personal employee, and a service he’d had from the Senate for years without having to pay taxes on. That’s an easier oversight than, say, Geithner’s.

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  Me on February 01 at 7:52 p.m.

  Oh - well why didn’t you say so - that makes it SO much better. Wow - so sorry I got all excited about it. Geez who would expect someone in HIS position to know what the heck is going on.

  Now that you mention it, none of them should have to worry about these trivial things - I mean they have ‘people for that don’t they? They shouldn’t have to sink to the common man’s level of personal responsibility and knowing what you are responsible for. And especially if you didn’t ‘have to for years and now you do” - gosh. I mean when I was 19 I didn’t have to pay much taxes so how would I know that when I made more I had to pay more - duh - I ain’t payin nothin this year to make up for it!

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  hhuseland on February 01 at 7:53 p.m.

  I agree with Dan. It appears that Daschle has been selling himself on the street since he lost his Senate contest, and isn’t very particular about following the rules. If Obama wants a clean image, he needs to draw a line in the sand, and force his followers, experts and such to adhere to those same rules that Obama claims for himself.

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  Me on February 01 at 7:58 p.m.

  Thank you S & S Herb - that was really what I was looking for - someone else standing up and saying “this isn’t right”! And that seems to be sorely lacking - thank you thank you!

  I am SCARED of this economy. It can affect me and mine. While we still have jobs and our mortgage isn’t in jeopardy - it could happen!! I find it apalling that people are not screaming in the streets!! We are losing jobs everywhere and are to accept crooks into the highest positions in the land? That we are hoping are going to ‘fix’ things for us??? What???

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  hhuseland on February 01 at 7:59 p.m.

  Me has an excellent point as well. When the IRS explains to us that regardless of whether an account makes a mistake on your return, or EVEN the IRS themselves, you are still guilty. That is plastered all over the internet, tax prep shops, etc. Even a broken old man who doesn’t earn squat knows that I still have to prove it.

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  hhuseland on February 01 at 8:04 p.m.

  There are people of both parties that have been guilty of crimes that we wouldn’t get away with. It is time to draw that line and start back from the abyss, regardless of how corrupt someone was or wasn’t from the past administration.Or for that matter, the two or three before that.

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  Me on February 01 at 8:09 p.m.

  I’m sorry but I really am tired of it all. I am not a religious person - don’t attend church, study the bible. I don’t affiliate myself with any particular political party etc. But I DO feel compelled to do what I believe to be right not wrong. If someone gives me too much change I will give it back. If I find out I left something in the cart at the grocery once I’ve left and didn’t get charged I’ll take it back and pay for it. Some might call me a chump - say you should take advantage if something like that happens, I won’t do it.

  I just want people representing me to do the same - is that REALLY so much to ask?? At this point I do believe that Obama would do all of the above because I haven’t heard otherwise. But he needs to make sure that those are surrounding him are the same. Each time he chooses someone who has ‘gotten away with something slick’ he loses points with me.

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  Me on February 01 at 8:11 p.m.

  Herb - Thank you Thank you!!!! I have not always agreed with you, but I now see you as someone who has character and not just an affiliation. If you were the majority I would be much more optimistic.

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  Kage_Mann on February 01 at 8:13 p.m.

  Transplanted Texan on February 01 at 5:24 p.m.

  Kage - it’s not like it was income tax. It was a tax on a service, a service that was neither work compensation nor a personal employee, and a service he’d had from the Senate for years without having to pay taxes on. That’s an easier oversight than, say, Geithner’s.

  TT,it still is hard to believe that this was an oversight,he should know better than the average citizen what he needs to pay the IRS.What service did he perform,besides being a congressman?

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  thawtfulreader on February 01 at 9:09 p.m.

  Daschle’s a tool of the insurance lobby, I hope he gets kicked to the curb by Obama, especially for not telling him about his tax “problems.”

  Put Howard Dean, MD in as HHS secretary.

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  Transplanted_Texan on February 02 at 6:02 a.m.

  Kage - the tax was on his car and driver, that’s what I meant by a service. The driving was the service, and it was taxed.

  “Me” - “But I DO feel compelled to do what I believe to be right not wrong. If someone gives me too much change I will give it back.” You do realize Daschle and Geithner did give it back, right?

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  Charlie on February 02 at 8:09 a.m.

  The point that seems to have been missed in Daschle’s, Geitner’s and don’t forget Charlie Rangel cases that the “errors” happened multiple times for each person. You are responsible for the info on your tax return, period. Just because the monies are paid “back” does not absolve you of the crime. These people wrote the laws and should know better or maybe not.

• 

  thomg57 on February 02 at 8:14 a.m.

  Charlie, did Daschele really write that IRS code? Really? And is it a crime? A crime? And what does Rangel have to do with Obama’s cabinet? Right, he doesn’t. Thanks.

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  Charlie on February 02 at 8:24 a.m.

  Tax cheats Thom, tax cheats.

• 

  bpoole on February 02 at 8:25 a.m.

  i bet some individuals on this blog would forget to pay their own taxes if they could get away with it

• 

  Kage_Mann on February 02 at 9:16 a.m.

  Don’t forget Governor Richardson Of NM.Bottom line is that
  four prominent democrats have been caught shorting the federal gov’t of taxes that should have been paid a long time ago.Would these people have caught the mistake themselves and did the right thing?They only paid their taxes b/c they wanted to be in the cabinet IMO.Had this been republicans,
  they would have been tarred and feathered;to be put on display
  for the curious.But,b/c it’s democrats it was an oversight/an honest mistake.Wrong.

  Barack,instead of chastising Limbaugh,maybe you should start
  trying to police your own people so we can spread their wealth too.

• 

  Transplanted_Texan on February 02 at 12:50 p.m.

  Kage, Richardson’s scandal was not a back taxes issue (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28493919/), so when you say “four prominent Democrats have been caught shorting… taxes” I have to assume you’re referring to Obama’s labradoodle joke for the fourth… or maybe you just didn’t do your homework and posted out of ignorance. Either way.

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  Me on February 02 at 1:25 p.m.

  Yes - you must get your alleged investigations, indictments, and charges correct!!

  It isn’t always taxes. Sometimes it is bribes, sometimes its not reporting ‘gifts’ received, might be assault and battery, racketerring, wire fraud, money-laundering. These are just a few of the charges that are currently being investigated by the ethics committees. And 6 of them are Ds and 8 are Rs - as I stated earlier I do not care which political party they belong to, I’m sick of it.

  And Transplanted Texan - just because someone ‘paid it back’ doesn’t mean they weren’t wrong to begin with.

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