GREGG WITHDRAWS NOMINATION FOR COMMERCE SEC - Drudge

[Lucille]

GREGG WITHDRAWS NOMINATION FOR COMMERCE SEC (http://www.drudgereport.com/flashgg.htm)


For Immediate Release:
Thursday, February 12, 2009

Senator Gregg Statement on His Withdrawal for Consideration of U.S. Commerce Secretary

Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.

“However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.

Huh. He must not have appreciated Obama's unconstitutional Census power grab.

[HOLLYWOOD]

WTF?

Vetting fail? Dictatorial policies of the Socialists plan leave a sour taste in Judge Dredd's mouth?

Commerce Department is one of the most lobbied and corrupt gov entities.

I presume Gregg didn't like the Communist puppet strings.

[UtahApocalypse]

Can anyone one line for me the Census issue?

[Thrashertm]

GOP rediscovering their spines.

[Thrashertm]

"This may present a real problem for Obama, as he was apparently the only nominee that pays taxes."
From Digg.

[pacelli]

10 buckets of grain says Bill Richardson enters from stage left.

[angelatc]

Can anyone one line for me the Census issue?

Obama wants to fudge the census and Gregg won't bend over. The House threatened legal action, too.

If your eyes won't explode on Malkin's site, she has an excellent take from a former former census bureau here: http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/12/whos-ready-to-sue-over-census-power-grab/


But the legal issues will remain even if a willing partisan is nominated and confirmed as Commerce Secretary. There is a 1999 Supreme Court ruling that would make sampling-based adjustment difficult in the absence of compelling evidence that the customary hard count would be less credible. And that evidence not only is lacking, but a three year statistical study that was finished in 2003 to respond to this issue concluded just the opposite: adjusting the Census numbers through sampling and computer models could lead to a less credible Census result. A hard count has always been legally defensible. An fuzzy “adjusted” Census–where figures at the Census tract and block level would be plaining erroneous in many cases–could invite endless litigation and bad will.

[coyote_sprit]

"This may present a real problem for Obama, as he was apparently the only nominee that pays taxes."
From Digg.

What a surprise.

[ashura]

You guys who're giving Gregg credit are kidding... right? This is nothing more than a power grab from an unprincipled hack. Once he gets back to the Senate and votes, he'll have handed the reigns of the stimulus bill to the three Republican Senators who voted yes and tipped it to pass. This is simply the GOP doing what it does best; not being conservative but rather doing whatever needs to be done to act as a foil to the opposition.

[coyote_sprit]

You guys who're giving Gregg credit are kidding... right? This is nothing more than a power grab from an unprincipled hack. Once he gets back to the Senate and votes, he'll have handed the reigns of the stimulus bill to the three Republican Senators who voted yes and tipped it to pass. This is simply the GOP doing what it does best; not being conservative but rather doing whatever needs to be done to act as a foil to the opposition.

I'm only referring to how many of them pay taxes.

[idiom]

He was *never* going to leave his senate seat open when the democrats have 59 seats.

[Aratus]

judd gregg now wants to retire in 2011. he's NOT seeking re-election...

[angelatc]

judd gregg now wants to retire in 2011. he's NOT seeking re-election...

That sucks.

[angelatc]

You guys who're giving Gregg credit are kidding... right? This is nothing more than a power grab from an unprincipled hack. Once he gets back to the Senate and votes, he'll have handed the reigns of the stimulus bill to the three Republican Senators who voted yes and tipped it to pass. This is simply the GOP doing what it does best; not being conservative but rather doing whatever needs to be done to act as a foil to the opposition.

I am not sure what this even means. His vote won't tip the scales either way.

I wish the free staters were marching on their Senators right now.

[ashura]

I am not sure what this even means. His vote won't tip the scales either way.

I wish the free staters were marching on their Senators right now.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7097/captureti2.jpg
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NmZhZTlkNGZlNGZlN2NkZmM5Mjc5YjA0Yjk5MTZjM2I

It means that the GOP has just been given a lot more control over the bill. R-Senators Snowe, Specter and Collins have been made the deciding factors and you're going to see both the Democrats and the Republicans doing their best to influence the three into molding the bill, with the former bending/compromising and the latter trying to take advantage. Remember that the Republican party isn't conservative, it's simply whatever's necessary to oppose the Democrats. When viewed through that lens, it's easy to see that the Republicans will want their own big piece of this taxpayer funded pie and Gregg's withdrawal has just assured that they'll get it.