Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Shoe's On The Other Foot Now, Madam Speaker

This is rich. Remember back when Bush was president, and his Administration, was accused of distributing propaganda to support its programs? People were outraged at the news, remember? I sure do - I was mighty upset that our taxpaying dollars were going to support downright propaganda, for programs I opposed, I might add.

Well now, the shoe is on the other foot. Rep. Darrell Issa of California has documented numerous instances of the Obama Administration doing much the same thing. Yes, they have been using our tax paying dollars to prop up their programs, most recently with an ad featuring Andy Griffith speaking to seniors. Yep, turns out that little ol' ad was paid for by the Health and Human Services Department. You might also notice you aren't seeing it anymore. Hmmm. How very coincidental. Ahem.

Anyway, this information, and more, is documented in an article by Jonathan Strong of the Daily Caller, "Issa Hits Obama Admin For Extensive Use Of 'Propaganda' To Boost Health Care, Other Priorities." Let's see what else is in there, besides the Andy Griffith Ad, which Issa said violated federal law due to its partisan nature. This is another good one:
Another important instance cited by Issa’s report regarding the health care bill involves Jonathan Gruber, a noted health care expert who was revealed to be making hundreds of thousands of dollars from government contracts during the period he was authoring editorials in favor of the health care law and being cited by journalists for his health care expertise.

Gruber was paid by nearly $300,000 by HHS for “technical assistance” as a consultant on estimating the economic impact of the health care law. Gruber did not disclose his government contracts when discussing the health care law with numerous journalists. Articles that relied on Gruber’s testimony and were favorable to the health care law were promoted vigorously by the president himself.

Oops. Gosh, so is Issa saying that a bunch of the crapola shoved down our throats about the health care law was propaganda?? Wow - that is shocking (not that we didn't know it was a bunch of crapola, but that it was paid-for propaganda is mighty telling).

It gets better, though:
Gruber said after his contracts were revealed that he “never intentionally withheld [his] two HHS contracts from Congress or the media.”

Oh, I am so sure it was just an oversight on his part! Just like Geithner and Rangel forgetting to pay their thousands and thousands of dollars in income tax, I am so sure Gruber just forgot to mention he was getting $300,000 in contracts from the government!!

Oh! And remember the NEA propaganda sponsored by Buffy Wicks the Deputy Director of the White House Office Of Public Engagement who, according to Jonathan Turley was accused:
[snip] of encouraging artists supported by the National Endowment for the Arts to produce works supporting President Obama and his policies. The story first appeared in BigGovernment.com.

On the transcript of an hour-long conference call, Buffy Wicks states “We’re going to need your help, and we’re going to come at you with some specific ‘asks’ here,. But we know that you guys are ready for it and eager to participate, so one we want to thank you, and two, I hope you guys are ready.” Personally, I am more concerned about a high-ranking official using the verb “to ask” as a noun. That falls into the category of saying “my Bad” as an immediate cause to be sent to Gitmo for waterboarding and re-education.[snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Oh, yeah - that's in Issa's report, too!

Back to Jonathan Strong's article. Guess who was just shocked and appalled by what she learned abt the Bush Administration's propagandizing? You know it, our Speaker of the House:
[snip] The Issa report compares Gruber’s $300,000 in government contracts to an instance in the Bush administration when the Department of Education paid columnist Armstrong Williams $240,000 to advocate the “No Child Left Behind” legislation.

When it was revealed Williams was receiving taxpayer funds, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decried the “underhanded” tactics, saying it was “not worthy of our great democracy,” the Issa report notes.[snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Well, dang - I am sure she will be ALL over this report by her colleague, Rep. Issa! Don't you know it! I am sure by the end of the week, we are going to hear that she has filed some suit or something against the Administration for misappropriation of funds.

Why are you laughing? Oh, c'mon, it could happen! In about a billion years, but it COULD happen!

The fun with the Obama Administration just never stops, does it?

2 comments:

SFIndie said...

I keep thinking, Rev, that if I don’t read about any of this, then it’s not really real. Kind of like a little kid who thinks that if she has her hands over her eyes and can’t see you, then you can’t see her, either! I guess I’ve got another think comin’, don’t I...

Nancy’s philosophy is that it’s only propaganda if someone else says what you don’t like. So, when the Republicans did it, it was propaganda. When the Democrats do it, it’s racist for anyone to bring it up. Nancy “okay for me but not for thee” Pelosi. Yep, she’ll be ALL over the Issa report, filing suits right and left in court, yep, she sure will, right away. And I’m pretty sure my Unicorn will be delivered tomorrow, too.

And can you tell me WHAT is up with SoS Clinton? How can she support Imam Rauf? If she’s only doing so because the administration is demanding that she does, then I would expect her to quit her post immediately. That’s just unconscionable to me. My respect of, and support for, SoS Clinton is deteriorating. I wonder if that’s what The Pretender had in mind? Destroy her credibility so she’d be no threat to him in 2012? It’s working.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has had quite a life. Almost seems as if there are two people inside that one body, such a contradiction between “revolutionary” Ayaan and “reform” Ayaan. And just think, Imam Rauf would like all of us to be subjected to the laws that Ayaan grew up with. But he’s not a radical, no indeed. He’s the perfect person to promote the role of religion in the U.S. without actually talking about religion.

Is it December yet? Is it Montserrat time yet?

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

I know exactly what you mean, SF. It is hard to believe the kind of crapola they are pulling on a regular basis. This whole, "hey - they did it, so..."thing is just annoying - you know, they hypocrisy thing...Just ridiculous. So much for Nancy cleaning up Washington. Ahahahahahaha!

I saw today that the FBI used Rauf back in the early part of this century. I don't know what the deal is with him - he seems to be a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, he is portrayed as a moderate, but on the other hand, he has these radical connections.

And how is it that a group that has been barred in a NUMBER of ME countries is not banned in the US and the UK? I just do not get that, SF. It is shocking.

I think you have an excellent point abt SoS Clinton - that was my fear from the get-go, you know. I never wanted her to work for him, but when she decided to do so, I figured she would be good as the only adult in the room. But, yes - I am afraid he is going to drag her down with him so she cannot be a threat to him. You know he is ALL abt himself...

Well, listen, SF - you could save us a whole bunch of time and money by letting us fly on your unicorn, you know...

Abt Hirsi Ali - she really is remarkable, isn't she? It is staggering what she has endured, and yet, her calm presence, her measured words, her soft speech cannot mask what a force she is on behalf of women. Amazing.

And I can see why she is considered so dangerous by the powers-that-be. No doubt abt it.

Great comment, SF!