The Anonymous Coward Returns
The White House was okay with Robert Gibbs attacking the Professional Left and their Catfood Commission Co-Chair attacking, well, everyone.
But they wouldn’t let Steven Rattner’s claim that Rahm Emanuel had attacked the UAW go unanswered.
Rattner depicts White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel as a force to be reckoned with who disparaged unions — once quipping “Fuck the UAW” — and who effectively supervised Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner during his first rocky months on the job by dictating his public appearances and staff picks.
However, unlike Rattner, who put his name to his version of Rahm’s attack on the UAW, the White House push-back was done under the cover of cowardly anonymity.
A senior White House aide emails: “Throughout the entire process that saved the auto industry, Rahm tirelessly defended and advocated on behalf of the auto workers. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply ridiculous.”
Uh-huh. So ridiculous that it couldn’t be said on-the-record.
The great thing about the Bush & Obama White Houses is that they have enabled new and special uses of words and phrases. Bush and Obama reciting (with serious looks) that the US does not torture; Mr. Anonymous calling what Rahm does tireless advocacy.
There is a “non” in anonymous.
On the other hand, Rattner isn’t enjoying the best of times either.
Most important though, what Rattner said about Rahm seems to fit Rahm.
Goodness EW, this anonymous sourcing addiction between the press and the WH looks more ridiculous and cowardly with each use of the attempted “psych ops” method.
It is so badly done, it is comical. Tragically so.
Additionally, it (anon sourcing form the WH) has been used so often, it could make for an interesting timeline on it’s “strategic” use.
Who’d have thunk that Obama’s version of transparency would be to make *his* leakers invisible.
Does Anonymous above think he can had the fact that he’s Rahm by refering to himself in the third person?
Boxturtle (Who’s more trustworthy, Anonymous or Rahm?)
Don’t you know he’s on a first name basis with himself?
(or his brother is emailing the comments.)
BT,
I think you have uncovered the reason why the anonymous source had to be anonymous.
Bob in AZ
ditto to Mary’s #1: there is also a mous[e] in anonymous . . . or is it a Rhat?
Since it’s a NYmous, it almost has to be a rhat. ;)
@22 – a real answer on that is that she would have protected “the party” much more so and would have cut much tougher deals on things like health care and also bc, warranted or not, there is a middle class/lower class trust of the Clinton brand on the economic front that would make economic recovery easier. Not that you don’t have a really good point and maybe the firmer ground to stand on.
@19 – if you think about it, tire-less defense of auto workers – there’s a lot said/unsaid there.
A third party candidate that has significant Latin American appeal won’t win, but might peel off votes in a big enough percentage (with the closely divided nation, 5% would be a huge swing factors) to make both parties try to swing towards that segment to peel those votes. Or maybe not. I just wonder.
OT – but with Huffpo and elsewhere reporting that the WH is going to try to pass more business tax cuts (which, of course, will suddenly win over all the rightwingers to their side *sigh*) maybe a thread could be started over the next few days to serve as a gathering spot for people to post their ideas for things that would be helpful for the economy.
The Dept of Statistics calls my husband about our business every month for employee hours worked. The number remains the same, ZERO. A tax break will do nothing for us, because we aren’t going to have to worry about paying for work we aren’t doing. Our big concern is paying taxes on the equipment we sold to pay off loans and the accountant believes that we will break even. How is a tax break going to get us to hire employees? We definitely can’t offer them health insurance, because the costs have gone up too much.
Wish these jerks would actually visit the real world and not some stupid party in Georgetown.
Little did we know at the time but Obama is a subscriber to Reagan’s trickle down voodoo economics. It’s time for him to go. Primary challenge in 2012.
This WH takes the “professional left” and the U.S. public for chumps. The push back should come with a primary challenge in 2012. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, are you listening?
Defazio as primary challenger to Obama? HAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahah!
What a joke! You funny.
Bob in AZ
Coward?
Coward!?!?
I wonder if the towels in Rahm’s home are embroidered with “SAO”?
Add another S, an H, an L and an E and re-order and I think you’ve got his ‘gram’
@10 – thanks for that input – that’s exactly what they need to hear and know. That’s not a part of Obama’s life – or of any of his advisor’s lives. It’s like all the people who would naively hit me up when I started a small retail business for donations and tell me – as owner of a business that was losing money left and right – that I could take it off on my taxes. Not all that helpful when your ‘income’ is a negative number.
@14 – No, not so much for me at least. I don’t buy that this admin will do anything worthwhile and I’m not going to be heartbroken if it gets replaced with a Palin ticket on down the road. By the time Obama had completely sold out the public option while nailing a mandate to all our backsides, sold out reimporation, sold out prosecutions for torturers, looked the other way on the suiciding of al-libi, recommitted himself to more senseless war, advocated for criminalizing legal representation of Executive denominated *enemies*, claimed assassination powers much broader than Bush, sold the lie on Dawn Johnson, and put his innercircle pro-torture political weasel Kagan in a lifetime, high court slot while refusing to even begin to address judicial appointments elsewhere in the country –
– by the time all that hit, I’ve been cured of the Democrats version of the fear card, the “fear Republican government” card they sold the same way the Republicans have been selling the “fear the world” card. As bad as Palin and McCain might have been, a) they wouldn’t have gotten away with something like a Kagan (and the Republicans wouldn’t let Bush get by with Miers) and b) they wouldn’t have caused me to so completely and fundamentally distrust the last remnants of government. It’s when the the “opposition” shows their underbelly that you lose any last bit of trust.
So on behalf of the children he’s killed and the law he’s destroyed and the nations he’s ruining – I won’t be able to muster up a vote for him or his kith, and if that means “oh no oh no oh no scarey scarey scarey but but but – now the REPUBLICANS will win and it will really be bad” – that’s crap. The Republicans run govt as is it – so let them own it.
Right now, I straddle Kentucky and Indiana. In Indiana – I get email CRAP from Brad Ellsworth’s camp (and I went to school with him) about how I need to vote for Brad bc – horror of horror’s – Mike Pence’s firm has done work on behalf of GITMO detainees. Seriously – that’s the “Democratic” spewage I want to support? Not.
Rand Paul is a frickin idiot and like Ellsworth, I’ve sent some support Conway’s way before at the state level, but while Paul seems to be your basic racist, backward, self-entitled, ego-maniac who doensn’t begin to know what he doesn’t know (and doesn’t care) he’s anti-war, anti-GITMO, anti-Imperial Presidencies. So what lovely damn choices – but I can’t say that Pence and Paul scare and disturb me more than Ellsworth right now, and I’m sadly certain that Conway will end up being a Ben Chandler in office, so no – I’m not living in terror of the Republican storm.
Obama and Reid and the rest – maybe they need to learn that it isn’t sellouts to Lockheed and blood sacrifices of children and our soldiers to the alter of the Republicans that gets OR KEEPS them in office.
They’ve all become so fungible – but I guess I meant Coats rather than Pence.
Here’s what I got today from Ellsworth’s crew (they have really wanted to hammer this theme of the Republican guy being affiliated with an entity representing GITMO detainees)
Yep -that’s what I want to make sure I counter the Republican crazies with – someone wh thinks the whole nation of Yemen and for damn sure six
“accused” detainees should never be able to have any kind of contact with any real American.
Obama has taught me to listen to every word – and what it means – and what it does not mean.
Obama and friends say “F__k the UAW”
Then they claim they “defended and advocated on behalf of the auto workers”
Those two statements do not contradict each other if you agree that workers do not need, are not helped by, and are not well represented by unions, so that you in your paternal mode can “help” workers while screwing the union.
Indeed this is the US Corporation standard posture on worker rights or lack thereof – and the event is another proof that Obama is a whore for his rich and corporate friends.
I’m slow. Sincerely. Are we making with the pointed criticisms, this close to election, because we feel there’s still time to prod, spur, whip the admin. to deliver some vote-winning actions?
Or what?
No, we’re doing this for our own mental health.
Good to know, figaro. Can you tell me if there’s a certain number of days before the election where we’ll drop the pointed prodding criticisms of Obama and begin to rally the base?
I think what Rahm was advocating was that they go get fucked. You know “tirelessly” is one of the those empty Washington words. It has no content but usually signals a strong defense of the person as opposed to what the person actually said or did. Real people do tire. Note that it is not being said that Rahm wore himself out fighting for auto workers. Nor is it stated what Rahm’s tireless defense and advocacy of auto workers actually produced. My recollection is that the UAW had to give up a lot.
Isn’t it actually saying that he didn’t get tired? I read it as “Rahm didn’t tire himself out defending and advocating on behalf of the auto workers.”
It would seem that the readership and posters on FDL are falling as fast as Obama’s poll numbers. Betrayal by Democrats can do that I guess
I don’t know about that, but the quality of the trolls is dropping, along with their reading comprehension skills.
They never had reading comprehension skills. It’s like saying a Chatty Cathy doll is articulate.
With the Rs 10 points in the lead, they have cut back on the trolls.
The Trolls are now enjoying the largess of their efforts to spin for the right. Unemployment.
OK – what is the basis for the dropping readership comment – and why should Obama’s betrayal of every campaign promise mean fewer postings on this site (you do use the plural – “Betrayal by Democrats can do that I guess?” – so are critics of Obama the “betrayers”?).
Obama and the “Democrats” have betrayed their base and the public.
Marcy, I think you may be getting an email soon from someone at the WH demanding a correction to the title.
“It should be Senior Anonymous Coward.”
There will also be profanity.
Since when is the expletive “fuck you” considered to be a “quip”?
I love my union brothers a lot, but the UAW does have a reputation as a union with a real attitude. Rahm was not the first Democrat to ever utter the phrase. I’m waiting to hear the full context of Rahm’s remark before I come to any conclusions.
With all the unhappiness the progressives have for Obama, you’d think that at least a couple of folks would at least be forming “exploratory committees”. Nothing.
Perhaps after the Dems get their butts kicked in November, somebody will step forward.
Boxturtle (Heck, I’d even give Hillary a chance)
why hillary?
so we could have Clinton IV? what the hell is hte point of that?
rmm
She could start undoing some of the damage Obama has done.
Hillary may too far left for the tastes of those that now run the Democratic Party – and she is a she. It took 50 years after the black man got the vote before we gave it to women – it may be too early for a women president so any women that runs will hear “I’d vote for a women – just not this one”.
Unfortunately she is the best choice if you want a chance to unseat Obama with someone who could govern from the left – so there may be no real choice, other than staying home.
Honestly, is that the plan for everyone here? To stay home? IMO the vast majority of the posters on FDL are overly critical of Obama, and their claims that his administration is no different than the Bush WH requires a serious loss of memory. That is just my opinion. But what I really want to know is are you all just talking out of your ass or do you really plan to sit-back while the far right take over the government? Do you really think there is no difference?
The people [of this country] are fucking whacked.
I don’t mean to offend anyone. But I see a lot of talk about staying-home around here and that scares the shit out of me. IMO you have all done a good job moving the country to the left even if you don’t see it. But thats what this whole game is about, moving the country in the right (in this case left) direction. I understand the disappointment that it did not move any where near as far as you may have hoped, but staying home is the best way to make sure it moves back to the right. And I fear the Bush WH is nothing compared to what the far right are capable of.
You, sir, are [Edited by Moderator. Disagree without being insulting to other commenters] Regardless of where the sentiments of the public may be, since the election of President Pinocchio the government of the United States has moved even farther to the right than it was under Bush. Even Bush didn’t attempt to pass a bill that mandated the purchase of a private product, nor did Bush publicly claim the right to assassinate American citizens simply by Presidential fiat.
No doubt, but not as much as what passes for our political parties or what passes for our government.
Rahm is a piece of shit $ell out.
IF you’re 1 of the 214,000,000 Americans in 2007 with money income under 75k, AND you think Rahm is on your side, you have to either wake OR pull your head outta your ass.
At least with the fascist lying stealing scum, you get goold old honest thieving lying scum.
What is the point of traitors like Rahm to working people?
ROBERT MURPHY
SEATTLE.
Exactly! I predicted things would go about as they had when I heard that Obama’s first appointment was Rahm as Chief of Staff. A terrible signal all the way around. And, it has gone about as anyone could have predicted.
For Democrats, votes count and thusly, Obama should have come “out front” and defended the White House, regardless of whether the statement attributed to Emanuel was uttered or not. To wit, the votes among Organized Labor has “value” when it comes to keeping the Hispanic Members of Congress as “players”, but then, I don’t think the White House minions don’t really give a damn about the Spanish-speaking community. But they will, come the Summer of 2012, and “payback” can be a bitch, to put it nicely.
Jaango
In the world of Politico and the Post, does “senior White House aide” exclude Rahm Emanuel as the source for this defense of Rahm Emanuel?
No, or perhaps not exactly.
Rahm is generally a Senior Official, not an aide. But Rahm has been known to direct WH aides to do what needs to be done.
IOW, if Rahm isn’t the Anonymous Coward, he’s hiding behind the Anonymous Coward.
It was quite the typical scenario where auto workers are forced to eat the cost of automaker profligacy in ill-advised financial dabbling unrelated to building cars and trucks. Rahm has made his fortune in finance owing to the access he’s had in his adult life as a professional lapdog for third way politicians.
I’d be willing to bet that the ‘anonymous official” is none other than rahm himself, or one of his close aids.
Today, I will be talking to the Chief of Staff for Congressman Grijalva, “passing on” my request that he-Grijalva talk to the White House that come November and December, that the Chicano Veterans Organization will be advocating, “Jimmy Carter Cared and Barack Obama Didn’t” and this mantra will be utilized to “focus” the attention of the Spanish-speaking community, to reconsider any behavior in 2012 for voting for Obama.
And the premise of this behavior is predicated on two issues:
1. Obama and his minions are advocating a taxing schematic that is reflective of the Neo-Liberal rubbing elbows with the arch-conservatives for “more tax cuts” and regardless of any viability for crafting economic “demand”.
2. When it come to crafting this economic “demand” only the established schematic for On-the-Job Training Contracts for the unemployed, is suitable, and proven or concretized via history, given that public spending targeting the unemployed, will suffice.
So be advised, the Spanish-speaking mantra for “Jimmy Carter Cared and Barack Obama Didn’t” will have considerable traction, commencing in January of next year.
Jaango
David Dayen has a fresh cross-post already in progress: Jobs Report: Moving Sideways
Boy, these guys really are clueless about how to win friends and influence people, aren’t they?!!
Why is believing Rahm Emanuel dismissing the UAW plausible? Well, there’s this:
At times the two electorally viable parties appear to be little more than protection rackets.
Actually, there is a difference between the two parties.
If you examine the Democrat’s “new” stimulus package, down past the tax-cuts, down past the fine print, down in the region of the microscopic, there you will discover what appears to be a long “fly speck”. Actually, it is a promise;
“We no longer offer a chicken in every pot. Everyone not made wealthier by THIS stimulus will receive a cardboard box, a cheap cremation, and a ride to the nearest landfill.*”
(You will note the asterisk, which we will get to … anon.)
The Republicans intend to leave the “have-nots” where they fall.
Oh, the asterisk?
Down in the electron-microscopic region, there is a wee “smudge”, it reads:
“Unless the money is gone.”
DW
There…fixed it for ya!
Did you notice Obama apologist Jonathan Alter went onto the airwaves–last night’s edition of The Ed Show on MSNBC–to make sure everyone knew that HE didn’t believe a word of what was said about Rahm? And of course, he’s the expert, having written that book and all.
jonathan alter is plump little white house dog. who dutifully trots over, tongue lolling out to bark whenever anyone knocks.
Jonathan Alter is possibly the worst of the WH apologists, although he’s in a tight race with Richard Scumbag Wolffe.
On the “offensive” Front.
If you’re a liberal, defending the unemployed, is the required behavior. Consequently, if your ‘worthy, then calling yourself a liberal should be the dominant behavior.
Regardless, if Obama wants to give tax cuts to everyone, and continues to ignore the unemployed, he is not worhthy of being called a Democrat. And no, I am not “buying” that Obama is a “neo-liberal”. With his mantra of tax cuts for the business community, he has now jumped into and sheared sheep, and is to be recognized as an arch-conservative in sheep’s clothing.
And if Organized Labor doesn’t recognized this too, Organized Labor needs a new management team, since Obama is not amenable to Organized Labor.
Regardless, for all these years, we, collectively, survived 8 years of Bush and Cheney, and surviving Obama, will not be detrimental to our future, despite the Pessimists.
Jaango
Rahm is often the annonymous leaker, so i am going to imagine it was he himself who gave this annonymous quote. you guys should run with it. maybe you can smoke out whoever it was, or make them send out a sacrificial goat.
Could it be that Rahm/Obama think that Obama’s re-election chances are higher if the Dems lose the House in November?
Rahm is sure his 1994 Congressional strategery will work this time.
F*****G RETARDS. AND, HOW MUCH DO THE KOCH BROTHERS PAY IN TAXES AGAIN?
We do attempt to keep a civil tongue in our mouths here, and it isn’t polite to shout. Please don’t do it again, or some of us will take offense.
Obama is such a disappointment. He has betrayed the core values he ran on, insulted his base over and over, and demonstrated political cowardice at every turn. The only thing that can be said for him is that McCain would have been worse for the country. The saddest part of all of this is that he had the support of the electorate to do great things and chose to abandone that opportunity. He gave away the moment for what? Nothing gained and so much lost. No wonder the GOP is pummeling the DEMs in the polls without any coherrant message. A base in dispair is not a base that can be counted on to show up on election day.
I do not know if anyone will sit back or not vote party line, but I do know that I comment less simply because I don’t want to say negative things out loud and simply make things worse.
I do think that the Gibbs/Rahm/Obama health care remark was aimed at Jane Hamsher and their Pentagon remark was aimed at ew. I am worried about what “Pentagon” means to them. I suspect it means renditioning US citizens, political assassinations on foreign soil, unlimited wiretapping, hidden funding for black ops, refusing Congressional oversight, etc. That comment was very barbed and cast a darkness across my skies.
And this week Congress is moving to extend Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the world. Where did that come from?
Just a quick drive-by to ask…
Why is it the biggest bullies are also the biggest cowards?
Someone needs to roll up a newspaper and smack Rahm good and hard right on the nose with it.
Journalistic integrity is an oxymoron. Even when they know they’re getting used by their ‘anonymous sources’, they just can’t help themselves.
My bet: the anonymous source is Rahm himself.
Here’s the ultimate shield law: To protect journalists from bloggers and readers, they need to be anonymized! Hence we can have the spectacle of anonymous journalists quoting anonymous politicians and staffers and generals rebutting anonymous commentary on blogs.
Obama at the very least deserves a primary challenge in 2012. However, the Democrats have a Black voter problem right now. African Americans are silent. Even though Obama has done nothing to help relieve black poverty, punishes inner city school children with his archaic reliance on standardized testing, and is afraid of appearing to be advocate for blacks in any meaningful way, the community supports him lock stock and barrel. When I mention to my black friends that Obama is flailing and most likely will not be reelected, they look at me at first with bewilderment then sadness. A primary candidate will be seen as breaking with them.
That observation might rate a hoocuddanode.
Dear trolls…you know who you are:
“Blessed is the person who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact”
I may have found anonymous coward’s skirt (to hide behind). Is it Ben LaBolt?
Evidence:
re: DADT, quote by White House spokesman Ben LaBolt, May 19, 2009
White House spokesman Mr. LaBolt said that the changes were made to “reflect the president’s broad agenda,” but that his commitment to gay and lesbian issues has not changed. “Any suggestions to the contrary are false,” he said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124268952606832391.html
re: covering Christian symbols at Georgetown Univ, quote by anonymous, May 8, 2009
A spokesman for the White House said that there was no intent behind the request to cover the symbols other than to provide a standard presidential background. “Decisions made about the backdrop for the speech were made to have a consistent background of American flags, which is standard for many presidential events. Any suggestions to the contrary are simply false,” said a White House spokesperson.
http://www.secularism.org.uk/secularism-makes-a-tentative-com.html
re: Is Kagan gay, April 16, 2010
A White House spokesman, Ben LaBolt, said he complained to CBS because the column “made false charges.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041505658.html