The census issue

[biopowertoday]

I am wondering what you all think of this census issue.

I am not in favor of the WH appointing Rahm to this position within the WH. I would be appalled if the Republicans made this move (if they were in the WH). The perception is that it will result in dirty politics. Our president does not need that. And this move gives the Republicans a lot of fodder---the politicalization of the census.

I only listed to about 10 minutes of the video below- but I certainly got the message that the Republicans will make hay out of this move.

I was glad to read (below) that the WH took a step back.


…………

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=1&docID=news-000003025792


Updated Feb. 5, 2009 – 6:34 p.m.
White House: Census Director to ‘Work Closely’ with West Wing
By Jonathan Allen, CQ Staff
The Obama administration acknowledged Thursday that the as-yet-unnamed Census Bureau director will have a direct line to the White House but sought to define the relationship as one in which the director would “work closely with” rather than report to President Obama’s senior staff.
After black and Hispanic leaders raised concerns over Commerce Secretary-nominee Judd Gregg ’s commitment to core functions of the Census Bureau, a senior White House official told CQ on Wednesday that the director would report directly to the White House.
That brought fire Thursday from Republicans, who accused the White House of attempting to gain advantage in the politically delicate process of counting Americans and of violating the law by circumventing the Commerce secretary. The decennial census is used to determine the apportionment of congressional districts among the states and federal funding for numerous programs.
The White House took a small step back from what the senior official told CQ, releasing a statement late Thursday that couched the relationship between the Census Bureau director and the West Wing as one in which the director would work with the high-level officials rather than report directly to them.
“From the first days of the transition the census has been a priority for the president, and a process he wanted to reevaluate,” White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said. “There is historic precedent for the director of the Census, who works for the Commerce secretary and the president, to work closely with White House senior management — given the number of decisions that will have to be put before the president. We plan to return to that model in this administration.”……………..

………………………………….
There is a video at the site. I looked for one by the Democrats but unable to find one. –If someone can find one, please post it.

http://www.cspan.org/Watch/watch.aspx?ProgramId=HP-A-40647

House Republicans News Conference on 2010 Census
Thursday

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and several of his Republican colleagues spoke at a news conference to discuss the White House's intent to oversee the 2010 census.
Washington, DC : 36 min.