Why is President Obama appointing a Republican?

[INdemo]

ranked as a top conservative...Dr. Howard Dean would have been a much better choice..Obama ran as a progressive Democrat and now leaning toward the right?...do we really have a Republican lite for President?In hine sight ..wish Hillary would have won....

[stillcool]

1. I wish anyone else would have won...

maybe he'll get impeached, and we'll all be happy, eh?

[Xenotime]

15. What?!? Surely you are being scarcastic

[stillcool]

28. yeah..I need to take a break..

the school yard crap is getting to me. Sorry for being an ass. :hi:

[Mz Pip]

2. Why should anyone be surprised?

That's what Obama always said he would do.

[INdemo]

5. Well it seems its not necessarily whats best for the country or who would be

the best choice for the commerce dept...Its political..So does he want to prove to the country that he will be a great President or live up to his status as a great politician?.I voted for a Democrat..at least I thought I did..He already had a Republican with Gates ..so what goes with him?

[elocs]

7. Apparently some people were simply not paying attention. n/t

[Winterblues]

3. When did Obama run as a Progressive?

His entire message that I can recall was reconciliation of America. That there would be no Red States or Blue States, only the United States. That he would treat Republicans the exact same as he would treat Democrats. I guess that message could be construed as Progressive considering how divided America has become since Limbaugh and his ilk took to dividing us and calling fellow Americans names such as "FemiNazi" and "Tree Hugger" etc. They set out with a deliberate strategy of Divide and Conquer and it worked and now Obama wants to change that, and not just shove Progressive Policies down Conservative's throats. I am not sure how it will work out but it is a worthy goal I guess.

[SergeyDovlatov]

19. Did he? My (R) friends thought he ran conservative campaign

Obama is a skillful politician.

That is why to you his campaign sounded progressive at the same time as some republicans felt that he is just pretending to be a conservative democrat and will show his true colors after getting elected.

We will learn who he is through his actions.

He is closing the guantanamo. Great!
He requested a plan to withdraw from Iraq in 16 month. Wonderful!

He keeps appointing tax cheats and lobbyists. Sad :(

[vaberella]

36. EXACTLY.

Thanks for this post.

[polmaven]

4. Well sure,

'cause...we all know so much more than the President and his staff know about the qualifications of the available pool.

President Obama ALWAYS SAID he would appoint the person who was, in HIS opinion, the most qualified for the position, Democrat, Republican, Independent....whoever is most qualified. It is not a surprise.

On edit...I believe Hillary would have done exactly the same thing.

[driver8]

6. I like your post, polmaven

I clicked on it expecting some Obama bashing (based on your avatar).

I am glad I was wrong!

It is nice to read some clear thinking and reasoning on DU, for a change.

[polmaven]

30. I don't believe

that I could EVER be accused of having bashed Obama. He was not my initial choice, but, once he won the nomination - fair and square - He became my candidate. That is, by the way, and in my opinion, the case for the vast majority of Hillary's supporters here.

I keep my avatar, because I do continue to admire Secretary Clinton, and what she has accomplished, just as some have avatars of Dr. Dean or Dennis Kucinich.

That does not mean I do not fully support President Obama....(I am still, on day 15, finding that exciting to say and write!!!!!)....He is our guy!!!

[Orwellian_Ghost]

12. What does "most qualified" mean?

What exactly are Gregg's qualifications? For whom are those Qualifications deemed beneficial?

Could you please enumerate what you think to be Gregg's qualifications and why you see him as the right guy for the job.

Gregg's lifetime Progressive Punch rating of 10.08 out of 100.00, and 6.91 "when the chips are down," should make him a much needed right-wing champion for the Commerce Department.

http://www.progressivepunch.org/members.jsp?search=selectScore&chamber=Senate&scoreSort=lifetime

[polmaven]

31. I don't KNOW exactly what his qualifications are...

That's the point of my post! :shrug:

The President and his staff know, though, and I'll bet they know a lot more about it than we do.

I'm quite sure that how progressive he is or is not was NOT the top "qualification" considered.

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. He has a strategy.

They were discussing this on NPR the other day. If he appoints Gregg (in a massive show of bi-partisanship on the Dems part), the NH can possibly appoint a Dem to fill his seat.

THEN, if Franken can manage to pull this win off in Minnesota, we can have a FILIBUSTER-PROOF majority in the senate. Which would be the ultimate partisan act, at the same time.

Sounds like this could be an interesting pick. He still has to answer to Obama. I wouldn't get your knickers in a twist yet. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, as they say.

[elocs]

9. I wonder what his strategy is in hiring people who seem to "forget" to pay their taxes?

Not impressed.

[demokatgurrl]

11. Great idea but there was a "back room deal"

that pretty much SAID a Repub would be appointed. What a weak negotiator Obama looks to be. My knickers are quite in a twist.

[riqster]

26. Said replacement is Gregg's former Chief of Staff

...who will not run in 2010. We dislodge an entrenched Senior Reep, replace him with a newbie, and have a good shot at turning the seat blue halfway through Obama's first term.

[fudge stripe cookays]

35. There ya go.

It may have been promised to another Rethug, but something tells me this could work out better than people are giving it credit for.

He's been in office 14 fucking days, people.

[buff2]

14. No way

Gregg was promised his seat will be filled by another repuke.Repukes ALWAYS get their way.......no matter what.:mad:

[ROakes1019]

29. big fat chance

Did you hear Gregg this morning after Obama announced him as Commerce Sec.? Gregg said the only way he could have accepted was because the Gov. of NH and he had a deal. That deal is obviously to appoint a Repug to fill the seat. I was willing to go along with Obama's "reaching across the aisle" for a while but I'm starting to get mad. What good did his comraderie with the Repub House members do? They voted en mass against the stimulus bill. This "team of rivals" shit is getting old. This is pure politics all right and it's not smart politics. I'm starting to think I won't vote for Obama in '12.

[demokatgurrl]

10. Well not for the SMART reason...

replacing him in the Senate with a Democrat. Obama gave that away.

[Tarheel_Dem]

16. So you're of the school that thinks everything Obama does should be

based on politics, right? Just like Bush filling the DOJ with embedded loyalists. Some of you are quite hypocritical as Obama has not broken his promise to do away with Red State, Blue State "politics". And as for the o.p., what a load.....

[demokatgurrl]

24. There was no qualified Democrat?

No, "everything" not based on politics but he is going way overboard kissing Repuke ass and so far all they've done is kick him to the curb. And WHO makes a deal like that? If they DO appoint someone from the Senate, the appointment of a replacement is up to the Governor. Did Obama intervene in New YOrk to make sure a Democrat got appointed to Hillary Cinton's seat? No, he didn't have to. Obama had a chance to increase the Dem majority in the Senate. To me that's quite a fair trade for having a Republican appointed in the Administration.

[BlueJac]

13. Obama should of pick another tax dodger! n/t

[fudge stripe cookays]

34. Why no profile, sparky?

Because that sounds exactly like what they say at another site. Come on...we won't bite. Much.

[Tarheel_Dem]

17. It's spelled "hindsight". That says all I need to know about you, and thusly...

your "concern".

[helderheid]

18. Are you talking about the Republican from the state with a Dem governor who would appoint a Dem to

take his place giving us a 60 seat majority?

[buff2]

20. The seat has already been promised to another rethug

It's a done deal.

[helderheid]

21. Oh I missed that. Damn.

[buff2]

23. I am sick about it.

Looks like the Dems could care less about a majority. Ya gotta please the rethugs! :puke:

[Gin]

22. these bi-partisan gestures may come back to bite him in the ass.....IMO

[buff2]

27. It will

Look what they did to Clinton. They tried their best to destroy his Presidency. They know how to work the Dems to THEIR advantage.I cringe every time I see Clinton with Poppy Bush. Bi-partisan.....Bleh... :puke:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

25. Triangulation redux. Tho' he ran as a centrist, not a progressive.

And, he appears to be governing as a centrist with the illusion that the Repugs are going to like him for it.

[EstimatedProphet]

32. Since when did he run as a progressive Democrat?

And if it works, and we are able to get out of the hole we are in, will it matter if his appointees are Repubs?

[Tarheel_Dem]

33. Thank you. Politics aside, all that matters is getting out of the hole we're in.

Obama shouldn't be held hostage to the o.p.'s lack of reading comprehension & listening skills. He didn't promise the "progressive" community anything other than what he's doing right now. Some thought since he was against the Iraq war that he was a great big ol' lefty, when nothing could be further from the truth. Most of us knew exactly what we were voting for, because we paid attention in class.