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Obama shifts Census oversight, triggering angry protest by Republicans
Government Executive
President Obama has decided to bring the U.S. Census Bureau under White House jurisdiction, a move that incensed House Republicans, who fired off a blistering letter to him Thursday, calling it “outrageous and unprecedented” and a “blatant partisan and political maneuver.”
The move would shift the chain of command with the bureau and the Commerce Department, where the bureau currently resides. It comes after the Congressional Black Caucus, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and other groups expressed displeasure with Obama’s nominee for Commerce secretary, Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Gregg, the groups said this week, opposed efforts to secure emergency funding for the 2000 Census, which they asserted exposes a potential lack of commitment to ensuring that hard-to-reach minority populations are properly accounted for in the 2010 census.
A White House spokesman confirmed Thursday that Obama plans to work closely with the bureau, which will remain within the Commerce Department.
“From the first days of the transition the census has been a priority for the president, and a process he wanted to re-evaluate,” the spokesman said in a prepared statement.
“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,” he said. “We plan to return to that model in this administration.”
House Republicans reacted quickly. House Oversight and Government Reform ranking member Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Oversight and Government Reform Census Subcommittee ranking member Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., seized on speculation that the move would place the yet-unnamed Census Bureau director under the watchful eye of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, instead of leaving Gregg in charge.
They suggested the move could improperly influence legislative redistricting, which is shaped by Census counts.
“By circumventing the secretary of Commerce’s oversight of the Census Bureau and handing it directly to a political operative such as Mr. Emanuel, you are severely jeopardizing the fairness and accuracy of the 2010 Census,” Issa and McHenry wrote Obama.
Details of the day-to-day relationship between the White House and the Census Bureau seem hazy.
Aides speculated Thursday that the bureau’s budget and public-affairs functions may be routed through OMB, an arrangement that would assuage the fears expressed by advocates concerned that the Census director’s public statements and congressional testimony would be subject to censorship by less-than-supportive leadership at Commerce.
Sources on both sides of the issue said black lawmakers and others interested in securing more funding for the 2010 Census had been hoping for assurances of support from Obama as soon as they learned about Gregg’s possible selection to Commerce post.
One Democratic aide close to the matter called the administration’s decision a direct response to the grievances of minority groups upset with Gregg’s appointment.
“People started yelling at them,” said the aide, who added that the details of how the White House’s interactions with the Census director remain woefully undefined.
“Their answer was ‘OK, fine, [Gregg] won’t be in charge,'” the aide said. “It wasn’t a plan. It was a reaction.”
Obama is violating the US Constitution by moving the 2010 US Census to the White House.
“In Article I, Section 2 the US Constitution orders that “The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”
“The Secretary [of Commerce] shall perform the functions and duties imposed upon him by this title, may issue such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to carry out such functions and duties, and may delegate the performance of such functions and duties and the authority to issue such rules and regulations to such officers and employees of the Department of Commerce as he may designate.”
“The Bureau is continued as an agency within, and under the jurisdiction of, the Department of Commerce.”
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Wild Thing’s comment…………..
The move to Socialism continues! These people are the most corrupt people ever.
Everything B.Hussein has done so far is tied to the consolidation of power and is designed to make sure that they never loose an election again. Manipulating the census will allow them to create districts where there were none in blue territory where they control the electoral machine.
Now, here’s an example of chutzpah: The Republicans didn’t get their act together enough to challenge Obama for not being constitutionally qualified to be President as an Article 2 “natural born citizen” so Obama’s White House steals the census from the Commerce Department against the specific instructions of the constitution itself — “actual enumeration” under Article 1.
CCCP come now comrades. Uncle Joe Steel Stalin killed tens of millions more than Adolf Hitler. In 1933 he starved the Ukraine for collective crimes against the state, and the U.S. did nothing! Perhaps Uncle Joe Biden can grow a mustache?
– Scrapple in the White House 2009-2012
Judd Gregg is a fool if he thinks Obama is going to let him run the Commerce Department. This incident is proof that he’s just a token figurehead to show his bipartisanship.
If Gregg believes that the Democrats are going to appoint a Republican to fill his senate seat, then he’s a bigger fool. A Governor can appoint who they want. Hillary’s replacement in NY is proof of that when Governor Patterson went against the Democrat hierarchy and Kennedy Klan to fill Hillary’s seat.
WTF!? This guy is consolidating his power base. If folks are so concerned about an accurate count, VOLUNTEER to help the census get into depressed and out-lying areas. The level of corruption in this administration is beyond belief. Obama keeps pulling in power to himself and our beloved Congress just sits there like a herd of cows stupidly munching grass. Checks and balances…remember them?
Obama thinks the presidency is a dictatorial position. Yes, he is going to change The Constitution. After four years of Obamanation Thomas Jefferson would not recognize the document he wrote.
Oh yeah, fuck the minorities. They are showing that they don’t want to work within the framework of The Constitution or the Rule of Law. They don’t want equality as they claimed for forty years, they want special privileges. So fuck them.
Back in 2000 I was one who was selected to fill out their long form, it was too invasive of my privacy, I filled it out, giving only that which was required on previous questionaires. They then sent their goon sqad out to shake me down, I finally ran the sons of bitches off, telling them to fill the form out themselves as I wasn’t buying into their Socialist Bullshit. Here is the questions they asked in 2000 and the proposed questions for 2010, bear in mind that the government does nothing fast except rip off the taxpayer, those proposed questions are prior to Obama. This census is for one reason only, to gerrymander all voting districts in favor of the Socialists.
2000 Census Short Form
2000 Census Long Form
2010 Proposed Questions – prior to Obamanation.
Rahm Emanuel is an Obama puppet as surely as Judd Gregg will be an Emanuel puppet. This move marginalizes Senate GOP opposition and strengthens the Democrats position in the Senate and the state, Gregg is proving that a RINO prefers a title increase over sovereignty and integrity.
Big surprise! Not.
Every day I wake up thinking it is not possible to “dislike” [hate is a pretty strong word] this man more than I did the day before, and every single day, since January 20th, he has proven me wrong. It is possible.
Recently heard that our 44th president’s name is Black Obama and this is all about a social reparations PAY BACK folks…. Our nation is more divided now than ever and this is going to get… UGLY. Yes, uglier by the day!!
Put Stalin in Black-face and who does he look like, sans mustache.
Tom, we’ve known that for the past 40 years, and now they are just confirming what we knew back then. They want a hand out.
I don’t remember , ever, a peaceful demonstration in the South it always turned into a riot. I have little respect for MLK. They always blamed the Police, Bull Connor, etc, but when you have a mob of 10,000 people stopping and shutting down a normally peaceful town what did they expect the Law to do. Hand them the keys to the city ? They never had a permit to protest and were always in violation of something. When the cops are outnumbered 10-1 water hoses is not such a bad option. Dogs, hell yes I’d use dogs too.
Your right Tom they don’t want equality they want a handout, in the form of money. Because they don’t want to work. Obama is handing it to them on a silver platter, with our tax money.
Ted, wouldn’t it be something if and I still pray it happens. But if one day he is kicked out because of what you stated. Then everything he has signed would be invalid I would think. A total liar living a lie.
Darth, if Biden grows a mustache, we all need to head for the hills.
Thanks Darth.
BobF., I agree, and I am wondering Gregg does believe that.
Pete, it sure is, like the worst in my lifetime.
“The level of corruption in this administration is beyond belief.”
Tom, you’re right, that will happen.
“After four years of Obamanation Thomas Jefferson would not recognize the document he wrote.”
Jack, thank you so much for sharing about that. WOW!
I don’t remember filling one out. If I did it must have been a very short one.
BT in SA, I feel the same way.
I love America so much, it is breaking my heart to see these things happening. Plus I really worked hard to try and keep him out of office and it feels like I was swimming up stream. This was a fixed election, socialism ran against a rino and a conservative and socialism won big time. Half of America even now not caring that we are turning socialist. I just want to cry and I have.Then I get angry then feel sick, then a little more crying.
Thank God for the friends we have like you and the others on here, and other loved ones that know what is happening.
Darth, I think it is too. Very ugly!!