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This whole "I never intended" Alan Simpson apology has gotten entirely out of hand: the person to whom the insult was directed still wants Simpson to resign from the Catfood Commission, while the White House, an unrelated party to the insult or the apology, accepts Simpson’s apology.
But at the White House, Jennifer Psaki, the deputy communications director, said, “Alan Simpson has apologized and while we regret and do not condone his comments, we accept his apology and he will continue to serve.”
Ms. Psaki, you can’t accept an apology that was not tendered to you or the White House for an insult directed to someone other than the White House or you. It doesn’t work that way, not even in "I never intended" apology-world.
The organization headed by the person to whom Alan Simpson directed both the insult and the apology, on the other hand, has not modified its stance regarding Simpson’s continued "service" on the Catfood Commission:
OWL has said Simpson should resign from the panel, and if he will not, that Obama should ask him to leave.
As Alan Simpson’s younger, smarter, prettier, wittier, and less boorish relative, Homer, might say: D’oh!
81 Comments
holy moly teddy — the wh has bungled so many things and now this — how the hell did they ever run a campaign.
guess it goes back to evil or stupid as seen on the daily show.
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Freaking stupid that Obama would keep him on. During the election, he had a smart political team. Where have they gone? Into the vapors?
Their every good instinct is seemingly overruled by Rahm.
And since the boss clearly dislikes Drama, no one can go to him about How Badly Things Are Going.
November will tell.
Thanks!
I love the new Team X, Team Y approach on TDS. Primarily because it means MORE Wyatt Cenac and LESS John Oliver. The latter, I think, is a little too precious for himself.
How do we come up with an appropriate term to describe this level of dissonance? This is not another level – this is from another dimension.
This dimension is called V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N
The big WH boss, and everybody else’s as well.
It was absurd for Obama to pick Simpson, though, so presumably he knew what he was getting. Now he may be stuck with him, although I think Simpson may single-handedly have wrecked the Commission’s work.
Can you imagine the December testimony on Capitol Hill from this monster?
White House is okay with clown insulting 310 million Americans, because that was what he was chosen to do.
Accepting an apology, on behalf of the wronged party who has NOT accepted said apology, is not only crass and boorish, it also borders on pathological.
The White House just extended a very firm middle finger to the electorate.
I can assure you mine is as firmly pointed back.
I mean! And I’m a pensioner, not even dependent on social security, but for the love of all common good, social security must be protected.
Middle finger from me too.
Rahm is a poison in the White House. The atmosphere is really horrendous there, and he’s a large part of it. Firing him won’t make all of Obama’s problems go away, but it will make a large amount of his problems go away.
See, they can’t ask Simpson to leave or fire him because, unlike Van Jones and Shirley Sharrod, Simpson is a Privileged Old White Man and no member of that species is held accountable for anything, cf. Dick Cheney, Henry Kissinger, etc.
It’s pretty clear Simpson can do no wrong.
I guess the White House has used up their pre-emptive pink slips with Van Jones and Shirley Sherrod.
For those who missed it, KO had a good segment about this, and how fucked up the Catfood Commission is. Not ready to hope for too much yet, but maybe, just maybe, KO will help make enough noise on this, and that will help raise enough blowback that the deal can be killed. But not holding my breath. Think we’re going to get rat-fucked come December.
It struck me as the worst of all possible manners, in that it alienates YET ANOTHER (I am shouting, thank you!) portion of the base, those women past child-bearing age who perhaps didn’t pay close attention when the fertile women got screwed over but good during HCR.
I mean, having someone else say “I accept the apology” when none was really offered and certainly not to that person, is the height of rudeness. I think this particular constituency is one very unhappy with having people speak for them, anyway.
Notice, though, that Bill and Rahm and Ben and Joe and Sam sent a Jennifer to accept this apology. Eleventy-dimensional!
Right!
Until tonight, I hadn’t heard of Eric Kingson of SocialSecurityWorks. He nailed it.
–l—
Obama’s problem isn’t ALL Rahm, but Rahm is the reason he can’t see the real problem, since most of it IS Rahm.
CoS is a PoS, and an incredibly powerful one. He controls everything POTUS sees, except what his wife and children bring to him.
Unbelievable. Obama = scumbag.
Like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
True. Rahm controls most of what Obama sees, and we know how much Rahm hates anything progressive, so that never even comes to the table, like the 1.2 trillion dollar stimulus proposal that Obama never got to see. Rahm probably though it was too liberal, so he censors the 1.2 trillion dollar package (which would have lowered unemployement substanially). Instead, Rahm advises the president to put in a bunch of useless tax cuts to entice GOP support, and gets hardly nothing in return.
And this weak, stupid “accepting” of Simpson’s apology is more of Rahm’s tactics. Rahm would never recommending firing Simpson because he’s a Republican after all. If Simpson were a left wing liberal, Rahm would have been screaming for his ass in a minute.
I think once Rahm goes, the people in the White House will be a lot happier because he’s such a repellent person and an incompetent idiot to boot. And when he goes, we will be able to see if Obama is a progressive at heart (like some say he is), or whether he’s just another DLC, GOP-lite “Dem”.
Rahm may not be the cause of all that is wrong in this White House, but he sure as hell is the cause for a lot of it.
In reply to Teddy Partridge @ 7:
As I wrote in a comment to a previous article on this subject, I think the best we can hope for is that this commission is useless – that it either folds without writing a report, or is completely ignored. If Simpson’s actions bring about that end somehow, I’d say he’s done his country a great service.
The sockpuppet says, “Gee, boss, I sort of kind of, well not really apologize.” Obama says. “Good enough for me” as he removes his hand from Simpson’s backside.
It is a popular excuse for his malfeasance but Obama is not Rahm’s puppet. They are soul(less) mates. That is why O picked him for COS and gives him so much free rein. The president subscribes wholeheartedly to the Blue Dog weltanschauung, anything else is a sham to fool voters.
Never underestimate Obama. He is deadly serious about slashing Social Security. Simpson could start biting heads off chickens and it wouldn’t change Obama’s course an iota.
You’re right in that many blame Rahm for every foolish, “centrist” antic that Obama has done. I’m not blaming Rahm for everything (and Obama defintely ran as a progressive and has thrown them under the bus repeatedly, and he can’t blame Rahm for all of that), but Rahm sets the tone of the White House staff, being the chief of staff. It’s like a manager on a baseball team. The manager can affect the team negatively or positively. It’s not just the “players” fault. The head of the staff carries a heavy load, and his/her attitude bleeds on down from high.
When Rahm goes, it will be interesting to see if Obama shows any inkling of progressivism. If he does, he might be able to save his presidency. If he doesn’t and continues down this idiotic “centrist” road, one term president.
Personally, I think he’s going to slash and burn in the last 2 years of his presidency and stay “centrist”, then he will wake up in January in 2012 with abysmal approval ratings and the entire country sharing a deep dislike of him. I hope I’m wrong, but right now, that’s my 14 cents.
Anyone who continues and expands George Bush’s programs isn’t centrist but hard right wing. Nobody expected progressivism from Bush. Nobody should expect it from Obama.
Obama is not a good man betrayed or ill served by his staff. Obama is the problem. He is getting exactly what he wants from Rahm and Simpson.
But see, it’s not really about the apology. The apology acceptance bit was just thrown in there so that they could get to this bit:
That’s the only part the O Team cares about. Crazy Alan is their choice for killing Social Security and if they fire him, they have to find somebody else crazy enough to be the public face of undoing the final remnants of the New Deal.
Obama wants this to happen. Clinton killed welfare and so to top that, Obama has to kill Social Security. We are well and truly fucked, because I just don’t see this getting derailed (even though I will continue to fight it until long after it is “finished”).
Are we really still pretending he’s making any decisions, except maybe what tie to wear?
It’s worse than that. Simpson is a White House appointee. They should be issuing public apologies for his behavior; it reflects badly on them. Instead they are publicly accepting his apology that was directed to someone else. Call the etiquette police! This is some really low-class shit.
In a way, leaving Simpson on the commission could be a blessing in disguise. If Simpson had been fired, would the commission’s other member have changed their stances regarding social security? Probably not…the commission would have reported the same “findings” whether Simpson was there or not. With Simpson remaining on the commission, his new-and-improved tarnish helps progressives discredit anything that comes out of the commission, and the MSM is more likely to report it since his name has already been in the news.
Being mavericky means never having to say that you’re (truly) sorry.
Apparently, apologies (and firings) are for the little people.
I am so done with this wrecking crew.
So we have pro-active pink slips for progressive riff-raff and a pro-active defense for a strategic few. Clearly the WH isn’t too concerned about how this will play on Glenn Beck so no 1:00am resignations will be required. I’m so jaded now on Obama I’d not be surprised at all if he nominated Newt Gingrich to replace Rahm Emanuel. If for no other reason than just to be all bipartisan and stuff and impress those repugs with his “pragmatism.” I guess we should expect no less from “the most radical left wing president the country has ever seen.” Yeah, sure.
Late to the party as usual, but in looking over these comments a few thoughts.
There’s lots of blame being heaped on Rahm but I’m thinking of another possible depository, (besides Obama.) Alan Simpson was a U.S. Senator. Anyone but me remember how utterly nasty he was during the Anita Hill hearings? Anyone but me remember how passive Joe Biden was during his cross examination and Spector’s cross examination of Hill? A donut bet that Simpson came to the commission on Biden’s recommendation and he gets the kid glove treatment cause ol’ Joe knows you do not treat an “honorable, venerable,” retired U.S. Senator like some Van Jones. No siree bob. Biden’s out there, now blowing hard about not extending the Bush tax cuts. Since he’s Mr. Populist, why isn’t he being enlisted to protect social security from the likes of Simpson? The only conclusion is Obama wants to put his imprint on killing social security and thus Simpson stays. That’s how they get their second term, by killing an “entitlement” program. Aren’t they so reasonable? Like Nixon to China, Obama takes on social security.
I used to think that Obama was a moderate republican. Forget the moderate part. He is a thorough Ronald Reagan Republican. We’ll be talking about morning in American in 2012.
Hey Teddy,
What is the relevance of “younger”?
“Alan Simpson’s younger, smarter, prettier, wittier, and less boorish relative, Homer, might say: D’oh!”
It’s a done deal because the woman that made sure impeachment was off the table has set the table for the lame duck gutting of Social Security
On the substantive side, Ancinet Alan’s less rude co-director Erskine has the same position on Social Security that Alan does. He’s against. Which is, in turn, the position of the Appointer-in-Chief.
Unless we get the word out -and it won’t get out via corporate media- we are screwed.
I just can’t get out of my mind the picture of O & Rahm slapping their knees & roaring with laughter over the 310 millions tits remark.
“We don’t condone his statements but we think he is still credible and impartial…” Don’t p*ss down my back and tell me it’s raining. Orahma is going to succeed in what every Republican secretly, (or openly), desires: the eventual elimination of Social Security, whose solvency isn’t in danger and has nothing to do with the deficit. Wanna help the deficit? Stop fighting stupid wars.
Accumulating dirty socks & undies to throw at the TV.
Wow. Is Obama such an incredibly weak leader that we blame Rahm?
Seems like this all lands firmly in Obama’s lap…
Yawn.
Double yawn.
Me too. I think the remark was extremely funny. I guess the professional left has no sense of humor. The truth is progressives have their sense of humor surgically removed at birth.
Now, let’s get back to business. Get that chain saw out and start cutting social security benefits.
“Social Security, whose solvency isn’t in danger”
Now that is truly funny.
This is not a troll opportunity, this is a troll problem.
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Exactly. Don’t accept the lies than undergird this phoney apology. The phoney apology is so they can maintain their focus on grabbing what doesn’t belong to them: the people’s savings in the form of social security. You are so right to focus on what they are not willing to talk about without blood spurting from their ears and eye sockets, the life-sucking deficit of the military wars and of the defense budget.
Exactly! This is some really ugly shit. And it’s being done by Democrats. And it appears that even the AARP has caved:
This has more dignity. We are still free to demand respect:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People
FWIW, my fundie super rightwing parents used to get all sorts of snail mail imprecations from dubious rightwing think tanks imploring the elderly to send the think tanks money to “help protect social security.” These rightwing thinktanks always blamed a vague “congress” but implied it was the DemoRats out to “steal” Soc Sec from the elderly.
My authoritarian parents were easily duped into sending money to these dubious organizations (out to rip off Seniors). This happened over the past decade, and they got these from about 3 different rightwing think tanks.
I used to think it was a load of crap. Now we know, though, just how long these sh**s have been angling to rip off Soc Sec.
Just so’s ya know, though. Not only have these creeps (whether D or R, doesn’t matter) been out to do this for years, but they’ve been busily ripping off Seniors in the name of “protecting Soc Sec.”
The audacity is staggering. Of course, they’ll probably re-double their efforts to get credulous Seniors send them even more money to “protect” Soc Sec on the one hand, while furiously working to rip it off with the other hand.
Obama’s just part of the whole rip off effort. How many Ds do we see speaking out against this?? How many?? Thought not.
Actually, the war policies of OBama are pure fascist neo-con. The numerous government spokeshills are promising or requiring more war, forever. Glen Beck has more influence over these “centrists” than do all the professional lefties put together. The Obama Administration hates Progressives more than they hate Islamic terrorists.
Obama is a CHICKEN HAWK, WAR MONGER and Obama is a BABY KILLER.
Social Security is fully funded for the next 27 years, yet the chicken littles claim it is insolvent.
Now that is truly funny.
Obama never seems to miss an opportunity to insult his base. What a 1st class wanker he’s turned into.
Come on… Bygones Obama has been aggressively forgiving and generous on mundane missteps like torture, surely this preventive leniency is not much of a step forward?
I’m quite sure it’s been mentioned here before, and as you seem to suggest, Simpson is the sideshow and the object to hate and the more than willing lackey chosen to accomplish the diversion of attention from the real travesty of messing with the SS trust and rules.
A.S. checks his calendar and simply forwards the scheduled and pre-written message from Rahm to the appropriate party for that day.
oh! im so glad pres obamas feelings werent hurt! this is classic Obama. he should have issued an apology on behalf of simpson, who he appointed.
You serious about cutting social security benefits? Can’t believe you’re not being sarcastic. Your prescription for national troubles seems to be more pain all around except for the anointed few. You seem to see yourself as one of those. I’m interested in where you’re coming from. Cut social security which has been bought and paid for but not cut military expenditures or illegal wars? Do you see the US as so exceptional we can kill civilians who should thank us for our interest in their betterment? How does a person get to think like you do?
Damn, Teddy, don’t I get credit for suggesting that Alan was Homer’s uglier, meaner and stupider brother in a comment to the first report of this story?
take your pick . . .
Main Entry: obsequious
Part of Speech: adjective
Synonyms: abject, beggarly, brownnosing, complacent, compliable, compliant, cringing, crouching, deferential, enslaved, fawning, flattering, ingratiating, kowtowing, menial, obeisant, oily, parasitic, parasitical, prostrate, respectful, servile, slavish, sneaking, sniveling, spineless, stipendiary, subject, submissive, subordinate, subservient, sycophantic, toadying, unctuous
I got a phone call yesterday from a Democratic candidate seeking funds. I responded:
I don’t think Obama’s decisions have anything to do with Rahm keeping him in a bubble. After all, Obama was in the Senate, and he’s very well aware that gutting Social Security will be deeply unpopular. Certainly he didn’t lose his memory when he took the Oath of Office. My worry is that Obama has a narcissistic personality disorder, defined as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.”
Good old AARP. Who’s surprised? Just like they sold out on Medicare part D (the drug “benefit”) and Health Care Reform.
Nice insight, and I tend to agree with you on that being a case to have some worry about.
does anyone have a solution to this ongoing problem?
why can’t the usa have a third party?
What’s stopping it?
Tinman1967 is an troll or shill with limited brain capacity. Please do not feed the animal.
You are incorrect if you think the US only has two parties, there are scores of others. The trouble is that building the necessary infrastructure and support to mount viable challenges on the national level is damn near impossible. The Green Party has been one of the most successful and they have been lucky on rare occasions to eke out 2-3 percent of the popular vote in national elections. Also, it is not exactly a level playing field. The Dems and Republicans suck at governance but are adept at protecting their turf.
It seems Dick Durbin has the mindset to cut benefits as well and us “bleeding heart liberals” just need to STFU and accept it according to Durbin himself. Can’t wait to vote that spineless twit out of office!
Thank you. Good on you.
Good one, Teddy!
Time for this White House to go away. 2012 won’t come too soon. Lame duck incompetence and betrayal for 4 years has GOT to be by design. Good bye America.
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
So when did Obama become an idiot. Do you really believe that Obama has not seen Simpson’s position on SSN and its recipients. This commission also has, as the democratic defenders, Mad Max Baccus and “Clark” Kent Conrad. These are the two that weakened the Healthcare bill so that it fulfilled the bargain made with the industry. If you want to hold on to the Disney idea that Obama made those deals out of necessity fine, but don’t pretend that Obama would be doing something different if he only knew about the situation. It is his situation, he picked the people. Mad Max and Kent keep gtting picked to fashion his legislation because they are willing to mold it the way he wants. That is why they are going to “tweak the system”, Obama’s words.
If the Democrats can not be counted on to protect SSN and Medicare, one must act what really is the difference between the parties?
Stuck with him? Obama, Rahm, and Simpson are probably laughing their asses off about Simpson’s letter to that “joyless harpy”. If you haven’t figured it out by now, any group that could be considered the Democratic base (Teachers, Progressives, Unions), Obama, Rahm etc. HATE THEIR FREAKING GUTS and will do everything and anything to poke them in the eye with a sharp stick.
We’ve heard from Rahm (“fucking retards”), we’ve heard from Gibbs, we’ve heard from Obama’s co-chair of his catfood commission, I’m still waiting to hear it from Obama. Let’s hear it, you coward. We’re so stupid we can’t figure it out. Spell it out, bozo. Spell it out and then you can go back to giving handjobs to Bankers.
He fired his smart people or (once literally) relegated them to political Siberia in preference for the Clinton-nite/Rubin-nite/Rahm-inite group of kleptocrats that preach the ‘left of center’ neo-liberal bullshit.
Enough Already!
Who does Obama love more Progressives or Conservatives?
Read below, the facts should make it clear!
Obama against public option
Obama against drug importation
Obama continues Bush policies of hating Teachers and Public Education
Obama embraces, people like Blanche Lincoln, Olympia Snowe, Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson and attacks Unions, and the Professional Left
Obama covers up the Gulf mess for BP
Obama bails out Wall Street, and ignores Main street
Obama picks people who hate social security, to cut it
Obama continues the Bush Wars, that are now Obama Wars
Obama continues the Bush policies of spying on americans
Obama will not appoint Elizabeth Warren, Obama has not problem appointing an insurance executive to administer the Bob Dole health care plan he got pass.
the real question is how many people still think Obama is a democrat?
Obama not only loves conservatives, he is one!
Obama is a TROJAN HORSE
There is no difference between the parties. Surely that must be obvious to all but the parties themselves. There is clearly an unelected government working our politicians and media like so many marionettes. They have an agenda.
Victorian Feudalism and Endless Empire. The old money never really lost power. They have been stealthily working behind the scenes since 1963 to retake the government from reform minded politicians from the early half of the last century.
This time they want to nail the coffin shut on any further attempts to rest the disastrous control they wield over the societies on the planet and indeed control the planet itself. Poor people make easy fodder for tyranny. Why do you think they want so desperately to remove this important safety net from society?
The White House seems to have selective outrage. Remember Helen Thomas? Gibbs said her comments were “reprehensible.” Thomas apologized, but to no avail. (And the White House didn’t step forward to accept an apology in this case.) Granted, I think her employer made the decision to send her into retirement, but the White House’s stance on the issue seemed to signal that they, too, wanted her to go. Heck, she made comments that were critical of a foreign nation, after all.
For Simpson, on the other hand, while the administration “[does] not condone” what he said (his comments were not “reprehensible,” mind you), he will continue to sit on the Catfood Commission. All he did was insult not only the “greedy geezers,” but almost every single hardworking American (no Israeli citizens were harmed in the making of this film).
The White House seems to lack the courage to stand on principle. They shouldn’t have different sets of standards for different people. I think their ABJECT FEAR of or OBEDIENCE to the right-wing mentality is evident in both examples, which means “principles be damned”! Grow a pair!
The Simpson episode could very well cancel out their efforts to appease Americans who are also vehemently pro-Israel, because they are also recipients or future recipients of Social Security. They may find Simpson’s continued presence on the commission to be a threat to their future financial security the same as anyone else might. The White House seems to forget who their employers are, and they have an employee review coming up in a couple of years. They still have time to redeem themselves, but they need to either get on it, or get off at the next stop (2012).
I disagree a bit. Obama won’t be needed for a second term if he’s able to do away with Social Security during his first term. that will be his mission accomplished moment and he can ride off to a very secure retirement which, by the way, will not make him dependent on Social Security for himself or his family.
The other part i disagree with is characterizing him as a doppelganger Ronald Reagan. As much as I hate Raygun and all he did to this country, including appointing Mr. Andrea Mitchell as head of the Fed, at least he had enough sense to raise taxes continuously after his tax cuts in ’81 brought on a recession. Of course, he raised taxes on the rest of us to take care of our friends.
I don’t know how they think these military crimes we are engaged in can continue along with cutting taxes. At some point someone has to sit these folks down and give them a Willie Sutton speech – you take the money from where it is and at this moment in time, that’s the uber-wealthy.
Really, you’re surprised the White House accepted this clown’s apology, really! Par for the course! A right winger does something totally insane and stupid, Obama accepts his apology. But if you are on the left, or black (Van Jones, Shirley Sherrod), you’re dumped before the news cycle gets going. And we’re supposed to believe this coward isn’t afraid of the right, or are we supposed to discount any comments Obama makes attacking the right for wanting to cut social security, since Simpson has been the strongest advocate of that for over 30 years, and this would signal to us Obama’s ultimate aim is to cut social security.
Why not? One problem with the way blogs are set up is we end up preaching to the choir. There’s one big difference between right and left. The right takes individuality to extremes. It’s all about “me”. The left is more inclined to see community as important and to be protected. That doesn’t mean both right and left can’t oppose the bailouts or health care reform as health insurance, not health care. If we can’t reach out to each other, explore views and perhaps change a mind here and there, we won’t do anything except more of the same.