Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

VP update: Jim Johnson (head of Obama’s search team) is out; Jindal possibly an exorcist

By

NYT:

Senator Barack Obama, moving to quell a growing furor, accepted the resignation of the head of his vice presidential search team, James A. Johnson, on Wednesday after days of questions about Mr. Johnson’s tenure as head of Fannie Mae and other business associations.

Good move.  Stuff like this is political poison and should be dealt with swiftly, as it was here:

As CEO of Fannie Mae, Johnson, a former chief of staff to Vice President Walter F. Mondale and chairman of the board of the Kennedy Center, was the beneficiary of accounting in which Fannie Mae’s earnings were manipulated so that executives could earn larger bonuses. The accounting manipulation for 1998 resulted in the maximum payouts to Fannie Mae’s senior executives — $1.9 million in Johnson’s case — when the company’s performance that year would have otherwise resulted in no bonuses at all, according to reports in 2004 and 2006 by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight.

In a 2006 civil enforcement action against Fannie Mae, another agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission, called the company’s 1998 accounting “fraudulent” and said numbers were “intentionally manipulated to trigger management bonuses.”

Johnson left the company before it was swept up in an accounting scandal that tarred its reputation, but even during the years of scandal, Johnson was reaping hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees and other compensation, $3.3 million in all between 2001 and 2006.

That leaves two on the VP search team: Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, and Eric Holder.  Holder is not without his own controversial history, as he had some involvement in Bill Clinton’s foolish pardon of Marc Rich.  But, as the WaPo amusingly notes,

Any attacks on Holder will probably not mention that one of Rich’s lawyers, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, went on to become Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff.

Libby, of course, was granted a foolish sentence commutation not long ago.  So what goes around, comes around, I guess.

And in other VP-related news, LA Governor and McCain short-lister Bobby Jindal may be an exorcist.  No, I’m not making this up.

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Comments

  1. or do the stories sound alike in what passes for politics?  Only the names seem to change.

    <

    p>Money goes around like this while we have people sleeping in the streets.  All in our name.  How many more stories are out there?  

    <

    p>The other side has a “Keating 5” candidate.  No, you can’t make it up.

  2. After a lull in the event — it in fact lasted “a few hours” by Jindal’s reckoning — Susan attempted to run away, but was dutifully pinned back on the floor by her friends:

    Maybe she sensed our weariness; whether by plan or coincidence, Susan chose the perfect opportunity to attempt an escape. She suddenly leapt up and ran for the door, despite the many hands holding her down. This burst of action served to revive the tired group of students and they soon had her restrained once again, this time half kneeling and half standing.

    <

    p>…but in my neighborhood, we call this false imprisonment. Jindal’s a freak.

    • a freaky exorcist (Jindal)
    • a closeted gay man (Crist)
    • a flim-flam artist (Willard)
    • a former business exec who is the very definition of “gross overcompensation for executives” (Fiorina)
    • a christin dominionist (Huckabee)

        • that the gop does not support the arts unless there is good p.r. or tax evasion breaks involved.  so choosing an artist as vp is pretty risky business!  

          <

          p>also, the hair grease is a real turnoff.  Image the kelly green image:  President Pallid Man, & his Vice President Mr. Greasy Hair.  yuckus!

          • if I used the color of Senator Obama’s skin color to formulate  an insulting or abusive moniker?  You’re better than that, take your time and come up with something that is truly clever, anyone can be a name-caller.

            • between referring to the pastiness of one’s skin and his race.  I agree that Laurel can do better, but you’re really stretching here.

                • You clearly wrote about race, Obama’s bi-racial makeup is irrelevant, and I made no assumption about your pigmentation.

            • i was referring to “the green speech” mccain gave where he was placed in front of a pukey green screen, which made him look like a bad wax knockoff.  it was a really dumb idea by his stage managers, who i’m guessing know nothing of actual stagecraft but who have day jobs as professional garage floor cleaners.  not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if you’ve ever checked the color of anti-freeze, you’ll understand.

  3. wouldn’t it be more in line with the logic of Obama’s candidacy to appoint someone who is not a Washington insider (and the same guy that normally does the Veep selections) ?

  4. IANAC, but (1) isn’t exorcism a sacrament that can only be administered by a priest, and (2) doesn’t that make Jindal a witch? In the Catholic framework, I mean.

    • and blab about it to the press?  i sure hope so.  rules are rules, and must be enforced, even against republicans!

      <

      p>Jindal is from Baton ROuge.  Maybe he’s absorbed some of the local pagan views and practiced into his formal catholicism?  That would make his true-blue Louisiana, but anethema to The Base.

    • exorcisms under the Catholic faith must be approved by a bishop and performed by priest. I think they are rarely approved and performed.

    • In emergency situations, duties normally done by a priest, such as baptisms or even exorcisms can be done by lay people.  

      • Exorcism are pretty much the most regulated ritual of my faith, so its EXTREME circumstances that a layperson would do it.  

        • i’ve never heard of a sanctioned lay exorcism.  but then maybe people outside the church wouldn’t necessarily be informed.  i only hear of the ones where people die, like that priest who killed that nun a year or so back.

          • According to Wikipedia which, in turn, is relying on the New York Post, Pope John Paul II personally performed three exorcisms during his papal reign.

            <

            p>

            The first exorcism was performed on a woman in 1982. His second was in September 2000 when he performed the rite on a 19-year-old woman who had become enraged in St Peter’s Square. A year later, in September 2001, he performed an exorcism on a 20-year-old woman.

      • True of baptism, yes, but also limited to baptism.

        <

        p>In any event, canon law is pretty clear (See Canon 1172) that only certain priests can perform the rite, which is as others have noted quite rare.

    • Personally I think that the biggest reason to disqualify Jindal is that he is basically a right wing Obama. If McCain attacks Obama with coded racial language, on his lack of experience especially in foreign policy and national security, and attacks Obama on being too young for the job-all those attacks are lost if Jindal is his VP because he is basically saying he trusts a right wing Obama clone to be President in case he dies. Making it an ideological race where I am positive in 08 conservatism loses.

      <

      p>I think Dems attacking Jindal on that alienate Catholic voters  and other Christians who honestly believe in seeing demons and exorcisms being a meaningful spiritual exercise that can in fact heal people. To attack that would be seen and portrayed as an attack by the secular left on the religious faith of millions. A poor move in my book. Also Paul was not a priest and performed tons of exorcisms so I don’t find Catholic canon all that compelling on that front.  

      • And who, exactly, has the free cereal box secret decoder rings who get to decide what qualifies as “coded racial language”?

        <

        p>Ahhh, I get it. (wink wink)

      • …are performing clandestine exorcisms, so I can see how they would be insulted by poking fun at something that is so far outside of the relm of mainstream Christianity and Catholicism. This snake-handling, voodoo folk religion stuff.  

      • um, because there was no catholic church then, so of course he wasn’t a priest.

        <

        p>i honestly don’t think most americans are comfortable with anyone, but especially lay people, performing exorcisms. thus as long as jindahl isn’t outright mocked, i think knowledge of his exorcism past will cleanly frighten many people away.  louisiana voo doo, and all that.  

          • This is as fair a description as any of Paul.

            <

            p>Indeed, he found a home by making it, and it did indeed function as a theocracy for many centuries, and has never become entirely comfortable with the end of that role.

  6. Bobby Jindal may be an exorcist.

    <

    p>Only the hyenas – lower on the food chain – will be chewing on these scraps.

    • this is a country that hungrily consumes “the enquirer” and “soap opera digest” and “fox news”.  of course they will be chewing on these morsels, which they will find very tasty indeed.

        • “osama obama” by the drooling jowls of so many is any indication, you are entirely correct about the standards of floor feeders.

            • or did you mean your comment to be a perfect example of floor feeding?  if so, well done!!!

              • You threw down a lousy card, and I trumped it. No differently from the way you play it, just better.

                <

                p>And for the record, I don’t consider The Senator to be beyond criticism or lampoon for his past statements or actions.

                <

                p>Mocking his illness? Yes, definitely out of bounds – I feel as badly as anyone for his health situation. But Ted is a public figure, not a sacred one. And I’ll not be tippy-toeing around for fear of being scolded by you.

    • It’s an absurdity, a laugh line. It’s in line with Kucinich and his UFOs. I would prefer (strongly so) that my elected officials not to believe they’ve seen aliens or performed exorcisms and cured cancer, but it isn’t an automatic disqualification for office.  

      <

      p>I’m not “outraged” at Jindal’s essay and I’m not calling for his resignation, but I’m thoroughly entertained by this and will enjoy making cracks at Mr. Jindal’s expense for some time.  

  7. Fannie Mae has long been a place to go and get rich.  Just ask Franklin Raines!  He went to Fannie Mae and fethered his nest!

    <

    p>Golden parachutes are nice for some.  However, you don’t need to be a genius to know what is going on.

    <

    p>Barack and his people should be more careful!  If your going to say your going to change things, change how the operators enrich themselves at the cost of the taxpayers!

    <

    p>Reminder: Stop rewarding operators!

    <

    p>Change!!!!!

    <

    p>

  8. Seriously, we can quote from this forever.

    <

    p>

    The students, led by Susan’s sister and Louise, a member of a charismatic church, engaged in loud and desperate prayers while holding Susan with one hand. Kneeling on the ground, my friends were chanting, “Satan, I command you to leave this woman.” Others exhorted all “demons to leave in the name of Christ.” It is no exaggeration to note the tears and sweat among those assembled. Susan lashed out at the assembled students with verbal assaults.

    <

    p>On a side note – if a group of people decided to hold me down for hours on end, screaming about Satan, I’d probably “lash out” with more than verbal assaults. People have gone to jail for less – it’s assault, for heaven’s sake. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun!)  

  9. I can’t think of a better skill set inside the Beltway.  Can he spend some time over at Mass Turnpike and the MBTA?  They need his help for a couple of months; check in with HR/Personnel.

  10. Or both.  Really, what was he thinking?  Who’s advising him?

    <

    p>We keep hearing (a) how great Obama’s judgment is, and (b) no more politics as usual.

    <

    p>Instead, we get a two-fer!  Politics as usual (Johnston’s involvement) AND bad judgment (Johnston’s involvement).

    <

    p>Johnston is a Deep Insider, deeper than any Clinton staff.  How far does he go back?  The Johnston administration?  Is Ted Sorenson next to be hired?

    <

    p>On top of that, this mess is a show of weakness on Obama’s part.  Was Johnston the right man for the job but got railroaded out of town?  The mullahs and assorted despots around the world must be rubbing their hands in glee that this is the guy they’ll be negotiating with.

    • That Johnson was chosen specifically because he has done it before.

      <

      p>Say you are a potential veep, and suppose that you have some awful secret that you must disclose to the person doing the vetting.  You have been on the short list in 1992, 2000, and 2004, and maybe 1988 and 1984.  You have already disclosed this to Johnson, which means (i) the vetting process can be more efficient because the wheel need not be re-invented, and (ii) it is a coutesy to the potential veeps, who will not be required to disclose their problems to a yet another vetter, increasing the number of people extent who know about such secret.

      <

      p>Absent the present problem, his involvement made sense.

  11. who vets the designated vetters? At least, I hope none of those on the VP selection team are using the job as a Trojan horse to get picked themselves for VP.

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