Judd Gregg Admits Withdraw His Fault
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Bad Decisions, Barack, Republicans
Apparently he didn’t realize he’d be uncomfortable?
Huh?
Republican Sen. Judd Gregg abruptly withdrew his nomination as President Barack Obama’s commerce secretary Thursday, telling Politico that he “couldn’t be Judd Gregg” and serve in the Cabinet.The harsh response from a White House caught off guard: Gregg was the one who asked for the job – and he repeatedly promised that, “despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the president’s agenda.â€
White House aides described themselves as “blindsided†by what White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs described as Gregg’s change of heart.â€
In an interview with Politico Thursday afternoon, Gregg said he “should have faced up†to the conflicts he felt earlier.
The key statements…
“I’ve been my own person, and I began to wonder if I could be an effective team player,†the New Hampshire Republican said. “The president deserves someone who can block for his policies. As a practical matter I can contribute to his agenda better—where we agree—as a senator and I hope to do that.â€â€œThe fault lies with me,†Gregg continued. He refused to discuss any conversations he had with Obama, saying, “I may have embarrassed myself but hopefully not him.â€
Haha, no, you didn’t embarrass Obama at all or give any political pundits fodder for declaring that bi-partisanship is dead. No Judd, no worries…
Listen, part of me genuinely feels for the guy, but that is a tiny, tiny part. The other part thinks this was incredibly irresponsible. You don’t ask for a job you don’t think you’ll be uncomfortable doing. Gregg should have known better.
Ugh.
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February 12th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Or, perhaps Gregg realized after watching the antics of Reid and Pelosi that all these claims of a new era of bipartisanship were a bunch of nonsense and that there was very little he could accomplish as Sec. of Com. other than being a tool of the Administration
February 12th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Strong leaders can lead in any situation. Only the weak become tools.
February 12th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
The antics of Reid and Pelosi? What about the antics of Boehner and Cantor? Remember back in the fall when they claimed that Pelosi’s speech scuttled the first House vote to pass the TARP legislation and then the legislators who voted against it said Boehner’s and Cantor’s accusations weren’t true?
Gregg got in over his head. He screwed up. And he’s admitting as much. Why can’t you just take that at face value?
February 12th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Or perhaps he got called into the a Republic strategy meeting and got his arm twisted with a little more “your with us or you’re against us.”
February 12th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
@MikeM
Or far more likely, perhaps he got called into a Democratic strategy meeting and got his arm twisted with a little more “you are with us or you’re against us.â€
Which is more probable? Who cares if the Republicans say “you are with us or you’re against us.â€? Or else… exactly what???? They got nothing. Nothing. On the other hand, if the administration is pushing an ideological agenda, but are seeking a bi-partisan fig leaf – who better to lean on than a token Republican offered a cush job.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Well, who could have predicted the swiftness, the audicity, the order of magnitude of the federal porkapolluza, the emergence of the national-socialist state of Obamica??? Yeah, I feel for the guy, he was one of the few willing to play adult chapone and it has become apparent that the kids at this party are going to f-up the house regardless. He becomes culpable if he sticks around too long.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
MW,
You’re letting the mood of the last few weeks get to you. Your scenario doesn’t make sense.
Why would the Dems lean on a token Republican in a cush job and risk LOSING thier bi-partrisan fig leaf. As Commerce Secretary Gregg is impotent to stop or hinder Obama and the Dems so the get nothing by saying “You are with us or against us.”
The GOP gains a great deal though by pushing Gregg to drop. First, it hurts Obama’s credibility when he offers change and bipartisanship and the generally Democratic Party sponsored Stimulus Bill is passed. And now Gregg, a symbol of Obama’s bipartisan desire (and note, for the sake of argument I am calling him a symbol rather than an actual example of reaching across the aisle) withdraws from a cush job that he campaigned for because (he more or less says), he doesn’t feel like he can have any affect as a Republican in the Obama administration.
You’re a bright guy. You know who gains from this and who is much more likely to be orchestrating this withdrawal and it is not the Dems pushing their symbol so far he feels compelled to quit.
Personally, I’m just going to take him at his word and leave it at that.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Tool is the word. I would think less of the guy if he was spineless and do things the way the administration wants. I’m from NH and all they can say here is how they are so dissappointed because NH loses without him being there. What do we lose out on? There’s been no jobs here for years anyway and I don’t think our little nothing state as the rest of the Union sees us would get much anyway. Not like California and Massachusetts and the rest of the rich states are gonna get. It’s allright. Not that i’m a pessimist but I don’t think the stimulus package is going to do a hill of beans. I hope just the opposite but I think Obama just has visions of being the Great Leader who saved America and goes down in history. I just don’t see greatness in the guy. He’s no genius. And for the record, i’m not a republican or a democrat. Just a person from NH who is not going to get squat anyway from any stimulus package because I lost my job last year and did’nt pay in on federal income tax in 2008 So, the poor are screwed any wich way you look at it. And today we stood in line for an hour to get some food at the food bank what consisted mainly of a box of cereal, peanut butter.. what probably has salmonila in it and bread and macaroni. So when all you people get your stimulus checks maybe you could put a can of beans in the food drop box for the poor at your local grocery store. Thank you for your support.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
This one is a no-brainer. Gregg initially took Obama at his post-partisan word, and the events of the last week proved that to be nothing but words. Gregg showed some spine and called it like it was–a sham. He wants no part in being a token GOP’er, trotted out as an example of, “Hey, some of my best friends are Republican!” any time the administration needs some across-the-aisle love. Obama has been and always will be politics as usual dressed up with charisma, persuasive rhetoric, and the youtubes.
February 12th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
@ MW and Gerry
I think both scenarios have merit and are plausible. The Republicans are far from insignificant (as I think MW mentioned in a previous post). They OWN the debate. They stand like proud captains at the helm of of the SS Dialogue, the only ship mainstream America is talking about. What good conservative is gonna bet against that?
And if you think it didn’t help having the “token Republican” in the Cabinet, you’re not being honest with yourself. This is a huge hit for team Obama. And it comes at a time, I think he’s already down. This stimulus bill should have been a big win. If the Republicans were Democrats (read: wusses) they would have let it be a big win for him. Instead, they shredded any vestige of Obama bipartisanship (real or imagined) in the minds of Americans for the duration of his first term … knowing all the while that the stimulus would pass. If Obama’s at all worth his salt, he’ll be too busy trying to save the country from Republicans to try to work with them again.
February 13th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Exiled,
A no brainer? Did you read what Gregg said? He had philosophical misgivings from the very start, but ignored them. How is this lost on you? How can you turn it back around to mean the exact opposite of what Gregg said?
Amazing.
February 13th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Justin – revisionism is the is laced in every – EVERY – right wing argument. It’s in the DNA.
February 13th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I think the comments in this thread are all very good evidence of why the environment in politics is so relentlessly toxic. Look at all the blame and finger-pointing and imagining of conspiracy. Do we have enough distrust and paranoia yet?
What is so F%*^&%King hard about understanding when someone undertakes an act of conscience? What is so hard to understand about acting based more on hope than experience? And what is so hard to understand about having second thoughts? Why is it in partisan politics than only the people on your side are allowed to be human?
Together, Obama and Gregg tried to do this, for the good of the country. And that’s a good thing. Guys from different perspectives tried to get together for the sake of our nation. And then for the stated reasons, it quickly became clear to Gregg that this wasn’t going to work. Not just for him, but for Obama as well.
If pulling the plug on a relationship is the right thing to do, Then it’s the right thing to do. Period. And that’s what I see here, nothing more, nothing less. What’s really sad is how quickly all of you folks in this thread have interpreted these actions so as to reinforce all of your existing biases against the bad guys on the other side.
Who here among us can say they’ve never undertaken hopeful actions despite misgivings, and then later wished they’d heeded those misgivings?
Yeah, I though so.