As Michelle Malkin says on her blog, this is the camel's nose under the tent. It starts out as what lobbyists can say, but the Obama Administration's trying to expand it to "anyone else exerting influence on the process."
~~~~~~~~~
White House pushing to gag stimulus critics
Caution: Obama gangland tactics at work.
In keeping with his past campaign tactics to shut critics up through brute force, the White House appears to be taking steps to crack down on critics of the trillion-dollar porkulus law.
Is anyone surprised? Mark Tapscott at the Examiner reports:
A new White House policy on permissible lobbying on economic recovery and stimulus project has taken a decidedly anti-First Amendment turn. It’s a classic illustration of Big Government trying to control every aspect of a particular activity and in the process running up against civil liberty.
Check out this passage from a post on the White House blog by Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President on Ethics and Government Reform (emphasis added):
“First, we will expand the restriction on oral communications to cover all persons, not just federally registered lobbyists. For the first time, we will reach contacts not only by registered lobbyists but also by unregistered ones, as well as anyone else exerting influence on the process. We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program.
Writes Tapscott:
The key passage is the reference to expanding regulation from registered lobbyists to “anyone else exerting influence on the process. We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program.”
This is the Camel’s nose under the tent…
Ever use the phrase, "The last time I looked, *this* was America!" ...?
Well, I don't know about you, but with the ever-increasing heavy-handed tactics by the Obama Administration, it seems like America is morphing in front of my eyes into something more and more resembling a totalitarian state ... it's just a matter or time.
I hardly recognize America anymore.
Speaking of the camel's nose ...
#1 "ABC News turns programming over to Obama White House
... ABC News' plan to air its June 24th evening news broadcast from the Blue Room of the White House. Charlie Gibson's news-reading stint will be followed by a primetime special on the Obama health care plan, with no opposing views presented."
#2 "Gerald Walpin, who as inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service investigated misuse of federal aid by Johnson and his nonprofit St. HOPE, was fired last week."
Even though federal regulations say that an IG has to be given 30 days notice, the first Walpin heard about it was a cell phone call telling him he had one hour to clear out. They finally backed down to the 30-day thing. But the message is clear: mess with The One, you're outta here.
#3 "Under the plan, expected to be released Wednesday, the government would have new powers to seize key companies -- such as insurance giant American International Group Inc. -- whose failure jeopardizes the financial system. Currently, the government's authority to seize companies is mostly limited to banks."
I'm trying to remember my old PoliSci classes. What form of government is it where the government gets to seize companies?
#4 "The Obama administration is fighting to block access to names of visitors to the White House, taking up the Bush administration argument that a president doesn't have to reveal who comes calling to influence policy decisions.
Despite President Barack Obama's pledge to introduce a new era of transparency to Washington, ..."
That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Posted by: ZZMike | Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 11:09 AM