Chicago Thuggery: Obama Tells Congressman He’s Keeping Score

When Obama promised “change” and a new kind of politics in DC, most Americans probably didn’t expect the Chicago brass-knuckled thuggery the Obama administration employs. The lastest example is the way the White House has dealt with a rogue liberal representative from Oregon.

The Hill reported:

The White House chief of staff last month expressed frustration with [Rep. Peter] DeFazio’s resignation calls for President Barack Obama’s top two economic aides — Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and White House chief economist Larry Summers — and appealed for cooperation, according to DeFazio.

But Emanuel, known for his blunt manner and ability to bend members of his party to his will, did not raise his voice with the Oregon Democrat.
“Rahm does not yell at me,” DeFazio said, “because he knows that I yell back.”

Others are learning that DeFazio, who has served in the House since 1987 and describes himself as a “progressive populist,” is not easily intimidated. He has emerged in recent months as one of the most vocal liberal critics of the Obama administration, blasting the president’s team for not getting tough enough with Wall Street. He’s also taken on his own party for failing to move left-leaning legislation through the Congress.

Personal calls from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Vice President Al Gore couldn’t persuade him to vote for the Speaker’s climate change bill. He also opposed the $787 billion stimulus, citing concerns that only 7 percent was devoted to infrastructure spending.

DeFazio was one of only two Democrats to vote against those measures and the $700 billion bank bailout. (The other was Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) a Blue Dog conservative.)

Wow, a liberal with principles. That’s gotta tick them off. So, how does Obama deal with this liberal that doesn’t fall in line?

“Don’t think we’re not keeping score, brother,” Obama told DeFazio during a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, according to members afterward.

And don’t think Obama’s not keeping score.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 11:24 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.