I.G. Gate: We're Starting to See a Theme Develop Here…
ByWe wanted to draw your attention to an article from World Net Daily concerning the Obama Administration’s decision to fire Americorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin. This article expands on coverage we linked to previously in our handpicked headlines.
The allegation is that Walpin was fired for exposing misappropriation of funds by a prominent supporter of President Barack Obama, former NBA star Kevin Johnson. Walpin was not given the 30-day notice required by law under the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008.
But, the firing may be the catalyst for a controversy beyond the failure to comply with the technical requirements for dismissing an inspector general. It fits a pattern or a theme of using government power to help protect cronies and punish enemies. It falls in the line with the buzzword that both Republican and Democrat commentators have increasingly become comfortable using to describe President Obama and his chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel: “Chicago-style politics.”
Not all Americans understand free market economics or why the growth of government Obama promises may cost them dearly in both convenience and freedom, but they do understand corruption. This firing of an inspector general for accusing a campaign contributor of wrongdoing is not an isolated incident, but a single instance in a pattern of apparent corruption. Obama’s efforts to protect Kevin Johnson are in the same spirit as the following controversies:
- Accusations that Obama’s office may have influenced the Chrysler bankruptcy in order to assist dealerships owned by Democrats and supporters at the expense of dealerships owned by Republicans, and
- Continued questions surrounding the firing and replacement of G.M.’s CEO with a former Obama campaign staffer who admittedly knows next to nothing about cars, and
- Use of the White House press corps to threaten Chrysler investors.
Stay tuned. We have a feeling we’ll continue to feature plenty of headlines consistent with this pattern as President Obama tries to play Chicago politics from the White House.
