02/2011 Blog Posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
Issa Enterprises responds. Sort of.
A week ago, Courage founder and chair Rick Jacobs wrote an
OpEd in the San Diego Union-Tribune questioning Darrell Issa's commitment to the serious, non-partisan oversight that our government needs. In fact, it echoed the concerns of the U-T's own editorial board, who worried in January that Issa was
undermining his own credibility even before beginning his work as chair of the Oversight Committee.
Issa didn't reply directly to the concerns that Rick Jacobs raised. Instead, the chair of the San Diego Republican Party was dispatched to defend Issa.
Sort of. I say sort of, because he doesn't actually defend Issa at all.
Monday, February 28, 2011
What does DynCorp hope to buy from Darrell Issa?
In the runup to the 2010 election, it was clear that Republicans were positioned to retake the majority in the House of Representatives and that Darrell Issa was in line to become chair of the Oversight Committee. Issa's upcoming power certainly didn't go unnoticed in lobbyist circles, and Issa saw an influx of new donors in the leadup to election day.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
General public squarely at odds with Issa, industry friends
Darrell Issa took to Twitter last week, trumpeting a report from the conservative American Enterprise Institute analyzing into graph form the responses Issa received from industry groups criticizing industry regulations. The AEI report highlighted what Issa and his carefully-orchestrated hearing already had been saying: polluting industries have strong objections to EPA regulations that attempt to control pollution.
What it leaves out though, is... everyone else.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Issa abandoning commitment to jobs?
Speaking of those exceptionally small-scale and rather silly proposed cuts, Issa tried defending them with Norah O'Donnell last week. He managed to unexpectedly hit on an important point when he told O'Donnell: "in those 12 years we’ve gone from having a budget surplus to a deficit. So everything that’s been added should be the first to be looked at."
Friday, February 25, 2011
When Darrell Issa confused a hospital visit with torture
It's no secret that Darrell Issa isn't fond of the landmark health care reforms passed last year. He's voted more than once to repeal the reforms, and has signaled his intentions to find ways to de-fund the new access to health care. But based on comments exchanged in a committee hearing with John Ashcroft, Issa has no idea what conditions are like in the U.S. health care system, Guantanamo Bay, or both.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The first time Darrell Issa was named the Worst Person in the World
In 2008, long-time beltway reporter and host of Meet the Press Tim Russert passed away suddenly. On the day of his funeral, the House of Representatives took up a resolution honoring his years covering and shaping the political landscape in DC. It may not have been the most pressing business in the world, but it was nevertheless a simple, innocuous way to pay tribute to Russert's memory.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Chairman Issa: Oversight for whom?
In the weeks leading to Rep. Darrell Issa’s rise to chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, publications ranging from U.S. News to The San Diego Union-Tribune expressed concerns over whether he was willing to fulfill his new responsibilities devoid of the partisan politics and special interest agendas that had so frequently undermined the efforts of his predecessors.
Friday, February 18, 2011
CLCV: Issa no friend of the environment, but where are the solutions for his district?
The League of Conservation Voters rolled out their annual scorecard yesterday, with the California LCV zeroing in on the California delegation -- and Darrell Issa in particular. Their findings help quantify what we already know: Darrell Issa continues to take a pass on common sense solutions for his district in favor of harmful, conservative partisanship.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Issa announces first subpoena
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A decade of ineffective oversight
In a report being released today, the General Accounting Office finds concerns that the Interior Department "may be unable to manage oil and gas leases while overhauling the agencies and offices responsible for them" in the wake of the Gulf oil spill last year. Darrell Issa is quoted in the article criticizing the GAO for not having raised the alarm before the spill, implying that his own record on the issue is stronger and taking to Twitter last night to continue his criticisms. Reality is decidedly less convincing on that point however.
2 comments
posted by Lucas O’Connor at 4:33 pm