Unfair Double Standard for Obama Officials

[jsteele]

It appears that if you are male and have a tax problem running in the tens of thousands of dollars (or more), you are still welcome into the Obama administration. On the other hand, if you are female and have a nanny problem amounting to $298 in unpaid taxes, you're out on your ass.

This is terribly unfair. Tom Daschle was late on payment of $128,000. Timothy Geithner was late on $34,000. Nancy Killefer failed to pay $298 in unemployment compensation tax. Unless there is more to the story, something is totally out of whack here.

[Anonymous]

Jeff, I think that Obama has invested too much in Daschle and Geitner to be able to walk away now. It is a shame though.

[Anonymous]

Shaking my head, , , shaking my head some more. And Killefer didn't wait until tapped by Obama to make amends, my understanding is she did it quite a while ago after she became aware of it.

[Anonymous]

According to the January 8 Times magazine (no typo, January)

Despite her extensive knowledge of the system, she ran afoul of the IRS in 2005 when it placed a $946 tax lien on her home, accusing her of failing to pay unemployment compensation tax for her household employees. Killefer was cleared shortly thereafter.

It stinks. The men get a pass even though the amounts in question dwarf the unemployment insurance, and they don't even get right with the IRS UNTIL they are being vetted for the job. This doesn't sound like change we can believe in.

[jsteele]

I don't like the message that says "Geithner is too important" so he gets a pass, "Daschle is too important" so he gets a pass, but "Killefer is expendable".

If Obama believes it is important to stand up for the two men, he should stand up for Killerfer as well. This should be a government of principles, not of personalities.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:I don't like the message that says "Geithner is too important" so he gets a pass, "Daschle is too important" so he gets a pass, but "Killefer is expendable".

If Obama believes it is important to stand up for the two men, he should stand up for Killerfer as well. This should be a government of principles, not of personalities.

Excellent point Jeff. Thanks for bringing it up!

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:I don't like the message that says "Geithner is too important" so he gets a pass, "Daschle is too important" so he gets a pass, but "Killefer is expendable".

If Obama believes it is important to stand up for the two men, he should stand up for Killerfer as well. This should be a government of principles, not of personalities.

They all are expendable. I'm a Democrat as is my spouse. Persons at the Daschle level know what they are doing. 130k is a house in his supposed home state. If he can't handle a tax return [s] then don't stick him in this job. Severe lack of integrity and a big mistake for Obama who might think he can coast on his popularity.

[Anonymous]

Just saw on the Washington Post website that Daschle has withdrawn his name from consideration...

[Anonymous]

From the LA times:

As one leading Democrat put it: "Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter."

Who are they quoting? Tom Daschle, c. 1998.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Senate ethics rules even in the dark ages of 2004 understand that improper gifts could be either cash or "in kind" contributions - which paying for your limo and driver certainly is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just saw on the Washington Post website that Daschle has withdrawn his name from consideration...

Yep, just showed up in my email. Yeah!

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:They all are expendable.

Exactly. Looks like Daschle just got expended as well.

[Anonymous]

Daschle withdrew!

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness he withdrew. Do you think it was at Obama's request (or subtle behest)? His unpaid taxes amounted to nearly three times the household median income in the US. Even more unseemly, I think, was his "monetization" of his Senate leadership into $5 million over 2 years for what was clearly lobbying, while managing to not register as a lobbyist. (His wife, of course, is one of the biggest Democratic lobbyists.) Equally unseemly is taking $250K from the healthcare industry he was supposed to reform. Yuck.

[Anonymous]

Give me a break re. Nancy Killefer. She's a millionaire several times over, had two nannies and a personal assistant. She was also a Clinton appointee at the IRS. She could have gotten a good accountant to monitor and pay her taxes. It just looks BAD to have the CPO of the country be a tax cheater just like it looks bad to have the Treasury Secretary be a tax cheater (did anyone pick up on the blurb that Geithner tried to claim sleep away camp as 'childcare'??). If Geithner hadn't been confirmed before the Daschle and Killefer thing came out, I don't think he would have survived.

[Anonymous]

13:28 here. Part of what Jeff is pointing out is the lack of equivalence here: Killefer's relatively small tax error led to her withdrawal and to no real support from Obama, while Daschle remained out there with Obama's full support until withdrawing at least in part because of reports that he had pushed Obama to hire Leo Hindery, who provided him with the car and driver he didn't pay taxes on, and who helped him earn millions of dollars in the short time since he left the Senate. Daschle's problems are clearly on a much larger scale than Killefer's, yet Daschle had Obama's full support while Killefer did not.

I'm sure Daschle will rehabilitate himself in the court of public opinion, but for now his public image has taken a huge blow. Have you seen his old campaign ad bragging about how he drove his ancient Pontiac to work amidst all of the BMWs and limos in DC? Too funny. I understand wanting to earn money, but sheesh, how much did he need? His wife is a very high-earning lobbyist, not a teacher or something.