Johnson Quits Obama’s Running Mate Search Team
June 11th, 2008 at 06:36pm Matt Margolis
…but the hypocrisy has already been exposed.
Former Fannie Mae Chairman James Johnson said he has quit Senator Barack Obama’s vice presidential search committee after the Wall Street Journal reported he may have received preferential mortgage terms from Countrywide Financial Corp.
Johnson said that while he has done nothing wrong, he left to avoid being a hindrance to Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“I would not dream of being a party to distracting attention from that historic effort,” he said in a statement. “I believe Barack Obama’s candidacy for president of the United States is the most exciting and important of my lifetime.”
Johnson’s ties to Countrywide became a campaign issue after Republicans pointed out that Obama had been critical of the mortgage lender in campaign speeches. Johnson’s role as a political insider also contrasted with Obama’s pledge to bring change to Washington.
I don’t think this puts this issue to rest. As Dan Balz of the Washington Post notes, Obama’s defense of Johnson raises questions…
UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: Team McCain comments, from NRO’s The Corner:
Jim Johnson’s resignation raises serious questions about Barack Obama’s judgment. Selecting the vice presidential nominee is the most important decision a presidential candidate can make and one even Barack Obama has said will ’signal how I want to operate my presidency.’ By entrusting this process to a man who has now been forced to step down because of questionable loans, the American people have reason to question the judgment of a candidate who has shown he will only make the right call when under pressure from the news media. America can’t afford a president who flip-flops on key questions in the course of 24 hours. That’s not change we can believe in.
Yep.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Corruption, Democrats
19 Comments
1. FmrMarine | June 11th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
>>>Obama’s defense of Johnson raises questions…<<<<
“You BETTER - NOT talk about my Johnson, or my wife either” !
this loser, one page resume, empty suit, is becoming a bigger joke every day.
HMMMMM hillery only stopped campaigning…didnt really concede………?
I sure HOPE McLame picks Romney or he is toast.
ALL the conservatives I know hate the guy, and every day he opens his mouth and sounds more like hillery campaigning against earbama, than a conservative republican.
2. Rich | June 11th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
FmrMarine- Romney doesn’t bring much as I see it. I’m leaning towards Gov. Palin, Jindal, or Petreus.
3. jayhay | June 11th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
We now know that Obama is a Muslim and a radical leftist — more specifically, a Marxist who idolizes Che Guevara. But we’ve also found out that he’s a fascist who’s like Hitler with a Messiah complex and cult-like supporters.
Additionally, we’ve discovered that Obama’s a racist, elitist snob who is blatantly unpatriotic and hates America and, not surprisingly, is married to someone who hates America even more.
But most disturbingly, it appears that Senator Obama might not be American citizen and is a Manchurian Candidate who’s quite possibly a terrorist.
See you in November!
4. Mark Noonan | June 11th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
jayhay,
No, we’ve settled on “incompetant empty suit”…
5. Casper | June 11th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
“ALL the conservatives I know hate the guy, and every day he opens his mouth and sounds more like hillery campaigning against earbama, than a conservative republican.”
Good to see the base is rallying behind McCain.
6. Mark Noonan | June 12th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Casper,
You know better than that - FmrMarine is to the right of Attila the Hun, so unless you’re in favor of 24 hour, ’round the clock nuclear holocaust, he’s going to have his doubts…but he knows that McCain is miles ahead of Obama…
:o)
7. Kahn | June 12th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Casper - I don’t think that socialism is the answer. Do you?
Obama does. 5% of the people in the US pay 80% of the taxes. I am in the lower end of that 5%. He wants to raise taxes 60% Add it up, he does.
So, I make too much to get aid for my kids to go to college. But I have three sones none-the-less. I have cars, medical expenses, a mortgage. I am in no way “rich”.
Yet your party sees me as a rich fat cat and themselves as (excempt themselves, of course) modern day Robin Hoods. It is not the business of the government to decide that I make too much and to take it and give it to other people.
Here’s an idea liberal: Pay more taxes voluntarily if you want to.
Or - to solve global warming, the energy crisis, the food crisis, and to remove guns from the streets while supporting American Unions.
1. Go to the gun store and buy an American made gun. Colt, Smith & Wesson. Shop around and get a good one.
2. Go home
3. Shoot yourself
4. Less energy required
5. Gun destroyed after inquest
6. Remaining bullets in the box disposed of.
7. No more drain on the food supply.
Be sure to will all your wealth to the government. If the vast majority of the nation is liberal like you say, you could really make a difference for those of us still living.
Come on, what are you…. selfish?
8. kjstrouble | June 12th, 2008 at 4:41 am
Man Kahn, if only some of the fools would do that!! I got a great laugh out of it. Sounds like the instructions some of the tech support guys want to give around here at work. And just as unlikely to happen.
FmrMarine - get a grip. Which Republican did you want? Please realize that McCain is miles ahead of Obama, let alone Hilary.
9. Greenskeeper | June 12th, 2008 at 7:02 am
“after the Wall Street Journal reported he may have received preferential mortgage terms from Countrywide Financial Corp.”
After seven years of silence and their complicity in the call for meddling in a civil war corporate media is starting to do some vetting. I find it refreshing.
10. hermie | June 12th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Obama demonized any connection his opponents had with Countrywide, but all of a sudden couldn’t find anything wrong with Johnson, whose Countrywide connections were far worse than those who he attacked.
Obama, far from being a reformer, has resorted to the typical Chicago-style way of running things:
Hire buddies or otherwise connected cronies.
Defend them against attack by attacking the accusers.
Deny that you knew anything wrong about their past or associations.
Run away from them when they get into trouble and can bring you down.
Your loyal footsoldiers will spin the rest.
The buddy or his family member gets another break as ‘compensation’ at a later time.
11. HarkeysBar | June 12th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Hewlett Packard ex-CEO Carly Fiorina raises some questions as well…
12. Casper | June 12th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Kahn,
“I don’t think that socialism is the answer. Do you?”
Depends on what the question is. I think we need to be willing to look at other countries systems, see what is working and what isn’t and figure out what is besty for our country. Just throwing a label on something or someone accomplishes nothing.
As for the college expenses, good luck. I’ve been paying college expenses for the past 20 years on my education, my wife’s education, and my children’s education.
As for your suicide suggestion, if it was meant for me (I couldn’t tell for sure).
1. I already own two American made guns.
2. I am home.
3. I would never consider shooting myself because I know from experience how devastating that would be for those that care about me.
13. David B. Schmidt | June 12th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Well, I guess it is getting crowded under Obama’s bus as Johnson is just the latest unless Obama is going to jump under there himself for his back peddling on the removal of troops from Iraq. I wonder how long before Obama claims “That is not the Obama I used to know.”
Hope McCain has an empty chair at the Townhall this evening showing Obamas’ fear of debating. Now Howard Dean is trying to remove Hillary from the roll call at the Dem convention just like Obama had Alyce Palmur removed from the ballot in Chicago — so there is no one to run against.
Selected ~ not elected.
Getting better by the day — implosion ahead.
14. FmrMarine | June 12th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
KJS;
I have a grip
and will hold my nose, close my eyes, plug my ears and sing LA LA LA I cant hear you McLame rhino extraordinar. Im sick about the choice this year, but I DEFINITELY vote pubbie this nov.
15. Robin Naismith Green | June 12th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
7. Kahn | June 12th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Way to go brownshirt. You must attract all the gals at goosestepping practice. People should shoot themselves to make your life easier. but shure that was just “sarcasm” right? What if “librul” people decided it would be better to:
1. Arm themselves with something nice like a pair of Sig-Sauer P250s
2. Come to your house kick in the door and drink all your liquor
2a. Bind and gag the wife and kids and wait for you to get home
3. Drag you out of your house and shoot you. Double tap style.
4. Go back into your house . . .
Not so funny now is it. That’s why Noonan tells you freaks to play nice.
16. Vicodin-N-Cocoa | June 12th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Hey Hoops:
I know you from around the way. Soy el panameno, pue’, cuasopla, cooky?
I’m liking it here, Hoops. Do you like my handle. It’s my favorite poker combo. Two of the yellow one if you can find them and a nice cup of Swiss Miss to break up real fast. There’s no feeling like when those little darlins start to bite and you feel all warm and euphoric. And you’re playing 25-50 PLO with 15 dimes in front and you look down at those card and whaddaya know? YOU GOT THE BOSS WRAP!
17. Kahn | June 12th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
RNG - well then they would be inner city Democrats wouldn’t they? Sound like New Orleans all over again…
Look - stop being so selfish. We need to stop pollution and use less energy and fund a welfare state here. You are so greedy. Come on, give it up. Will your wealth to the state and leave. It’s the only decent thing for someone with your beliefs to do.
Please note… YOU outlined violence against me and my family. I did NOT do that to you…brownshirt.
Oh, and Sig Sauer 250’s? What did you do, a search on guns? But guess what? The IRS SWAT team carries those. You just outlined the fascist state you really have in mind.
18. Tractatus | June 12th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
You know, you can treat your paranoia with medication, Kahn. Then maybe you won’t be so given to babbling about “brownshirts” and “fascist states” and such. Give it a try, m’kay?
19. Vicodin-N-Cocoa | June 13th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Kahn: I like FAIR TAX and Ron Paul’s plan but you can’t have low taxes and endless wars, bloated defense, homeland security bureaucracy, medicare drug giveaway, and make the US banks provide slave labor to the goverment in having to act as federal agents and provide cusotomers no privacy.
There’s going to be bank rebellion against this stuff very soon because there are so many dollars in all of these off-shore jurisdictions which provide for privacy. That’s why tiny countries can provide tremendous benefit like health care and free college with only a 10% corporate tax and a 1% capital gains tax. The banks are only too happy to pay because they have way more dollars than any on-shore bank.