This admin keeps getting worse

[Spence]

Just when you think it can't sink any lower, you read something like this:
Karen Stevens, Tovah Calderon and Teresa Kwong had a lot in common. They had good performance ratings as career lawyers in the Justice Department's civil rights division. And they were minority women transferred out of their jobs two years ago -- over the objections of their immediate supervisors -- by Bradley Schlozman, then the acting assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Schlozman ordered supervisors to tell the women that they had performance problems or that the office was overstaffed. But one lawyer, Conor Dugan, told colleagues that the recent Bush appointee had confided that his real motive was to "make room for some good Americans" in that high-impact office, according to four lawyers who said they heard the account from Dugan.

In another politically tinged conversation recounted by former colleagues, Schlozman asked a supervisor if a career lawyer who had voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a onetime political rival of President Bush, could still be trusted.

Schlozman has acknowledged in sworn congressional testimony that he had boasted of hiring Republicans and conservatives, but he denied taking improper actions against the division's career officials. That account was challenged by six officials in the division who said in interviews that they either overhead him making brazen political remarks about career employees or witnessed him making personnel decisions with apparent political motivation.

Schlozman's efforts to hire political conservatives for career jobs throughout the division are now being examined as part of a wide-ranging investigation of the Bush administration's alleged politicization of the Justice Department. The department's inspector general and Office of Professional Responsibility confirmed last month that their inquiry, begun in March, will look at hiring, firing and legal-case decisions in the division.Source (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/20/AR2007062002543_pf.html)

[RedskinsDave]

Well really though, if they weren't good Americans........

[Ibleedburgundy]

I'm changing my resume to say I am a die hard Republican.

[shally]

as reprehensible as the language and thought content in this move was, i can only say that if you serve in a position that is appointed and subject to political replacement, that is the nature of the job and you can expect that kind of action at some point.
is this any worse than replacing someone in the interest of "diversity?"

i am sure that when the next democrat administration comes in, the broom will sweep as many conservative appointees out as possible. i would hope that they do not trash people in this manner and simply say, "that is the nature of the position".

there is a classy way to do this kind of thing and there is a classless way. that was classless to say the least.

NOW if they were NOT subject to political replacement as a term of their employment, then all legal remedies should be used to bring that dog and his superiors down for it..

[lakewinola]

as reprehensible as the language and thought content in this move was, i can only say that if you serve in a position that is appointed and subject to political replacement, that is the nature of the job and you can expect that kind of action at some point.
is this any worse than replacing someone in the interest of "diversity?"

i am sure that when the next democrat administration comes in, the broom will sweep as many conservative appointees out as possible. i would hope that they do not trash people in this manner and simply say, "that is the nature of the position".

there is a classy way to do this kind of thing and there is a classless way. that was classless to say the least.

NOW if they were NOT subject to political replacement as a term of their employment, then all legal remedies should be used to bring that dog and his superiors down for it..


Ummm, these were not Political Appointees.

[Spence]

These people were career civil servants, not political appointees.

[Agrawog]

Actually the discussion brings up a point I am interested in exploring. Some articles refer to "career" employees at DOJ and obviously some posts are political appointees and some appear to be both or a hybrid. Is there anyone out there who knows how these jobs are actually staffed and manned over years and across administrations. I am inclined to believe all Bush people are scumbags who value loyalty over performance but I don't want to jumpt to conclusions in exactly the way i criticize other people acting.

[Spence]

My father worked for the Department of Energy for decades, going back to when it was called the Atomic Energy Commission. He was a career civil servant, not a political appointee. The political appointees move in and out of government much more frequently and they come and go with the administrations. Career civil servants tend to stay in the government bureaucracy for many years, the way someone might work at IBM for 35 years. They are governed by the Hatch Act and their employment status is not supposed to be affected by their political preferences.

[shally]

My father worked for the Department of Energy for decades, going back to when it was called the Atomic Energy Commission. He was a career civil servant, not a political appointee. The political appointees move in and out of government much more frequently and they come and go with the administrations. Career civil servants tend to stay in the government bureaucracy for many years, the way someone might work at IBM for 35 years. They are governed by the Hatch Act and their employment status is not supposed to be affected by their political preferences.

which was why i said what i did at the end of my post.. if there were violations of the hatch act, or other improper terminations then that is the kind of thing that should be pursued and prosecuted to the full extent possible

i can get much more in agreement with jail terms for someone who does real damage to people's lives like this apparent scumbag, than i can get about people like libby or martha stewart who should both never see the inside of a cell. IMHO

[RedskinsDave]

I am curious as to who on the planet would think minority female attorneys who chose to practice law in the civil-frickin-rights division at the DOJ wouldn't lean left?

[Spence]

I am curious as to who on the planet would think minority female attorneys who chose to practice law in the civil-frickin-rights division at the DOJ wouldn't lean left?Who cares which way they leaned? Their evaluation reports were excellent. Their personal political preferences are not supposed to be relevant, only the way they do their jobs. If they are doing their jobs well, as they were, what else should matter?

[Agrawog]

I am curious as to who on the planet would think minority female attorneys who chose to practice law in the civil-frickin-rights division at the DOJ wouldn't lean left?

Wow, how lame was that?

so there can't be a conservative female hispanic, or black, or asian lawyer? Anywhere?

do you really need to put people in such tight boxes? Given the racial diversity and relative gender equality in this country why would you think there aren't conservatives in those demographics?

There are large republican black populations, there were millions of women opposed to the ERA. How did that happen? In your world that would be an impossibility, right?

Come on, haven't we gotten past trying to assign political and other beliefs to people based solely on the most rudimentary demographic information?

:moon1:

[shally]

Wow, how lame was that?

so there can't be a conservative female hispanic, or black, or asian lawyer? Anywhere?

do you really need to put people in such tight boxes? Given the racial diversity and relative gender equality in this country why would you think there aren't conservatives in those demographics?

There are large republican black populations, there were millions of women opposed to the ERA. How did that happen? In your world that would be an impossibility, right?

Come on, haven't we gotten past trying to assign political and other beliefs to people based solely on the most rudimentary demographic information?

:moon1:

i think you are not being realistic....

[Patrick]

My father worked for the Department of Energy for decades, going back to when it was called the Atomic Energy Commission. He was a career civil servant, not a political appointee. The political appointees move in and out of government much more frequently and they come and go with the administrations. Career civil servants tend to stay in the government bureaucracy for many years, the way someone might work at IBM for 35 years. They are governed by the Hatch Act and their employment status is not supposed to be affected by their political preferences.

But they (we) dare not let our opinions be known - at any level of government.

[Spence]

But they (we) dare not let our opinions be known - at any level of government.Right. Gotta keep your mouth shut in return for being left alone. That's the deal. At least, it was until recently.

[RedskinsDave]

Wow, how lame was that?

so there can't be a conservative female hispanic, or black, or asian lawyer? Anywhere?

do you really need to put people in such tight boxes? Given the racial diversity and relative gender equality in this country why would you think there aren't conservatives in those demographics?

There are large republican black populations, there were millions of women opposed to the ERA. How did that happen? In your world that would be an impossibility, right?

Come on, haven't we gotten past trying to assign political and other beliefs to people based solely on the most rudimentary demographic information?



Did you read the whole thing? Minority, check. Women, check. Attorney working for government instead of making big bucks, check. Working for CIVIL RIGHTS, check.

No one said they HAVE to lean left. My point was anyone who has a problem with it is pretty ignorant.

Don't try to act all high and mighty with me anyways.

[Spence]

Oops, Dave, I think I misunderstood your post, too. Consider me corrected. Anyway, I take your point.

EDIT: How about the fact that the guy was even keeping an eye on a Republican who voted for McCain in the primaries? He was even suspicious of that person. Talk about a leader cult...

[WarEagle]

I always thought most political appointees submit their resignations at the end of "their" president's term, anyways. Further, I assumed they were happy about leaving since they could reenter private practice and make big bucks. Didn't realize that US Attorneys were now desperate to save their jobs in gov't.

I don't mind the example of minority female attorneys staying in their GS jobs at DOJ's civil rights division forever and ever. As long as they make good coffee and are nice to look at.

[Spence]

I don't mind the example of minority female attorneys staying in their GS jobs at DOJ's civil rights division forever and ever. As long as they make good coffee and are nice to look at.Wow, top that, Dave!

[RedskinsDave]

Wow, top that, Dave!

That's easy. They should be home making dinner for all the men hard at work, not stealing my tax money looking pretty.