The Republican desperation to connect President Obama to the IRS scandal is getting out of control. They are focusing on IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman’s name appearing 157 times on the White Housr public visitors record between 2009-2012. Bill O’Reilly called it a smoking gun and demanded Shulman explain under oath why he was there 157 times. He question the White House’s reason that the IRS was working closely with White House aides on the ACA. This is another Republican calling the White House and President Obama a liar. These people should have solid proof of wrong doing before accusations fly.
But public meeting schedules available for review show that very thing. Shulman was cleared primarily to meet with administration staffers involved in the implementation of the ACA (Obamacare). He was cleared 40 times to meet with the Director of the Office for Health Reform, 80 times for biweekly health reform deputy meetings and 20 others set up by aides involved with the ACA implementation efforts. 140 of his 157 supposed visits are taken care of right there and that’s before you add in meetings with the Office of Management and Budget personnel involved with the ACA.
Blurring the picture and making the numbers more difficult to attain are that just because he was cleared to go, doesn’t mean that he went. Routine events have a standing list of those cleared to attend, people whose appointments would have been logged and forwarded to the check in gate. There is no time of arrival information to confirm whether Shulman was actually there or not. His name is on the list, that is all Republicans have to go on.
Of the 157 events Shulman was cleared to attend, White House sign in records confirm only 11 events over the 2009-2012 period and the time of departure for 6 events during that period. When asked recently the reasons he might be at the White House Shulman responded ” Um, the Easter Egg Roll with my kids, questions about the administration of the tax policy they were thinking of, our budget, us helping the Department of Education streamline application process for financial aid.”
So again Beck, O’Reilly and Republican news outlets are getting carried away. They are part of the Republican machine trying to find a way to impeach a President they hate. The Republican attempts to scandalize the Obama administration and Democrats is already hurting them. President Obama’s approval numbers aren’t much worse than usual, only his approval numbers with Idependents have been affected, they are a tough crowd to keep on your side.
I am not sure if Republicans realize President Obama is in his second term. It seems as if they are trying to stop him from getting reelected. The Republican party would do well to focus on policy instead of searching for ways to tarnish a man’s name. Republicans voted 37 times to repeal the ACA, costing us about $50 million, that is not what I call fiscslly conservative. That could have funded the partially defunded Meals on Wheels for Seniors. But why work on policy when scandalizing someone is that much easier.
