Jon Stewart Skewers Obama For His Hypocrisy On Transparency

[Cali_Democrat]

Keep 'em honest, Jon! :applause:

Jon Stewart Skewers Obama For His Hypocrisy On Transparency

Thank God for good government watchdog Jon Stewart who called Obama out last night for his administration's "weird" penchant for secrecy at the same time mocking the Prez's first campaign video.

"This's been an administration that's prosecuted more whistleblowers in two years than in the preceding 40 years. That meets with lobbyists across the street from the White House so they don't have to disclose their meetings with lobbyists. And, this is true, censored nearly 200 pages of internal emails about their efforts to make government more transparent."

Stewart's verbal spank comes just days after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a report slamming Obama political appointees for "politicizing" the Freedom Of Information (FOI) process.

The document details how Obama appointees are systematically delaying FOIA requests.

Read more with video...http://crabbygolightly.com/mt/2011/04/jon_stewart_calls_out_obama_fo.html

[provis99]

1. Stewart can kiss my ass.

He stopped being funny about 3 years ago.

[frylock]

4. there's nothing funny about this..

is this statement deniable, or can the truth kiss your ass too?

This's been an administration that's prosecuted more whistleblowers in two years than in the preceding 40 years.

[Life Long Liberal]

5. I missed his show, was he lying about Obama?

[Fuddnik]

8. Unfortunately, No.

[Life Long Liberal]

9. I would be surprised if he was making stuff up. Seems like a smart man.

[golddigger]

11. Truth hurts doesn't it.

[Union Scribe]

26. Hmmm...what happened then?

Oh, I see. He started holding a Dem accountable. What a fucker, lol.

[_ed_]

34. Can you refute what he said?

Or do you just reflexively give your two minutes of hate to anyone who disagrees with the Dear Leader.

[emilyg]

38. He's right on this.

[flamingdem]

41. He lost it when he tried to be more than funny

Now he thinks he is the news

[robcon]

2. Stewart was hilarious last night.

skewered the president for his hypocrisy.

I think his shows last week covering America at Not-War were brilliant.

[treestar]

3. Doubt he understands what he's talking about

The Freedom of Information Act exists, and has rules.

Not a good subject for comedy.

[Life Long Liberal]

6. I think Jon is a smart man. Are you saying he does not know his facts?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

39. Jon Stewart mocked the Wisconsin Dems mercilessly for going to IL

He didn't bother to say why they went, or that if they didn't go collective bargaining would be stripped. So yes, sometimes Jon Stewart either doesn't know his facts or doesn't care.

[flamingdem]

42. He doesn't know because he never cared, he was never an activist, he's a clown

and a clown learns what they need to know to get attention

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Did Stewart say anything that was untrue?

[JuniperLea]

17. The email censorship bit seems wrong...

That's clearly against FOIA rules... and I really doubt any redacted emails get forwarded.

[Fuddnik]

7. Stewart nails it again.

Who said he'd run out of material when Bush left office?

Stewart/Colbert 2012!

Better than the comedians there now.

[Mass]

12. I have nothing against it (though I'd like to see some source, but Stewart is only a satirist)

However, why did he spend that much time on that, with sources that were mostly FOX, and nothing on Paul Ryan saving Medicare by destroying it.

Sadly, it seems Stewart has decided that the GOP is not worth criticizing.

[ProSense]

13. Satire

Yeah, most Presidents would fail under the level of scrutiny afforded this President (it's a sign of the times given the Internet), but the Obama administration is still the most transparent in history.

The effort to elevate this stuff to the most serious criticism of the administration is laughable.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. Did Stewart say anything that was untrue?

[Mass]

15. Are there sources for his affirmations? Right now, there are a few I cant find any sources for.

(the whistleblower one in particular).

As I said, I dont blame Stewart not have given these sources in this short segment, but how can I decide if he is correct if I cant find his sources.

[Cali_Democrat]

19. I do not have the sources for his information

But I would imagine that his producers have verified them.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jefferson_dem]

18. Meh...

Not one of his best (or most honest) segments.

[NorthCarolina]

21. So, not one of his "most honest segments" you say?

PLEASE, by all means..point out to us exactly what was said by Jon in this segment that is, in your words, "not honest".

[DirkGently]

25. Sounds like Stewart was a bit too on-target for some. 8)

[Life Long Liberal]

33. Can you provide some proof it was not factual for me? So I can research it?

[Cali_Democrat]

37. The segment isn't honest?

How so?

[MNBrewer]

20. No criticism, no matter how truthful, of the Obama is allowed

[Hotler]

22. The best line was......

" and I wish I could shit glazed donuts."

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

23. I'm pretty sure that the Con House Oversight Committee report is a fair one.

Especially given that Darrell Issa is the chair. It's astounding how much toleration there is around here of right-wing talking points and sources.

[bvar22]

24. Stewart nails it again.

K&R
:patriot:

[Union Scribe]

27. Jon, we'll save you a spot under the bus

A place of honor away from the exhaust pipe, even.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

40. Stewart was already under the bus for saying Code Pink was the eq. of left wing loons.

[Logical]

28. I am new here but can someone explain where Jon is wrong on this?

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProSense]

30. Because immigration law enforcement is up under Obama

Does that mean he's anti-immigration? Maybe he's a stickler for enforcing the law. Bush simply looked away.

A spokesman for the Justice Department, Matthew A. Miller, said the Drake case was not intended to deter government employees from reporting problems. “Whistle-blowers are the key to many, many department investigations — we don’t retaliate against them, we encourage them,” Mr. Miller said. “This indictment was brought on the merits, and nothing else.”

Though Mr. Obama began his presidency with a pledge of transparency, his aides have warned of a crackdown on leakers. In a November speech, the top lawyer for the intelligence agencies, Robert S. Litt, decried “leaks of classified information that have caused specific and identifiable losses of intelligence capabilities.” He promised action “in the coming months.”

Prosecutions like those of Mr. Drake; the F.B.I. translator, Shamai Leibowitz; and potentially Specialist Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence analyst, who has not yet been charged, have only a handful of precedents in American history. Among them are the cases of Daniel Ellsberg, a Defense Department consultant who gave the Pentagon Papers to The Times in 1971, and Samuel L. Morison, a Navy analyst who passed satellite photographs to Jane’s Defense Weekly in 1984.

Under President Bush, no one was convicted for disclosing secrets directly to the press. But Lawrence A. Franklin, a Defense Department official, served 10 months of home detention for sharing classified information with officials of a pro-Israel lobbying group, and I. Lewis Libby Jr., a top aide to Mr. Cheney, was convicted of perjury for lying about his statements to journalists about an undercover C.I.A. officer, Valerie Plame Wilson.

more

From the OP: "Stewart's verbal spank comes just days after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a report slamming Obama political appointees for "politicizing" the Freedom Of Information (FOI) process."

It's not like Republicans have an agenda: Issa promotes whistleblower website

Even the staunchest advocates of whistleblower rights can see improvements.

Health Care Bill Enhances Whistleblower Protections

As part of the anti-fraud provisions of the health care legislation passed yesterday, Congress strengthened the False Claims Act - one of the most effective whistleblower laws in the United States - in order to ensure that whistleblowers can expose fraud under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Lindsey Williams, Advocacy Director at the National Whistleblowers Center, explained the whistleblower provisions incorporated into the health care law: "The bill directly addresses the right of whistleblowers to obtain protection under the False Claims Act. A number of courts had significantly narrowed the interpretation of 'whistleblower' under the law, resulting in a chilling effect on employees' willingness to risk their careers to expose fraud against the taxpayers. The health care legislation passed by Congress contains a much-needed provision correcting these narrow, anti-whistleblower rulings."

The legislation also ensures that the False Claims Act anti-fraud provisions will apply to the "exchanges" established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act if they use federal funds. Additionally, the False Claims Act is strengthened regarding failure to return overpayments and includes greater anti-kickback provisions.

"Regardless of where you stood on the health care debate, this is a major step forward for fraud prevention and ensures that whistleblowers, who risk their careers to expose fraud in the new health care system and by large pharmaceutical companies, won't have their cases maliciously thrown out of court," added Ms. Williams.

Obama Signs Landmark Whistleblower Protections in Food Safety Act

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Stoic]

31. With my blinders firmly in place I can see that Stewart is WRONG! n/t

[_ed_]

36. The Emporer's clothes are beatiful!

.

[Marblehead]

32. None of this sh*t

is funny anymore, it's down right depressing.

[Hippo_Tron]

43. While I agree that Obama hasn't been as transparent as he promised, he should've promised less

Saying that he would make the health care negotiations public, for example, was a fucking ridiculous promise to begin with.