Transportation Secretary LaHood Hits Back Hard Against Repubs

[PopSixSquish]

"Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood hit back hard on Monday to charges from White House critics that President Barack Obama's economic policies -- focused on leveraging government spending to stimulate demand -- had exacerbated the recession and constituted a form of socialism.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, LaHood, one of the few Republican members of the Obama administration, scoffed at the recent talking points emanating from the congressional leaders of his own party. His voice rising at times with emotion, the transportation czar tackled first the notion that the president was a socialist in disguise."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/10/lahood-hits-back-hard-aga_n_173448.html

Apparently President Obama picked the only sane Republican for his cabinet. Go get 'em Ray!

[ananda]

1. Well, it IS pretty absurd calling the rightwing free market advocate a socialist.

Obama is most definitely swinging his bat
in the same ball park as the free marketers
and corporate rightwingers that got us into
this mess.

[Radical Activist]

4. The corporate rightwiners

who speak for the Republican party don't appear to agree with you.

[firedupdem]

7. From what I've heard, the rightwingers are saying the exact opposite n/t

[RememberWellstone]

2. Why?

We don't need them...why even give them the time of day? I do not understand this.

If he's gonna go for it...he does not need the party that lost.

[Radical Activist]

3. Why does Obama have Republicans in the cabinet?!?!?!! Waaah!!! Poutrage!!!

This is why. How much more effective are these comments at reaching the average American by coming from a Republican than if they came from Dennis Kucinich?

[rvablue]

9. Don't know how this plain, simple truth could escape anyone. But you described it perfectly!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. Don't bother - you're not going to reach them.

Believe me, it's not worth the effort to preach pragmatism here.

[PopSixSquish]

5. Although Someone in ILL Can Speak to This Better Than I Can

It's my understanding that Secretary LaHood is a moderate Republican who didn't sign the "Contract With America" in 1994. His former boss and the man he succeeded in Congress was Minority Leader Bob Michel who had he not retired would have been Speaker of the House instead of Newt Gingrich. And what a difference that would have made...

LaHood is also one of the most respected and fair-minded members of Congress.

So I think he's going to be ok.

[Radical Activist]

11. Correct.

I used to live in his district. He still voted Republican most of the time on the big issues but he never talked like the real right wing crazies.

He was just replaced by Aaron Schock who always sounds like he's channeling Rush Limbaugh. Ugh

[SpartanDem]

6. Obama is a

rightwing free market advocate? Yeah I guess so if you think anyone to the right of Karl Marx conservative.

[firedupdem]

8. LaHood has always been a decent republican....if one exists.

He has no problem speaking his mind either. He's definitely not the follow the leader type.

[Cha]

10. Rec'd~ this is huge.

the corporatemediawhoredom won't be talking about this.