Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Monday, January 3, 2011

THE UNSURPASSED NINCOMPOOPERY OF DARRELL ISSA, (R-Calif.)

In terms of making onself look like a boil-brained joithead, no one is better at it than this guy.  Here is what he called President Obama:  "...one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times."

When he was publicly mocked for that ridiculous lie, Issa was compelled to walk it back a bit, so he changed it by saying President Obama presides over "...one of the most corrupt administrations," to which the Washington Post responded:  "That is hardly more restrained or more responsible. It is in fact patently false."

The WaPo ended its editorial with this:

"There can be disagreement over the wisdom of the Troubled Assets Relief Program, the fund proposed by President George W. Bush in 2008 to bail out financial institutions and, eventually, car companies during the financial crisis. But under Mr. Obama's leadership, TARP has ended up costing the taxpayer far less than originally anticipated; last fall the Congressional Budget Office estimated its eventual total cost at $66 billion. Similarly, it's fair to argue that the stimulus was misguided or ineffective. But evidence of corruption in its administration is negligible, impressively so given the enormous sums involved.



Mr. Issa is about to be entrusted with one of the most serious jobs in Congress, armed with subpoena power reaching across the federal government. Oversight is a critical congressional function, one that too often has been abandoned. But Mr. Issa's repeated, inflammatory rhetoric is not commensurate with a responsible exercise of that role. One of the first things over which the congressman needs to exercise better oversight is his own loose talk. "
More here from Politico.

Issa should think about who he's calling corrupt.  Here are some highlights from his past:

And these:

Rep. Issa: A Past Filled With Suspected Arson, Weapons Charges & Auto Theft







Suspected Arson


1982: Issa Suspected, But Never Charged, In Arson Incident At Manufacturing Plant. According to the Los Angeles Times: "A suspected arson fire ripped through [Issa's Ohio] manufacturing plant in 1982. No one was ever charged in the fire, but authorities were troubled by a dramatic escalation in the facility's fire insurance just weeks earlier. Even before the blaze was put out, investigators began peppering Issa and his partner with 'crazy questions' regarding their whereabouts before the fire, Issa recalled." [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis, emphasis added]


•Prior To Fire, Issa "Boosted" Fire Insurance And Removed A Computer From The Premises. According to the Los Angeles Times: "Weeks before the fire, Issa and [business partner] Hunsinger boosted their fire insurance from $ 100,000 to $ 462,000 on property stored for other companies...At the same time, a separate company that contracted with Quantum to outfit bug zappers increased its insurance to $ 400,000, and, according to an insurance report, one investigator was 'concerned about the coincidence.' Fire investigators also noted that a computer was taken off the site eight days before the fire, 'allegedly to be reprogrammed' by Issa's lawyer, and that business blueprints were put away in a safe--which was 'not previously done before.'" [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis]


"Suspicious Burn Patterns" And "Out Of Normal Practice" Behavior Alerted Investigators. The Washington Post reported: "Investigators reported 'suspicious burn patterns' and said the fire may have been set. A company bookkeeper, Karen Brasdovich, also told them that computers and records had been removed from the site days before the fire for no clear reason. 'It was totally out of normal practice,' she said in a telephone interview last week." [Washington Post via FTLComm.com, 7/8/03]


AC Custom Fire: Flammable Liquid Had "Been Poured On The Only Area Not Covered By Fire Sprinklers." The Los Angeles Times reported that "seven months after Issa took control," a fire broke out at the "Quantum manufacturing plant." "Case files from Maple Heights, the Ohio fire marshal and insurers pointed repeatedly to the likelihood of arson in the blaze, which officials estimated caused $ 800,000 in damage. Although an accident could not be ruled out, the uneven and unnatural burn patterns made the blaze 'suspicious in nature,' the state concluded two months later. Flammable liquid appeared to have been poured on the only area not covered by fire sprinklers, investigators found." [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis, emphasis added]






Intimidation With A Weapon


Former AC Custom Executive Claimed Issa Intimidated Him With A Gun. According to the Los Angeles Times: "One of Issa's first tasks as the new boss [of AC Custom] was to remove an executive named Jack Frantz. According to Frantz, Issa came into his office, placed a small box on the desk and opened it. Inside, he said, was a gun." [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis]


•Issa Allegedly Used Intimidation To Fire Executive Frantz. According to the Los Angeles Times, Frantz claimed, "'He just showed [the gun] to me and said 'You know what this is?' Issa invited Frantz to hold the gun at one point and told him he had learned about guns and explosives during his military days, Frantz said. Because he was about to be fired, Frantz said he saw it as 'pure intimidation.'" [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis]


•Former AC Custom Bookkeeper: "It Was Pretty Terrifying." According to the Los Angeles Times: "The bookkeeper, [Karen] Brasdovich, also recalled Issa having a gun at the company that day. 'It was pretty terrifying,' she said." [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis]


Issa On The Incident: "Shots Were Never Fired." The Los Angeles Times reported: "Issa said, 'Shots were never fired. If I asked Jack to leave, then I think I had every right to ask Jack to leave...I don't recall having a gun. I really don't. I don't think I ever pulled a gun on anyone in my life.'" [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis, emphasis added]

Auto Theft & Weapons Charges


Issa "Twice Arrested In 1972 On Weapons Charges." According to the San Francisco Chronicle: "Issa was twice arrested in 1972 on weapons charges -- once in Ohio, once in Michigan." [San Francisco Chronicle, 7/2/03]


Issa Was Convicted Of "Possession Of An Unregistered Handgun," Paid Fine, And Served Probation. According to the San Francisco Chronicle: "[W]hen Issa was attending college in Michigan, was fined $100 and put on three months' probation after being arrested for possession of an unregistered handgun, Michigan court records show." [San Francisco Chronicle, 7/2/03]


1972: Issa Was Arrested For Auto Theft. According to the New York Times: "In 1972, [Darrell Issa] and his brother William were arrested in the theft of a Maserati from a Cleveland car dealership." [New York Times, 7/23/03]


1972: Issa Also Charged With "Carrying A Concealed Weapon." According to the San Francisco Chronicle: "Court records...show that in March 1972, one month after getting out of the Army, Issa was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and auto theft. The court file doesn't indicate the type of weapon involved." [San Francisco Chronicle, 7/2/03]


Auto Theft, Concealed Weapons Charges Were Ultimately Dropped. According to the San Francisco Chronicle: "In May 1972, a grand jury indicted Issa on a larceny charge in connection with the car theft but dropped the weapons charge. Two weeks later, a prosecutor dropped the car theft charge as well." [San Francisco Chronicle, 7/2/03]


•Charges Were Dropped Despite Witness Reports. According to the Los Angeles Times, "a witness reported seeing [Darrell and William Issa] pushing the sports car down the street just before midnight, records and interviews show. But the charges were dismissed--months before the older brother, [William], was convicted of stealing another car amid a string of offenses." [Los Angeles Times, 5/23/98, via Nexis]





We can safely assume from looking at Issa's past history that the troubled Congressman is more than likely projecting this corruption idea onto others because of his own personal demons, and in addition, Issa appears to be a person of little brain. 

18 comments:

Unknown said...

As a native and current resident of SoCal, I can say this:

Issa is a friggin self-serving bag of batshit. He is a liar and a carpetbagging troll who is worth millions of dollars. The area that keeps electing this sumbitch is filled with rich folks that hate anyone else who isn't rich and believe that regular folks shouldn't have the same rights as they do.

Shaw Kenawe said...

I know the area. I've spent 3 years of my life in SoCal.

Issa appears to be a grandstanding, self-serving nincompoop.

Infidel753 said...

Well, "nincompoop" is a corruption of non compos mentis, meaning "not of sound mind" -- which appears to apply here. Issa seems to be setting a trap for himself -- evidently he has forgotten the nineties, when the Republicans' decision to turn the government into a circus over the "issue" of oral sex in the White House did not win them any brownie points with the public, to say the least. And the economy was much better then, and sex is at least less boring to most people than nebulous allegations of corruption.

If Issa really wants to tie up the government's time with this nonsense while the public is screaming for action on the jobs front, he will not be doing the 2012 Republican candidates for Congress and the Presidency any favors. And if you were able to bring out all that stuff from his own background for a blog post, there's no excuse for the MSM not to do the same.

Leslie Parsley said...

Not only is this guy corrupt, he's a thug. How on earth do these crooks keep getting elected?

Dave Miller said...

Shaw, responding to your above banner, now that the GOP has determined that elections show the will of the people, and that congress has to follow that will, why now and not when the Dems were in charge?

It should also be noted that the GOP has exempted the repeal of, or any alterations of "Obamacare" from Congressional PAYGO, just like Tax Cuts, apparently because there are no costs to any actions on those fronts.

How anyone can argue that these are not blatant political moves is beyond me.

I too posted on the idiocy of the GOP stance on Health Care Repeal.

Malcolm said...

Wow, I knew Darrell Issa was a piece of work... but I didn't realize how much of a weasel he was until I read this post. I wonder if we'll hear from his brother over the next few years and learn if there are any other skeletons in Darrell's closet.

By the way, did you see Darrell's appearance on "State of the Union" this past Sunday? Ed Henry did a good job of challenging Darrell Issa on his BS.

Eric Noren said...

Need examples from this corrupt administration? Just from the health insurance process alone:

1) Cornhusker Kickback
2) Deem-and-pass
3) Reconciliation
4) Individual mandate
5) Calling the fine for not carrying insurance "absolutely not a tax" to get it passed, then telling a federal judge it is a tax to demonstrate it's constitutionality

I'm sure if the Bush administration had attempted tactics like these, you would've thought they were on the level, right?

Shaw Kenawe said...

Dear Mr. Heathen Republican,

It is an old and tired trick to divert attention away from a painful subject (Darrell Issa's shameful record and idiotic statements) to some other issue that has nothing to do with my post. Usually this is done when the commenter can't refute or deny the allegations.

It's called the "Johnny did it TOO!" defense.

But thanks for stopping by.

Liz said...

Rock on, Shaw Kenawe! Perfect post of opinion with irrefutable facts as back-up and perfect response to 'Heathen'!

Eric Noren said...

I shudder at your superior intellect. My point was relevant in supporting Issa and refuting your assertion that he's a nincompoop (very intellectual).

I notice you didn't bother to respond to the charge that Issa makes and that I provided evidence for: Obama + Democrats = Corrupt (see "health care reform").

You really want me to respond to your post? You simply repeat allegations of arson: "suspected, but never charged." If there was anything besides an allegation, he would've been charged.

Talk about diversionary tricks: instead of trying to rebut Issa's statement, you resort to personal attacks by repeating allegations of arson.

Unknown said...

The individual mandate...hmm, where have I seen that before..oh yeah!

Social Security and Medicare.

And no President before Obama ever used the Reconciliation tactic? Give me an effin break.

Your tired, parroted talking points really say a lot about you Heathen. Are you a Birther too?

Anonymous said...

We see it all time the rich don't have to pay for their crimes. Just because he got off doesn't mean he's clean. Just another example of the great difference between the wealthy and middle class and poor. Suits can embezzle, ruin the economy, and more and get away it, but a blue collar worker can be put away for years for having a personal stash of dope.

Jo

Shaw Kenawe said...

Mr. Heathen,

I have no interest in anyone shuddering at my intellect.

Our good friend, Infidel753 explained the etymology of the word "nincompoop," and it aptly applies to Issa for his utterly mindless statement that Mr. Obama is the most corrupt president in modern history.

That's a lie. Issa stated in on the Rush Limbaugh show to ingratiate himself with that odious swine and his listeners.

For Issa, a US Representative, to claim something as stupid as that shows a appalling lack of seriousness and it exposes him as a grandstanding jackass.

Why should we believe anything he says or does after he demonstrated a gross disregard for truth?

No judge has, at this point, ruled that health care reform is corrupt. One judge out of 12 or so, has deemed it unconstitutional. That isn't the same as corrupt.

BTW, Mr. Heathen, to set the record straight, I did not repeat any allegations about Issa's embarrassing record in my answer to you. Please go back and read what I said to you.

The allegations posted in my blog are from the internet. And I let them speak for themselves.

Unknown said...

Bravo Shaw! BTW, there is a site up that keeps us informed on all of the bs that surrounds and/or comes out of Mr. Issa;s piehole:

http://issaexposed.couragecampaign.org/index.php

Shaw Kenawe said...

Thanks for that link, Dusty. I will bookmark it.

Unknown said...

You are so welcome, I am thrilled to have happened upon your blog whilst tooling around the blogosphere Shaw. ;)

dmarks said...

Come on now, give Congressman Torchy a break!

Jo said:

"but a blue collar worker can be put away for years for having a personal stash of dope."

Well, I'd rather have the dope fiends put away than be messing up stuff on the production line. But the dope fiend suits should join them.

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