How many people here think that Vilsack should "pull over immediately and text in his resignation"?

[rhett o rick]

nm (sorry it wouldnt fit in subject)

[JuniperLea]

1. I think that right now...

But there have been so many conflicting reports as to how this whole debacle went down, that I'm reserving my pink slip proxy for now.

[PufPuf23]

58. I don't care how Vilsack goes down but the sooner the better.

Vilsack was a nightmare appointment in the first place for any liberal that pays attention to environmental issues.

[marylanddem]

2. Me, I do, too

and he can take Gates, Geithner and Salazar with him. Obama, can't you do better than these freaks?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. +1

[dtexdem]

3. No, no, no texting.

He should write out his resignation on a diaper.

;-)

[dem mba]

4. the first time I saw the video

I thought it was pretty damn cut and dry, and it proved Sherrod was a racist. I thought about the issue of a context for a second, but remember thinking 'how the hell could context explain away these horrible statements?'

I think it's clear that Vilsack, and numerous media figures came to the same conclusion I did. But when they saw the full video, they understood their error. I was wrong about her too, so I can't judge.

I would say from a business/HR perspective, what he did was pretty inexcusable. You have to at least ask the employee for her side of the story first, and that doesn't seem to be the case here.

[niyad]

7. in view of the fact that it was faux and breity--one would THINK that, having been burned by them

before, that the administration would at least do their own investigation. the fact that they didn't is absolutely disgusting. once again, they allowed themselves to get played, and this is getting really tiresome.

I didn't even learn about this until Sherrod resigned, not having been online much in the early part of the week. but, knowing how they edited the ACORN tapes, I wouldn't have believed the video without seeing the whole thing. once burned, twice shy is a pretty good way to be.

[izquierdista]

12. Slow learners

The law professor needs some schooling in street smarts, or he is going to keep getting burned until the day he moves out.

[okieinpain]

5. you thought the words right out of my mouth. n/t.

[niyad]

6. works for me

[derby378]

8. I've heard the arguments against firing Vilsack...

...but honestly, he's not doing the American public any good where he is right now.

[centerdem]

9. no

He admitted his mistake. The big problem is when people wont admit a mistake no matter what.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Breitbart, yes. Not Vilsack.

[rhett o rick]

17. Why not Vilsack. The man is a coward. When he heard that the big bad Beck was going to

discuss ms. Sherrod, he panicked and threw her under the bus. To placate the right wing. I dont want him on my side, thank you very much.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. If Breitbart hadn't edited that tape we wouldn't even be having this discussion

[Ignis]

23. The RW "media" always lies. We have to expect that.

What we shouldn't expect is for our Democratic administration and its cabinet appointees to fall for the RW's lies without the slightest bit of fact-checking.

[AnArmyVeteran]

26. That's what I don't understand either.

How could anyone in the Obama administration give a millisecond of thought about anything credible coming from Fox and other Fox wannabes? It's lunacy. And why haven't they come down on the thugs who created the fraudulent tape?

I watched Katie Couric tonight and they did a story on everything but the liar and fraud who made the tape. THAT'S the story. But instead they aired Obama from last year talking about how stupid the police acted when they arrested his friend. Almost the entire media are either inept or corrupt.

[Ignis]

29. I'm sympathetic that the admin can't be seen as anti-1st Amendment.

Because you know that would just be the Golden Goose for the RW media. :hurts:

But I am amazed that not a single person involved at the highest levels of this decision to fire Sherrod stopped and thought, "Wait a minute...Breitbart...where have I heard that name before?"

:banghead:

[AnArmyVeteran]

31. You're right about the 1st Amend and how RWs would explode.

How can I get the emoticons to put in my posts? I love the one banging a head against a wall. That's how I feel when I see stories like this.

[Ignis]

32. Click Reply, then look immediately above the Subject field.

You'll see a link to Smilies lookup table. That's the list of all smilies that you can use at DU by typing :smileyname:.

The head-to-the-wall smiley is colon-banghead-colon, like so: :banghead:

[AnArmyVeteran]

35. Thanks! Very cool!

I feel like an :kick: :puffpiece: :nuke:

[Ignis]

39. Just remember: Emote responsibly.

;)

[AnArmyVeteran]

46. Absolutely, I'll never emote and drive!

I posted something in another thread that was obviously sarcasm, but one person thought what I wrote was true. The sarcasm emoticon would have made my post clearer to him.

Thanks for the tip!

[Ignis]

56. I think emoting and drinking is the larger problem.

;)

Glad I could help.

[AnArmyVeteran]

60. What about emoting on pot? Is that okay? LOL

[Ignis]

61. OK? It's freakin' REQUIRED.

:smoke:

[bobbolink]

37. I think it very likely he would have done something similar down the line.

It was how he overreacted that is the problem with him.

[rhett o rick]

40. Do you or do you not agree with how Vilsack reacted? Of course Breitbart is guilty.

But IMO Vilsack did not act in a decent manner. He acted like a coward. Do you agree or not?

[lunatica]

11. What a good idea!

[SunnySong]

13. I don't think he should resign... no TV privlidges for a month instead. nt

[old guy]

14. Yes.resign.

[spin]

16. I worked for a major corporation for 37 years ...

before I retired.

I never witnessed an employee being fired in such a manner.

If Vilsack fired her himself with pressure from the White House, he should be replaced immediately. If there was pressure from the White House and he bowed down and insisted she resign, he also should be replaced for lacking the balls to stand up for his employees.

I was in lower level management and I was willing to stand up for those who worked for me if I felt they were right, even if it cost me my job. Fortunately, it never came to that.

But if someone who worked for me got into trouble, I always heard their side of the story. That's only fair.

[AnArmyVeteran]

47. You were a rare great boss!

I had one extremely good manager who was also a leader. He kept a resignation letter in his top desk drawer and he used it many times to go to bat for his employees or for our group. Because of what he did, and what we did for the company, upper management would always give into him. Our customers (NASA) loved what we produced and how fast we could complete projects.

I did have one other national manager with a different company who said he didn't want anyone working for him who didn't want to take his job away from him. How many managers today would have that much courage? In two years I rose up four levels in the company because they actually rewarded the best, unlike major corporations today where workers are overworked, underpaid and live in fear they could lose their jobs at the whim of an overpaid top executive. The best rarely make it to the top any longer.

[spin]

48. To advance any higher than I did would have required brown nosing ...

Homie don't play dat.

[AnArmyVeteran]

50. Good for you

The top of most corporations are more like exclusive clubs where only those have sold out or have demonstrated their loyalty are admitted, similar to how the Mafia only lets people in the inner circle who have killed someone so the rest have something on them. I'm not saying all corporations are like this but I can say to get to the top of any corporation you definitely have to brownnose or sell yourself and your integrity to be allowed in.

Hard work and knowledge mean very little. If someone in a corporation works his ass off they will keep piling more and more work on them. They treat employees like oil wells by drilling everything out of them and then discarding them when they finally burn out. If you keep your nose to the grindstone all you get is your nose ground off.

A bit off topic but: A lot of companies don't like free thinkers or ethical people either. I became alarmed when a company I worked for was having asbestos removed from one of their older buildings. They did nothing to protect the workers with air filters or repirators so I complained to the safety manager. I didn't let the matter be dropped when the safety manager did nothing. I threatened to report them to OSHA and within two weeks I was fired. I took them to court and won. I wonder how many people will get cancer from exposure to airborne asbestos. I know the company didn't give a damn about the lives or health of their employees. What's sad is conservatives are opposed to all regulations and government organizations like OSHA even though their own health is protected by such organizations. Conservatives are even against people like me who sued the company because they want companies to be completely insulated from any liability.

Read the book 'Work Abuse' if you want to know how management systematically exploits workers. I was an engineer/filmmaker and my wife was a school teacher but we both witnessed the same system of abuse even though we were in totally different professions.

I hope you're enjoying your retirement!

[spin]

54. Wow! Asbestos removal is serious business ...

We had some removed where I worked at. It was a BIG deal and all sorts of precautions were taken to protect the workers and the company employees.

Glad to see that you reported it to OSHA and won your lawsuit when you were fired. I can say that the company I worked for was very safety conscious. They were far from perfect, but better than most companies.

Retirement is good. I thought I would have a hard time finding things to do when I retired and fully expected to get so bored that I would find another job. I used to joke that I would end up as a greeter at Walmart or asking people if they wanted to "Supersize" their order. That hasn't happened.

I'm lucky in the sense that I have a small pension, a 401(k) that has turned into a 201(k) and social security. Fortunately I own everything. I can't travel around the world or take a vacation in Hawaii, but I have little interest in doing that anyway.

Reading, watching the news and posting here on DU helps make my life interesting. I finally have time to study history, and mythology, subjects I find fascinating.

I also am lucky enough to live with my daughter, son in law and my two grandsons. We bought a big old house that was once a hotel. Occasionally we open up a room for a friend in need of a place to stay for a short time. There's lot of activity in the old hotel. The occasional drama also keeps my life interesting.

Edited to add comments about retirement.

[AnArmyVeteran]

55. Thanks for that story. I'm glad it's all going so well!

If the walls in that ex-hotel could only talk :)

[spin]

59. Honestly, we believe we have at least one ghost ...

A blond teenage boy that me, my grandsons and my daughter have seen on occasion. My son in law doesn't believe in ghosts and ridicules the idea. If indeed, this ghost exists, he is harmless but somewhat playful.

What little research we have done reveals that a teenage girl died in an upstairs bathroom. This could be the ghost if she had short hair.

Many people that my daughter has met, mention that they stayed in the hotel as children. The place was built before 1926 which was when the courthouse burned down, destroying the records.

The biggest problem with the old hotel is that it is every expensive to heat and cool. We run three reverse cycle AC units for heating and cooling. Northern Florida is VERY hot in the summer but VERY cool in the winter. We keep the thermostat high during the summer and low during the winter. The main living room has a fireplace which helps in the winter and we enjoy.

We originally planned on totally fixing up the old home. It's very livable but needs new windows and insulation in the walls.

My son in law drives an 18 wheeler and often works the graveyard shift and has to sleep during the day. We live on a main road with considerable traffic and the occasional firetruck or police cruiser roaring by with their sirens wailing. He was unfamiliar with living on a main road and didn't realize how much the noise would ruin his sleep.

Since he is so unhappy, we have held off on home improvements. The property is zoned commercial and we just had a Bank of America branch open up next door. We plan to put the old home up for sale and move to a more rural area. Still, my daughter and grandsons have really enjoyed living in this old hotel. It's close to everything in this small town and that in itself offers a lot of advantages over living in the country.

A large number of people we have met feel that this old hotel might make a great bed and breakfast. That's undoubtedly true, but we all are night people and the idea of cooking breakfast for guests is unappealing.

But we were fortunate to buy the property for a good price and once the economy recovers we should be able to sell the home and the 3/4 of an acre it sets on for enough money to buy a home in the country.

Since my daughter was interested in locating in a convenient area close to schools and activities for her sons, we can hold out for a while, as my grandsons are 16 and 15 years old. Once they leave we will definitely be ready to downsize.

While we have lived here we have been able to provide a temporary place to stay for several people we knew who were looking for work or a place to stay while they were looking for their own home. We didn't charge rent, but merely asked for what assistance they could give to help alleviate their expense. Extending a helping hand sometimes has problems but overall is worthwhile.

I can honest say that I have enjoyed living here and will miss the old hotel if and when we move.

[amborin]

19. he was always a poor choice

[HughMoran]

20. I believe in rock and roll

[scheming daemons]

21. Not me. The man owned up to his mistake, and took measures to rectify it.

That's rare in public life these days.


I'm not going to ask for a guy to be fired who was willing to humbly admit a mistake and ask for forgiveness.

[laughingliberal]

22. K & R nt

[LWolf]

24. I don't know if he should, but I'd be happy if he did. nt

[underpants]

25. Is "Vilsacking" some sort of tea "party" :-) thing?

:evilfrown:

[Bluenorthwest]

27. Anyone who bought that tape is too stupid to have a job

in government, much less as Sec of Agriculture. I am not joking. Anyone who fell for that needs to step off, step back, and think about reducing the stress in their lives.

[ladjf]

28. No use in firing him. His political future has been ruined by this

terrible error in judgment. nt

[rhett o rick]

41. Firing him might give Pres Obama some respect. nm

[Oceansaway]

30. won't happen, he's another lapdog...nt

[Paladin]

33. My Sentiments, Exactly. He's A Permanent Embarrassment. (n/t)

[northernlights]

34. yup.

Bad enough he didn't bother to listen to the whole tape or get Sherrod's side first.

Bad enough the *way* he did it, having her pull of the road and text her resignation in.

But to fire her because of an effing rightwingnut talk show?!?! Strike 3 buddy. Good that you apologized for the crappy way you treated such a heroic employee. But really, letting the effing rightwingnuts jerk your chains like that? All the apologies don't make up for that kind of cowardice in front of bullies.

Get rid of him.

[seabeyond]

36. no. nt

[dflprincess]

38. Great idea. But Monsanto won't allow it. n/t

[Sebastian Doyle]

42. Tom VilSuck has been stabbing this country in the back repeatedly since at least 2004

He should be given no more opportunities to do so.

If his firing of Sherrod was really all about the Breitfart bullshit, he would have given her back HER job. The fact that he instead is trying to offer her another job, which would remove her entirely from anything related to family farming, is proof that VilSuck was acting on behalf of his REAL employers, the MonSatan corporation.

This worthless piece of shit needs to be gone yesterday. :grr:

[kentuck]

43. It will be difficult to get the President to fire him.

He really shouldn't have to fire him. He should quit on his own. I do believe it was Vilsack's decision. There will simply be too much contention in his Dept after this fiasco.

[lunasun]

44. I never wanted him in .... of course I want him out!

-Just one of the Millions against Monsanto who would like to see someone better.
The 2nd in command is supposed to be an organic advocate.
She is the secretary deputy.
Time magazine named Dr. Merrigan among the "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2010.
Any one know more about her ?
I don't

[HooptieWagon]

45. Where did the pressure to dump Sherrod come from?

Was it a supervisor? Vilsack? WH staff? Obama? If it did originate with Vilsack he should resign.
I don't think ANY USDA job offer can make up for the injustice done to Shirley Sherrod, she might be happier helping the people of GA in Congress. Hmmm...

[joe black]

49. Salazar too.

I'd like to see that prick dropped into the middle of some hungry wolves.

[Inuca]

51. No. It would be

another meaningless knee-jerk reaction. He was wrong, he apologized, apology accepted, end of story. We all make mistakes. Don't you?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

That's as stupid as wanting Sherrod to resign.

If I had an employee making racist statements, I'd fire her. If I saw her making racist statements on video tape, I'd fire her. If the NAACP demanded her firing, I'd fire her.

Immediately.

Now if it turned out it was all part of a RW smear campaign with quotes taken out of context, I'd hire her back.

But I wouldn't feel guilty about having made the decision the first time.

Maybe you should be blaming the RW instead of carrying their water for them and attacking other democrats over their smear campaign.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

52. Better yet. A text message stating "You're fired" from Obama.

[Sebastian Doyle]

57. Maybe Donald Trump will let him borrow "The Apprentice" set?

VilSuck...... YOU'RE FIRED!

[treestar]

53. No, people should not be fired for a mistake like this

The one who should be fired is Breitbart. That was a dishonest act.