Democratic Congressman: Fire Tim Geithner
Tom Perriello, who won election to Virginia’s 5th Congressional District by the slimest of margins in 2008, has become the first Democrat to publicly say that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should be fired:
First it was House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, making his pitch to the electorate to be made House speaker in part by calling for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to be fired.
Now embattled Democrats are getting into the act.
Rep. Tom Perriello, a Virginia Democratic freshman and one of the most-endangered House members, has called for Geithner’s head, at a town-hall meeting in Ruckersville, Va. In a news release Thursday, the Jefferson Area Tea Party, not Perriello’s best mate, struck a rare note of agreement with the Democratic lawmaker – sort of.
“In calling for Secretary Geithner’s firing, we support Congressman Perriello’s sentiment, with the hope that by replacing our nation’s chief economic policy makers we can begin the path to economic recovery,” wrote Carole Thorpe, chairman of the group.
Perriello’s campaign has responded by saying that the Congressman made this statement before House Minority Leader John Boehner made a similar call on Monday, which really doesn’t mean much of anything of course.
Here’s the video:
Once you realize the position that Perriello is in, it’s not all that surprising to see him taking this position publicly. His seat is the most vulnerable one in Virginia, and the candidate running against him seems to be enough of a cross between Tea Party and establishment Republican to keep the opposition united. Perriello voted for the health care reform law, though, and that vote was very unpopular in the district. So, it’s unclear if moves like this are going to help him.
H/T: David Weigel
Tim Geithner is the Forrest Gump of the financial crisis. He’s been in the front row of every scene. Consequently, I’m broadly in agreement with the notion that he should go. However, the Secretary of the Treasury only has a constituency of one and as long as he’s serving that constituent, his job is safe.
Dave, agreed … but what if Geithner (and his mentor, Summers) are making his constituency’s job unsafe? As they say on the airplanes, “Fasten your mask first.”
President Obama has not heretofore demonstrated a predisposition for retaining subordinates when they’ve become liabilities. From that I’d conclude that, at least from the president’s point of view, since he’s still in the job he’s not viewed as a liability.
***President Obama has not heretofore demonstrated a predisposition for retaining subordinates when they’ve become liabilities*** I have two four letter words for you, Joe Biden.