HATCH ACT: ONDCP Personnel Dispatched to Help Elect Rs using War on Drugs

[L. Coyote]

ONDCP Personnel Dispatched to Help Elect Republicans
Radley Balko | July 18, 2007, 9:39am
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/121467.html

Rep. Henry Waxman seems to have found some damning emails indicating that members of the Office of National Drug Control Policy were sent across the country to announce grants and make public appearances in congressional districts where Republican congressional candidates needed a boost.

If so, it would be a clear violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits the use of federal resources in a political campaign. The federal government has (inexplicably) exempted federal officials from the Hatch Act when it comes to lobbying to overturn state efforts at legalization. But it certainly doesn't exempt them from using the office to boost the campaign of drug-war-friendly congressional candidates.

One other telling part of the find is this passage in an email from ONDCP White House liaison Douglas Simon:

The Director and the Deputies deserve the most recognition because they actually had to give up time with their families for the god awful places we sent them.

Here's a list of those "god-awful" places. ..........

[indepat]

1. Any doubt that almost all of the Federal apparatus has now been politicized

should be put to rest.

[L. Coyote]

2. Indeed. Senator Collins staff e-mail evidence Hatch Act violations, ane online

and nothing is being done about it, not even by her.

If every Bushie that violated the Hatch Act had to take the mandatory 30-day minimum the USG would be very different for a month.

[Canuckistanian]

3. The ONDCP? I HATE their commercials

A constant demonisation of "weed", sometimes with the most UNREALISTIC scenarios.

[L. Coyote]

4. Yes, but it helps define Nixon's political enemies still.

[Canuckistanian]

5. Good point.

When you think about it, it's true.

[Jed Dilligan]

6. ONDCP has always been purely political

I don't resent paying for them to campaign for Repigs any more than I resent paying for their very existence.

The purpose of ONDCP is:

1) Manipulate suburban parents into voting for "law 'n order" candidates

2) Build the prison industrial apparatus so that its constituents become a reliably rightist voting bloc