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Obama’s Dan Quayle

By Larry Johnson on February 11, 2009 at 10:40 PM in Current Affairs

Not since watching former Vice President Dan Quayle staring blankly into a TV camera have I seen someone who gives off the vibe of being completely clueless. Of whom do I speak? None other than Turbo-Tax Tim Geithner. Jesus man, buy a clue.

I briefed Dan Quayle a couple of times and found him to be very intelligent in person. But Lord, put him in front of a camera and he projected fear.

That’s what I see in the eyes of Tim Geithner. Timmy may be a brainiac but he reveals his inner coward to the camera. Top it off, he was unable to answer simple questions during a hearing today–i.e., “Will you need more money?” Face it, a dude who can’t figure out how to use Turbo Tax and pay his own taxes has no damn business being in charge of the Department of Treasury.

  • http://www.marklevinshow.com/ Seattle Moss

    Larry,
    How can we trust someone that can’t even do his turbo tax right..Scary!!

    • Docelder

      Supposedly he has issues going back to 2001. But in looking at why him? I think I know and it’s not flattering to us at all. He speaks Chinese apparently. I guess that’s the untold price we pay for the stimulus package being forced through? We now need a treasury secretary who can speak Chinese? Well, that settles it… I was leaning that way anyway. My middle school boys are going to learn Chinese before they get out of high school. It’s not taught there, but they will learn it at home. Let’s face it… if we need our treasury secretary to speak Chinese… will needing to be bilingual in Chinese be a prerequisite to land a good job someday, or to get into a good college, or good program at college at some point? That could very well be the case.

      • MrMike

        Or to understand the re-education camp guard’s instructions.

      • Boxer Mum 06

        He speaks Chinese apparently

        According to the Rosetta Stone commercials, so does Michael Phelps!

    • Thinker

      It’s a sad day in America when the head of the IRS can’t even do his own taxes properly.

      But let one of us “typical” Americans not pay our taxes.

      It would be hell on Earth trying to deal with the IRS tax auditors, but this sonofb****h gets to be the boss??

      Has any reporter asked Obama, directly, to his face,

      “Why is Tim Geithner still the head of the IRS but Tom Daschle had to step down?”

    • mary

      Great, Larry! Timmy reveals “his inner coward” so beautifully, and you nailed his whole approach and lack of chutzpah, not to mention brains (of the pragmatic, non-Obama-ivory tower type!)

  • TexasMirth

    Face it, a dude who can’t figure out how to use Turbo Tax and pay his own taxes has no damn business being in charge of the Department of Treasury.

    It’s appalling. None of us could get away with cheating on our taxes and responding with something equivalent to Oops! Much less would we be offered a job to oversee the Dept. of Treasury. What’s happened to our country? Where’s the outrage?

    • obamastolemyboyfriend

      I’m outraged, but no one has been willing to listen to my outrage since the end of 2007!

    • sowsear

      I am outraged that there is no money in the treasury for this guy to be Sec. of.

      • TexasMirth

        Good point!

    • http://sonicninjakitty.wordpress.com Sonic Ninja Kitty

      I dunno…the tax thing is tiny in comparison to the fact that Geithner was chairman of the Fed Reserve of New York and just sat by and watched as all this stuff was going down!!! THAT should scare people!!!

  • JulieD

    Great post Larry!

    So Timmy’s the only guy who could do this job according to “Ethical Waivers Are US”?!

    I have interns who could run rings around this guy. I don’t care if he’s nervous on camera, but you can’t fix “Stupid And Dishonest”. What a SAD administration!

    • cc

      great acronym!!!! SAD…it’s perfect on all levels!

  • AlexisM

    Great thread Larry. Can you imagine, in a few years, what we will be thinking when we look back at this Barnum and Bailey excuse for an “administration?” This is going to be the biggest joke in America’s history.

  • IndieDogg

    Okay, we know Geithner is not the only person on the planet who could have done this job (assuming, for the moment that he can actually do this job, a very open question). Yet, The One would have no One else but Geithner. Wouldn’t hear of it.

    A Treasury nominee who blames his income tax evasion on TurboTax? I assume he could afford TurboTax Deluxe. My goodness, they walk you through every page like a three-year old. And, when you finish the page, they interrogate you like your mother used to over the missing cookie or your homework: “Are you sure you want to check that box, are you extra sure, ‘cross your fingers and hope to skate the audit’ sure?” They’re brutal. But, you get it right. Or, they won’t let you go to the next page.

    On top of that, if the darn program didn’t work [BTW, has anybody called Intuit for a comment on this story -- do they think their software is so confusing that the Secretary of the US Treasury can't figure it out], why didn’t he have an accountant do his taxes? Couldn’t he afford it? Is he an accountant? I assume not; that would be too righteous.

    Okay, again. Couple the bumble-ness of this guy with an understanding of the background of The One, the history of his rise to his current position, and it leads me to ask the following:

    Not simply who is Tim Geithner? Rather, who is Tim Geithner to Barack Obama?

    There has to be favor owed here somewhere; that’s the way BHO operates. This has to be play-for-pay or it makes not sense whatsoever. Daschle was left to crash. But, not this guy. So, what’s the deal?

    Can anybody connect these dots for me?

    All I see are Zeros. Numbers and people both.

    • http://Scout Scout

      Good points. Who is TG to B0? And why can’t a guy tapped to run the treasury not use Turbotax. I use it, maybe I shouldn’t be…

    • sowsear

      There were hints that Peter Geithner,Tim’s father, had some relationship with Ann Dunham; they were in the same escrow related banking business. Does he really speak Chinese? That is really unusual, unless his family lived in China or unless he is/was in the CIA.

      • AlexisM

        Yes that is true about the Fraud’s mother and Geithner. Pay to Play just keeps rearing its ugly head around here.

      • sowsear

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_F._Geithner#Early_life_and_education

        I googled Peter Geithner and looked up Tim’s early childhood. The relationship to Obama is through Peter, The Ford Foundation, and AnnDunham

        • sowsear

          I should have read further about the Chinese and also Japanese fluency.
          Early life and education
          Geithner was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA.[4] His father, Peter F. Geithner, is the director of the Asia program at the Ford Foundation in New York. During the early 1980s, Peter Geithner oversaw the Ford Foundation’s microfinance programs in Indonesia being developed by Ann Dunham-Soetoro, mother of President Barack Obama, and they met in person at least once.[5] Timothy Geithner’s mother, Deborah Moore Geithner, is a pianist and piano teacher in Larchmont, New York where his parents currently reside. Geithner’s maternal grandfather, Charles F. Moore, was an adviser to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and served as a vice president of Ford Motor Company.[6] Geithner spent most of his childhood living outside the United States, including present-day Zimbabwe, India and Thailand, where he completed high school at International School Bangkok.[7] He then attended Dartmouth College, graduating with an A.B. in government and Asian studies in 1983.[8] He earned an M.A. in international economics and East Asian studies from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in 1985.[8][9] He has studied Chinese[8] and Japanese.[10]

          [edit] Early career
          After completing his studies, Geithner worked for Kissinger and Associates in Washington, D.C., for three years and then joined the International Affairs division of the U.S. Treasury Department in 1988. He went on to serve as an attache at the US Embassy in Tokyo. He was deputy assistant secretary for international monetary and financial policy (1995–1996), senior deputy assistant secretary for international affairs (1996-1997), assistant secretary for international affairs (1997–1998).[9]

          • TeakwoodKite

            Geithner worked for Kissinger and Associates in Washington, D.C…

            There is that name again.

          • elise

            sowears, thanks for the link. I read a little further and it says Geithner was director of the IMF which George Soros was influential in establishing. He was also a member of the Group of Thirty and one of their areas of interest is international currency market. His mentor was Lawrence Summers and he was a protege of Robert Rubin. Summers, Rubin, Soros, Geithner, Kissinger?

            “In March 2008, he arranged the rescue and sale of Bear Stearns and later, in the same year, he is believed to have played a pivotal role in both the decision to bail out AIG as well as the government decision not to save Lehman Brothers from bankruptcy.”

            Lehman is one of the oldest banking institutions in the country (approx 140 yrs old). Why wasn’t Lehmans saved when the others were? Barclays of London purchased Lehman after it declared bankruptcy and it also owns Barclay’s Bank of Delaware which is the biggest distributer of credit cards in the US.

            Trying to connect the dots is giving me a headache, but it’s obvious Geithner has experience and connections in the banking industry. His education isn’t impressive, but his connections are going back to his father, the Ford Foundation and Obama’s mother. Soros is always there in the background and he’s the one to worry about IMO.

            • Judy L. NC

              Name dropper!

              Seriously. I’ve got a serious headache too and will have one for the next four years.

          • Thinker

            Peter Geithner oversaw the Ford Foundation’s microfinance programs in Indonesia being developed by Ann Dunham-Soetoro, mother of President Barack Obama

            - An Dunham-Soetoro was developing microloan programs for poor people in Indonesia, but was somehow getting food stamps, according to the Obama campaign.

            wow.

            Really Barack??

  • Peggy Sue

    Hummmm. “I screwed up.” Is this the new mantra of the Obama administration? Seems like a U-turn on that “Yes, we can” message.

    I remember Dan Quayle, who may have been intelligent in private, but was “the deer in the headlights” in public.

    As for Tim Geithner’s “I screwed up” moment? Sorry, it doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.

    Turbo-Tax.

    My mother-in-law is 82, not particularly computer savvy and she uses Turbo-Tax. Don’t remember her ever saying:

    “Oops. I screwed up to the tune of 40,000 dollars. But now I’m taking over Treasury and the IRS.

    Give me a frigging break!

    • DAB

      Maybe instead of saying “I screwed up”, he should have said, “No I Can’t”.

  • jangles

    Geithner is a holdover nominee. I guess that means that he was originally appointed by Bush. Yes? Now there is a problem right there. Wasn’t he one of the big guns when everything was building up to go kablooie? SEC now treasury? It’s amazing to me. There are two huge areas where we desperately need top drawer leadership right now: the economy and foreign policy. Guess who is lame in each of these areas? Too bad we don’t have a big heart right now for community organizers and political campaigners. Just when we have this briliant shiny black Cadillac special we are plum out of folks who want a ride.

  • I’m a Linda too

    Yes, we are seeing how Obama will run his presidency, hustle, hoodwink and bamboozle us, or make every effort to. It seems our Congress is showing complete weakness to this effort already.

    The reason they delayed Geithners Monday Bailout proposal, was it would have done damage to the ongoing efforts on the other HUGE SPENDING BILL they are calling a “STIMULUS” [Spendng bill](and trust them, this spending bill is stimulating many, on the inside).

    So then the idiots say, “OK, we have to give them something, we committed to this last week“, so Obama says “ok, just give them a few of the highlights but says we don’t want to get in to specifics (he did this well during his campaign) until a later time when we have no choice but to give some info (or if this was the campaign, steal it from Hillary). We need to make sure I sign the “Stimulus” [HUGE SPENDING bill], before we let them know, OK, yeah, we’re going to ask for another trillion dollars.”

  • Peggy Sue

    Hummm. “I screwed up.” Is this the new mantra of the Obama administration? Seems like a U-turn on that “Yes, we can” message.

    I remember Dan Quayle, who may have been intelligent in private, but was “the deer in the headlights” in public.

    As for Tim Geithner’s “I screwed up” moment? Sorry, it doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.

    Turbo-Tax.

    My mother-in-law is 82, not particularly computer savvy and she uses Turbo-Tax. Don’t remember her ever saying:

    “Oops. I screwed up to the tune of 40,000 dollars. But now I’m taking over Treasury and the IRS.

    Give me a frigging break!

    • sowsear

      Especially when every year for 4 yrs. you have been receiving reimbursement for these taxes and have signed your name on a document saying you have paid them.

  • barry bums a ciggie

    Dude, when I saw this guy on the news yesterday my first impression of him was that he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Buy a clue? He needs to buy some confidence. It’s painful listening to him talk–and that long ass pause when he speaks, ugggh.

  • I’m a Linda too

    pleast check spam filter for comments!

  • r2d2

    Larry, we all know he’ll need more money, that’s what most economists are saying, but because the administration wants the 800 billions that is coming for a vote in US Congress, the administration is playing games. There’s a consensus among many economists, including Stiglitz, that the administration needs to nationalize the insolvent banks.

    • jwrjr

      Every economust knows that if you need more money in the worst way, printing it is exactly that – the worst way.

      • Peggy Sue

        Right, jwrjr. I am not an economist in any way. But if you read history, the idea of printing money–more, more–is exactly the wrong way to go. Or as you said, the worst way, possible.

  • fif

    This is no time to put someone who is timid in charge of a major economic crisis. We need courage and leadership. To think they got away with saying his tax fraud couldn’t count because he was the ONLY one who could get us out of this mess! Absurd.

  • chris from Chicago

    He looks like a dork,
    He sounds like a dork…
    He cheats on his taxes…
    He wrote off his kid’s summer camp as a business expense…
    And we are supposed to trust that he is THE man for the job? Gimme a break, I would not trust him to do my taxes!
    Geithner’s father, was Obama’s Mother’s boss in Indonesia…end of story! they go back a ways!
    It’s the old boys’ network…and not much else!

    America been/being scammed by a bunch of dirty Chicago-style politicians..
    Every time one of them stands in front of a camera were being scammed…remember that!
    and its been only 3 weeks…what amazes me is how stupid do they really think that we are?

    • Chicago Joe

      He looks like the Keebler Elf. Or maybe Snap, Crackle or Pop.

    • Chicago Joe

      He looks like the Keebler Elf. Or maybe Snap, Crackle or Pop. Calling Pat Racimore.

  • KintheNorthwest

    sign the petition for no stimulus

    http://nostimulus.com/?q=petition

    • AlexisM

      Everyone please sign the petition against the Bacon Bill. They will have hopefully 500,000 signatures by tomorrow.

      • Peggy Sue

        Signed it, Alexis, with a terse comment: Stop this. Now!!!

        • AlexisM

          Peggy Sue…I wasn’t even that nice. I reminded them all of Midterms. LOL. Thanks for signing. This is sooo important to our country’s survival.

          • sowsear

            We New Yorkers have our Senator Schumer trying to say that no one cares if there is pork in this bill. What a kidder!

        • Snickers

          signed it as well, with a comment about the senior health care monitoring and the electronic record keeping which is an invasion of privacy.

  • Patience

    Hmmm, interesting point there IndieDogg. Who IS Tim Geithner to the POTUS?

    Just read that his father, while working for the Ford Foundation, met Obama’s mother in Indonesia.

    He has impressive credentials (looks good on paper if not on camera) and maybe as former president of the New York Federal Reserve, he knows where some bodies are buried since so much banking and finance is based there. I’ll leave it to others to sniff out what that could mean to the POTUS.

    The guy’s got a tough job, for sure. I agree that he hasn’t yet instilled confidence that he’s up to the task. If all else fails, he can blame Bush I suppose. That will be the Obama administration mantra anyway for the next few years.

  • fif

    Oh God, I just listened to him, and I can’t believe he said…

    “I screwed up.”

    So, is that the standard excuse now for the Obama administration? Gee, it went over well for BO, so I’ll say the same thing! Lame.

  • Ellen D

    Sounds like “I screwed up” is becoming the slogan for this administration.
    Makes “Bring ‘em on” sound not that bad.

  • HARP

    Why does he always look like he is returning from a visit to the proctologist?

    • AlexisM

      ROFL Harp!

  • TeakwoodKite

    Thanks LJ, now I have “Jingle All the Way” stuck in my head. :)

    Jamie: I want the Turbo Man action figure with the arms and legs that move and the boomerang shooter and his rock’n roller jet pack and the realistic voice activator that says 5 different phrases including, “It’s Turbo time!” Accessories sold separately. Batteries not included.

  • Gary McGowan

    Tim Geithner just “unveiled” the plan, he didn’t design it. It won’t work.

    There are a significant number of people in the Obama admin. who know this won’t work and that we will eventually have to do the obvious: put this mess through bankruptcy reorganization–protecting the necessary banking functions and chucking the gambling debts (and keeping people in their homes.

    Ford Foundation?
    “He and a bunch of his wealthy, entitled friends managed to destroy Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in no time at all by creating the Weatherman group…” Jesus. Give me a break. Ayers and friends created the Weathermen? Horsepoop.

    “Try the Ford Foundation for funding of most everything Ayers has been involved in and lots else to undermine the general welfare. If the FF is not all wrapped up with the U of Chicago, I’d be amazed. Oh, gee… Obama’s mom worked for the FF… probably just coincidence…
    Here: http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2008/11/ciayers.html

    ———-

    http://preview.tinyurl.com/ford-foundation
    (It’s a google search. Learn a bit about the Ford Fdn., even by just scanning the Google hits.)

  • elise

    Here is a report from This is Money UK quoting George Soros. He is predicting the end of credit expanions based on the dollar. The link is at the end of my comment, but it would seem he believes the US will not be the driving force in global economy in the future. My question: Is he prognosticating or is he the cause? He is still selling the British sterling short which damaged the pound a few years back. I read he donated $10mil to the Democratic Presidential election. Now how is that possible? Wicki says he is not a US citizen.

    He warns the current financial crisis resembles other crises since the end of the second world war at intervals ranging from four to 10 years.

    http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=429640&in_page_id=2

    But he added: ‘There is a profound difference: the current crisis marks the end of an era of credit expansion based on the dollar as the international reserve currency.

  • Sassy

    Geithner does not inspire my confidence…I would not buy a time share from him!
    Yesterday, I followed two Brink’s trucks headed north bound…figured they were loaded with BO’s money.
    Coming south, I saw the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen!
    Now I don’t know which omen to believe! LOL!

  • Masha

    He says that the judgments in the current finacial system are troubling? Wasn’t this guy making them?

  • Thinker

    Face it, a dude who can’t figure out how to use Turbo Tax and pay his own taxes has no damn business being in charge of the Department of Treasury.

    - So extremely true.

    This clown can’t even pay his own taxes, but he’s put in charge of the IRS??

    The Audacity of Hypocrisy at its height.

    smh.

    He shouldn’t be in office.

  • NCgirl

    Thanks Larry. Your point about Quayle is a good one. Some of the most intelligent people I have known have been totally incapable of speaking in public or even having conversations. Being smart does not make you immune to social anxiety. We have a presidnet that speakes as if he is “intelligent” and is touted by the press as being intelligent, but you all see how that one is working out.

  • DAB

    John Stewart did a pretty good skit on Obama’s Press Conference remarks regarding how Geithner would lay out his detailed plan and would be “great” juxtaposed against Geithner’s obvious lack of any answers. Good to see Stewart go after Obama after his dismal fawning before the election — too bad it’s just a bit too late.

    • Andy

      DAB: do you have a link to the video? Thanks.