Barry And The Politics Of Tokenism

Well, it seems that Senator Judd Gregg's appointment as Secretary of Commerce was merely the Sock-Puppet's exercise in tokenism.

According to Congressional Quarterly:

The director of the Census Bureau will report directly to the White House and not the secretary of Commerce, according to a senior White House official.

The decision came after black and Hispanic leaders raised questions about Commerce Secretary nominee Judd Gregg ’s commitment to funding the census.

The normal procedure is for the director of the Census Bureau to report to the Secretary of Commerce.

Here's what one Lefty group was reported as saying about the appointment:

"Secretary of Commerce-designate Judd Gregg ’s record raises serious questions about his willingness to ensure that the 2010 census produces the most accurate possible count of the nation’s population,” the National Association of Latino Elected Officials said in a release on Tuesday, the day Gregg was named to the post. “Policymakers and planners at all levels of government rely on these data to make important decisions about their services, such as the number of teachers that will be needed in their classrooms, the best places to build new roads, or the best way to provide job training.”

Of course, the notion that "Policymakers and planners at all levels of government rely on these data to make important decisions about their services, such as the number of teachers that will be needed in their classrooms, the best places to build new roads, or the best way to provide job training," is the false premise upon which this group proceeds.

The census has only one purpose: apportionment for purposes of congressional representation. Any other function served is, in fact, extra-, and therefore un-, constitutional.

No wonder the far Lefties want the Census out of the hands of a Republican. Now, to be sure, it isn't like the modern GOP will treat it as the limiting charter of government that it is. However, there's at least a fair to middlin' chance that someone who calls himself a Republican has at least read the document.