Searching for political enemies … and friends
The U.S. Department of Justice’s inspector general and Office of Professional Responsibility issued their report yesterday into how politics illegally figured in the department’s hiring of civil service career employees.
An item in the report that tickled me was how this lawless hackery was so efficiently automated.
An email from a senior appointments official revealed that she used the following “lexis nexis search string … for AG appointments.”
[First name of a candidate]! and pre/2 [last name of a
candidate] w/7 bush or gore or republican! or democrat! or
charg! or accus! or criticiz! or blam! or defend! or iran contra
or clinton or spotted owl or florida recount or sex! or
controvers! or racis! or fraud! or investigat! or bankrupt! or
layoff! or downsiz! or PNTR or NAFTA or outsourc! or indict!
or enron or kerry or iraq or wmd! or arrest! or intox! or fired
or sex! or racis! or intox! or slur! or arrest! or fired or
controvers! or abortion! or gay! or homosexual! or gun! or
firearm!
Eddie Roth writes about education, social justice, public safety, transportation, legal affairs and historic preservation. He joined the Post-Dispatch editorial page in 2008 after six years as an editorial writer with the Dayton Daily News. But he is not new to St. Louis. Eddie grew up in Webster Groves and south St. Louis County. He's a lawyer who for many years practiced with a downtown firm, and was active in civic affairs, including serving a term on the St. Louis Police Board. He and his wife, Jeanne, and their three daughters, Emily, Julia and Alice, live in the Shaw Neighborhood.
When it comes to community organizing, he endorses Quentin Crisp's advice: Rather than keeping up with the Joneses, it's better to pull them down to your level. 
ok, dittoheads…
here’s your fox news-rush liberger talking points for this subject.
it was all Clinton’s fault!!!
if that doesn’t work, revert to the standard gop operating procedure…
LIE! LIE! LIE!
Actually, I’m amazed to hear that it’s illegal to hire your political friends to fill civil service positions. I always figured that was the way you got these positions. I guess this means that if Obama wins, he’ll be hiring lots of Republicans ???
Nick -
It is okay to hire your friends for the appointed positions, the civil service positions were supposedly based on your experience and abilities, not your political affiliation. Goodling ignored existing law and code and with the support of the political offices of the Presidency, pretty much trashed the idea of “civil service”.
Nick -
One last thought, perhaps you have been in St Louis too long. I come originally from California where if a job was listed with the City, County or State, it was posted under strict guidelines for civil service hires. I was surprised when I moved here and discovered the “who do you know” school of thought.
Eddie, did anyone get a quote from Hillary on this topic?
These things were very obvious all alone. Remember when the agency in St. Louis was used to harass liberals and the ACLU by towing their cars off the ACLU parking lots etc. It was so childish, immature and dangerous the way our Justice Department was used by certain GOPers to harass and terrorize our citizens.
This element of Republicans are a scary bunch. It made me see and understand what took place and how such a thing could happen during Hitler’s reign.