A Friday afternoon email I received from Organizing For Action, aka BarackObama.com, aka the group whose mission in life is to support whatever President Obama wants them to support, took me by surprise.
The email, which is replicated at an OFA post, told readers that "There's one fewer climate change denier in Congress." I figured that the congressman who flipped almost had to be a Republican, and I was right: "Congressman Michael Grimm (NY-11) is standing up for an honest and reality-based discussion on what to do about climate change." I also thought to myself that something else must be going here. Is it ever. I hope OFA didn't spend too much on party favors for what it described as a "breakthrough," because they happen to be cheering the "conversion" of a guy who is about to be indicted:
LAWYER: CONGRESSMAN GRIMM FACES FEDERAL CHARGES
The attorney representing Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm maintains that the congressman has done nothing wrong but says he's not surprised his client is facing criminal charges from federal prosecutors.
Grimm has been dogged by allegations of campaign violations since his first campaign for Congress in 2009 and 2010. A House Ethics Committee announced in November that Grimm was under investigation for possible campaign finance violations.
"After more than two years of investigation plagued by malicious leaks, violations of grand jury secrecy, and strong-arm tactics, the U.S. Attorney's Office has disclosed its intent to file criminal charges against Congressman Grimm," Grimm's attorney, William McGinley, said in the statement Friday. "When the dust settles, he will be vindicated."
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn said Friday he couldn't confirm, deny or comment on the case. The FBI's New York office, which handles investigations, also declined to comment.
After the House Ethics Committee announced last fall that Grimm was under investigation, the panel said it would defer its inquiry because of a separate Department of Justice investigation.
Grimm made headlines in January after confronting a New York City cable news station reporter who tried to question him about a long-running FBI investigation into campaign finance on a balcony in the Capitol.
After reporter Michael Scotto finished his report, Grimm stormed back, leaned into him and said, "Let me be clear to you. If you ever do that to me again, I'll throw you off this (expletive) balcony."
Well, that kind of intimidation and threatening rhetoric is pretty much The Chicago Way, so I guess Grimm should feel right at home with the climate change thugs at OFA.
As noted in the Associated Press excerpt, OFA should have known that associating with Grimm is more than a little risky. Perhaps this indicates that they'll do anything to promote "good news" about their "climate change" hokum, given that so many other developments, including the climate itself, are making a mockery of their so-called "settled science." As for Grimm, perhaps he's calculating that flipping to support one of the politically correct crowd's cherished beliefs might buy him some leniency once he finds himself inside a courtroom.
If a Republican or conservative group had embarrassed itself by congratulating an issue-flipping Democrat about to be indicted for coming over to their side of an argument, the press would be all over it, and would be demanding that their leaders publicly denounce that person. I don't expect anyone in the press to put any pressure on OFA, President Obama, or anyone else to denounce Michael Grimm by saying that "We don't want his support."
Maybe it's just as well. Perhaps that embarrassing OFA post will stay right where it is as a monument to the left's whatever-it-takes cynical opportunism. But in case it goes away, it's also available here.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
