Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

[vinnie97]

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=323913

This article slyly pieces together the shady character of James Johnson, his multiple aliases on the 'Net and his self-professed game of playing offense against anyone who questions the nativity story.

Curiouser still is his role in Fannie Mae (especially around the time that the mortgage fallout was brewing) and his membership in the CFR, the Trilateral Commission and American Friends of Bilderberg.

I wish I could make this sh*t up:

NEW YORK – A top Democrat, apparently operating with the full approval and cooperation of the president, has been directing a team of up to 100 who are paid to publish disinformation on a wide variety of websites to discredit "birthers," according to anti-Obama researchers.

The radical supporters of the president, known as Obama robots, or "OBOTs" for short, have confirmed their White House-appointed ring leader is Democratic Party operative James A. Johnson, the former chairman of Fannie Mae.

Initially, the OBOTs attempted to mask their Internet identities by posting under usernames with avatars that suggest their personalities. But due largely to the efforts of anti-Obama researchers, including "birthers" vilified by the OBOTs, the true identities of key OBOT operatives have been revealed. *continues*

About James Johnson:

From 1991 to 1998 Johnson was chairman and CEO of the government-sponsored mortgage giant Fannie Mae.

WND reported that Johnson earned $21 million in his final year alone at Fannie Mae, despite irregularities cited by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight as constituting accounting improprieties.

The current New York Times bestselling book by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner, entitled "Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon," blames Johnson for engineering much of the sub-prime housing crisis that led to the financial meltdown in late 2008.

Johnson has contributed to Obama since 2004. In 2008, he was a bundler responsible for raising in excess of $200,000 for the Obama presidential campaign.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission and the American Friends of Bilderberg.

Frightening shit if you ask me and if you think it's just mere happenstance that he's involved in all these levels of govt. and shadow govt. along with torpedoing O'Commie's opposition, you are smoking some good shit.

[vinnie97]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

If you find that hard to swallow due to loose connections and little-known witnesses ("Ed Hale"), maybe this NYT hitpiece will show you the caliber of this POS and why it wouldn't be beyond his capability to engage in this type of behavior (as a known insider connected to the usurper and the former chief of Fannie Mae, he and his friends pocketed $2.1 billion instead of increasing opportunities for home ownership, which was supposedly the purpose of the organization at one time):

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/opinion/17brooks.html?_r=1

For that reason, the Fannie Mae scandal is the most important political scandal since Watergate. It helped sink the American economy. It has cost taxpayers about $153 billion, so far. It indicts patterns of behavior that are considered normal and respectable in Washington.

The Fannie Mae scandal has gotten relatively little media attention because many of the participants are still powerful, admired and well connected. But Gretchen Morgenson, a Times colleague, and the financial analyst Joshua Rosner have rectified that, writing “Reckless Endangerment,” a brave book that exposes the affair in clear and gripping form.

The story centers around James Johnson, a Democratic sage with a raft of prestigious connections. Appointed as chief executive of Fannie Mae in 1991, Johnson started an aggressive effort to expand homeownership.

Back then, Fannie Mae could raise money at low interest rates because the federal government implicitly guaranteed its debt. In 1995, according to the Congressional Budget Office, this implied guarantee netted the agency $7 billion. Instead of using that money to help buyers, Johnson and other executives kept $2.1 billion for themselves and their shareholders. They used it to further the cause — expanding their clout, their salaries and their bonuses. They did the things that every special-interest group does to advance its interests.

Fannie Mae co-opted relevant activist groups, handing out money to Acorn, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and other groups that it might need on its side.

Fannie ginned up Astroturf lobbying campaigns. In 2000, for example, a bill was introduced that threatened Fannie’s special status. The Coalition for Homeownership was formed and letters poured into Congressional offices opposing the bill. Many signatories of the letter had no idea their names had been used.

Fannie ginned up Astroturf lobbying campaigns. In 2000, for example, a bill was introduced that threatened Fannie’s special status. The Coalition for Homeownership was formed and letters poured into Congressional offices opposing the bill. Many signatories of the letter had no idea their names had been used.

Fannie lavished campaign contributions on members of Congress. Time and again experts would go before some Congressional committee to warn that Fannie was lowering borrowing standards and posing an enormous risk to taxpayers. Phalanxes of congressmen would be mobilized to bludgeon the experts and kill unfriendly legislation.
Fannie executives ginned up academic studies. They created a foundation that spent tens of millions in advertising. They spent enormous amounts of time and money capturing the regulators who were supposed to police them.

Morgenson and Rosner write with barely suppressed rage, as if great crimes are being committed. But there are no crimes. This is how Washington works. Only two of the characters in this tale come off as egregiously immoral. Johnson made $100 million while supposedly helping the poor. Representative Barney Frank, whose partner at the time worked for Fannie, was arrogantly dismissive when anybody raised doubts about the stability of the whole arrangement.

Most of the people were simply doing what reputable figures do in service to a supposedly good cause. Johnson roped in some of the most respected establishment names: Bill Daley, Tom Donilon, Joseph Stiglitz, Dianne Feinstein, Kit Bond, Franklin Raines, Larry Summers, Robert Zoellick, Ken Starr and so on.

Of course, it all came undone. Underneath, Fannie was a cancer that helped spread risky behavior and low standards across the housing industry. We all know what happened next.
The scandal has sent the message that the leadership class is fundamentally self-dealing. Leaders on the center-right and center-left are always trying to create public-private partnerships to spark socially productive activity. But the biggest public-private partnership to date led to shameless self-enrichment and disastrous results.

It has sent the message that we have hit the moment of demosclerosis. Washington is home to a vertiginous tangle of industry associations, activist groups, think tanks and communications shops. These forces have overwhelmed the government that was originally conceived by the founders.

The final message is that members of the leadership class have done nothing to police themselves. The Wall Street-Industry-Regulator-Lobbyist tangle is even more deeply enmeshed.

People may not like Michele Bachmann, but when they finish “Reckless Endangerment” they will understand why there is a market for politicians like her. They’ll realize that if the existing leadership class doesn’t redefine “normal” behavior, some pungent and colorful movement will sweep in and do it for them.

Suicide is better than proceeding down this rabbithole of corruption and collusion. There is no end to the depths to which such people can go.

[res0nat0r]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

blah blah blah no one cares about this bullshit. its been proven he is a citizen. get over it. or keep hating black folk. no one gives a shit anymore.

[stephen028]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

Good article. I am convinced that the true power stuggle in America is the business interests vs.the people. I cannot jump on the tea-party bandwagon, as I am convinced this is a GOP trojan horse. I mean c'mon, how long has the green party been trying to contend? And along comes the self-appointed Ms. Bachman over-night? I have heard entirely too much anti gov/pro business talk from this side. Fannie Mae is doing exactly what a business is supposed to, profit. When you allow these jokers to inflitrate your goverment, what do you expect? This is how the rich get rich, and I am strongly against ANY admistration that sanctions this behavior(i.e. any administraton in the past 50 years)

[clintlove]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

blah blah blah no one cares about this bullshit. its been proven he is a citizen. get over it. or keep hating black folk. no one gives a shit anymore.

Listen to me, just because someone dislikes or disapproves of our president, does not make that person a racist just because he is a black man. I'm so sick a tired of having Obama supporters play the racism card on people who do not support him.

IT'S NOT ABOUT RACE. I could care less about Obama's race; in fact he's more white than black. What I do care about is how he runs this country, and I'm completely opposed to the job he is doing.

I'm actually a big supporter of Herman Cain, who is black. Herman Cain is a hard working American who believes in American values and wants to protect the principles that I know, believe, and love.

[res0nat0r]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

IT'S NOT ABOUT RACE. I could care less about Obama's race; in fact he's more white than black. What I do care about is how he runs this country, and I'm completely opposed to the job he is doing.

This is 100% fine...but the SOS about him somehow not being a citizen is really an ignorant argument anymore is all...I think it should be stamped out because it is just silly.

[clintlove]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

If he were, in my opinion, running the country correctly, I could care less if he were actually from Kenya. Fuck, he could even be from Niger. Oh, shit I've done it now... that was funny, right? Was that funny?

[res0nat0r]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

[floridaorange]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

If he were, in my opinion, running the country correctly, I could care less if he were actually from Kenya. Fuck, he could even be from Niger. Oh, shit I've done it now... that was funny, right? Was that funny?

Which president during your lifetime "ran the country correctly" in your humble opinion?

[clintlove]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

Probably all the presidents you dislike

Seriously though, no president has ever been perfect by far. However Obama, is by far and away, the worst president I can remember in my lifetime. No president has ever spent so much money so poorly, or kept the economy in downward spiral while drastically increasing the debt ceiling and costing you, me and all other taxpayers billions of dollars. His policies for economic growth are failing miserably and his only solution is to.... spend more money.

[res0nat0r]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

Worse spender than Bush?

[clintlove]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

He's spent way more money than any other president in history. Example, Obama raised the debt ceiling more in his first 18 months as president, than all presidents from Washington to Kennedy combined.

[CircleGuy]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

He's spent way more money than any other president in history. Example, Obama raised the debt ceiling more in his first 18 months as president, than all presidents from Washington to Kennedy combined.

+1 let's give this man a drink from the top shelf

[res0nat0r]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

Isn't this a bit naive? Bush had no hand in this at all with the two wars he launched? The only way he couldn't spend more money than Bush was from day one in office to unilaterally pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq, and also let the banking system fail by allowing the banks to default in 2008. It isn't this black and white.

[clintlove]

Re: Meet Birther Smear Campaign Operative, James Johnson

It's the acceleration Obama has put on that debt that's scary.

Under George W. Bush (8 years in office) : Increase of $4.899 trillion, or 86%. Holy shit that's insane. No president has ever even come close to increasing the national debt by that amount.

On the contrary...

Under Obama (2.5 years in office) : Increase of $3.661 trillion, or 34%. Obama has spent nearly 3/4 the total amount of money Bush spent in 8 years in a mere 2.5 years. With our national debt crisis and his intent of increasing the debt ceiling, he shows no signs of letting up on his spending anytime soon.