Why is Cass Sunstein Leaving the Obama Regime?

AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR WILL RETURN TO HIS ALMA MATER

by Sharon Rondeau

(Aug. 3, 2012) — The head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Cass Sunstein, has resigned to return to Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1978.

In January 2010, Sunstein was described as “one of Barack Obama’s closest confidantes.”  Sunstein believed that Obama had developed a “balanced approach to regulation” and embraced “informed public discussion.”  He claimed his agency had eliminated unnecessary paperwork and helped small businesses save money.

Before working in Washington, DC, Sunstein had taught law at the University of Chicago for 27 years.  Prior to his confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Sunstein was described as “making liberals nervous” and “an old friend” of Obama’s.  It was reported early in the regime that Sunstein believed that animals possessed the same rights as people.

Sunstein’s book entitled Behavioral Law and Economics presented a study in how human behavior determines law.  Harvard has initiated a new program encompassing “Behavioral Economics and Public Policy.”

Two years prior, Sunstein had co-authored a paper on conspiracy theories, recommending “cognitive infiltration of extremist groups,” to which he believed conspiracy theorists belonged.  On page 10 of Sunstein’s essay, he and his co-author group believers in conspiracy theories with “extremism” and “violence.”  He claims that “terrorism is more likely to arise in nations that lack civil rights and civil liberties…When civil rights and civil liberties are restricted, little information is available, and what comes from government cannot be trusted.”

In response to conspiracy theories, Sunstein believes that government should “introduce beneficial cognitive diversity,” which included “breaking up the the hard core of extremists” identified as perpetrating the theories (p. 15.)  He states that those who believe that the U.S. government somehow perpetrated the 9/11 attacks are “kooks.”  Sunstein’s views have been described as “kooky.”

On page 18, in describing different ways in which a government might respond to conspiracy theories, Sunstein says that the government first employs a “wait-and-see” approach, which might convince the public that the theory is “silly.”

Obama used the term “silliness” on the day that he released what he says is his long-form birth certificate to convince the public that he was born in Hawaii.  The image was released after thousands of citizens had written, telephoned, faxed and emailed their state and U.S. representatives over at least “two years” about the questions surrounding Obama’s background and birthplace.  Whether or not Obama was born on U.S. soil is popularly understood to determine if he meets the U.S. Constitution’s “natural born Citizen” requirement, although over the last three and one-half years, some scholars, writers and constitutional attorneys insist that it is the citizenship of the father or both parents which is the determining factor or one of the factors.

On page 19 of the essay, Sunstein contends that there is value to a delayed response tot a conspiracy theory by the government.  “…there is an option value to the strategy of ignoring the theory:  a public rebuttal now is costly or impossible to undo, but maintaining silence now leaves government with the option to rebut later, if it chooses to do so.”

Sunstein’s wife, Samantha Power, is also currently employed by the Obama regime.

In February 2008, it was announced that Sunstein was returning to Harvard from his position at the University of Chicago.  It appears that he did so for one year before joining the Obama regime, having been confirmed by the Senate in September 2009. Sunstein’s curriculum vitae states that he was involved with both institutions from 2008 to the present.

Before his confirmation, he was a “special adviser” to Peter Orszag, who left his position after 18 months.

Amazon.com currently stocks a total of 181 books authored or co-authored by him on the topics of “constitutional law,” the First Amendment, and one entitled “The Cost of Rights:  Why Liberty Depends on Taxes.”  On July 26, Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania decried over-regulation on the floor of the U.S. House as being harmful to U.S. businesses.  In response to his speech, Kelly received a standing ovation.