One in 300, or the Only one in Government?

UPDATE: Brad DeLong lists some of the Usual Suspects who are Not in the Line-up.

John McCain’s 300 economists who support his Jobs for America Plan (via Tyler Cowen, non-sociopath, who provides an appropriate context for the list) includes one person, an Ike Brannon, whose affiliation is listed as “Department of the Treasury” and who, per this site, is “Senior Advisor to the [Tax Policy] Assistant Secretary,” one Eric Solomon.

My initial suspicion was that this might be a violation of the Hatch Act. But that appears not to be necessarily true:

These federal and D.C. employees may-

* express opinions about candidates and issues
* contribute money to political organizations
* attend political fundraising functions
* attend and be active at political rallies and meetings
* join and be an active member of a political party or club
* sign nominating petitions
* campaign for or against candidates in partisan elections
* make campaign speeches for candidates in partisan elections
* distribute campaign literature in partisan elections
* hold office in political clubs or parties

So as long as Mr. Brannon didn’t sign the petition while “on duty [or] in a government office [or] using a government vehicle,” it appears he is clearly permitted to sign the petition.

Now, generally, these petitions are circulated through personal connections. So presumably someone knows Mr. Brannon and forwarded it to him at his personal e-mail address. And one would assume that Mr. Brannon, if he were enthusiastic about the petition, would forward it—in a manner not to violate the Hatch Act—to others, including co-workers.

And presumably those others would know that, so long as the contact was of a personal nature, they, too, could sign on to “support of John McCain’s Jobs for America economic plan.”

The silence from the rest of the Treasury Department is deafening.