David Corn

At what point in our nation's history did we decide that the talent pool for high level bureaucrats is restricted to lobyists and former leaders of corporations which are to be restrained from excesses which harm this nation?

Is there really no one out there who knows how to manage bureaucracies who is not now nor has recently been a lobbyist or agent for those who are buying the legislation that protects the over privileged while distressing the middle class and poor?

Surely in a population of 300 million people we do not need to only hire foxes to oversee the operations and security of our national henhouses.

DC,

"a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist--lobbied against a bill to curb CEO pay."

And as a GS lobbyist he should have been lobbying FOR or in favor of curbing the bosses pay?

Hardly breaking news - I have read all about this before?

Slow day and you're busy, I know but really? This is breaking news?

Maybe this is part of the whole picture?

"Mr. Patterson has a long history of public service in the United States Senate. He brings significant expertise to the job of chief of staff, and has agreed to a far-reaching ethics pledge to remove any hint of a conflict of interest," said Treasury spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. The pledge, outlined in the executive order, requires him to recuse himself from topics he lobbied on.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123309702282121649.html

Or are you and John making the case that Patterson has violated that pledge?

another account of a [israeli] sharpshooter who killed an elderly woman who came within 100 yards of a commandeered house.

When asked why that elderly woman was killed, a [israeli] squad commander was quoted as saying: “What’s great about Gaza — you see a person on a path, he doesn’t have to be armed, you can simply shoot him. In our case it was an old woman on whom I did not see any weapon when I looked.

Soldiers’ Accounts of Gaza Killings Raise Furor in Israel:

http://tinyurl.com/cox589

what totally evil pieces of shit israelis seem to be!

Well, off with his head too.

"If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way."

~ Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

As If's cogent comment is entirely applicable to the issues David Corn wrote about in this blog entry.

Perchance I should send As IF a nice video of Hamas executing some Fatah men by shooting them in the back with submachine guns. I am sure he/she would be happy to watch it repeatedly with a drink in one hand and a loud noisemaker in the other as he/she listens to the song of glee in Arabic that accompanies the lengthy shooting and the leaping with joy on the part of the shooters.

Toxic Asset Plan Foresees Big Subsidies for Investors

[...]

The uproar over the American International Group’s bonuses has not stopped the Obama administration from plowing ahead. The plan is not expected to impose restrictions on the executive pay of private investors or fund managers who participate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/business/21bank.html?_r=1&hp

*****

Coincidence? I wonder . . .

How I botched the bonus story

[...]

As the mob circles, there’s an element of what the psychologists call transference in the media’s relentless focus on how Dodd and Geithner must be held to account for the “outrageous” bonuses. Easier to point fingers at them than at ourselves.

If the potential of these bonuses to trigger all-consuming public anger was plain as day, why was the press not collectively screaming from the rooftops about them?

The truth is, the press has pretty bad antennae about what will trigger public outrage, particularly that of the populist variety. Back in 2006, few if any in the Washington media elite chafed at the idea of allowing Dubai to run U.S. ports; ordinary Americans were infuriated.

The AIG bonus issue also arose as part of a spiraling financial crisis that remains so massive and unprecedented that it sometimes is hard to know where to look. It’s also true, though, that given their druthers, most reporters would rather not spend much time looking in a 300-page Securities and Exchange Commission filing, or a 1,000-page bill.

Still, the fact that AIG had locked in the bonus deals with key employees has been a matter of public record for nearly a year.

http://tinyurl.com/d4k8st

""Perchance I should send As IF a nice video of Hamas executing some Fatah men by shooting them in the back with submachine guns.""

yes why don't you do that kalpal, send your single "nice video" and i will send you a veritable plethora of links to public domain videos and photos of the results of evil israeli brutality towards their captive palestinian victims.
tell me pal, were you one of the israelis camped out on the hills with a concession stand selling souvenirs to the evil cheerleading israeli populace cheering their evil military?
who are the nazis now?

david, i know why the rest of the media is giving bernanke a pass, but why are YOU also giving him a pass? the AIG ceo admitted the Fed had been aware of the scheduled bonuses from the beginning because the Fed always has a representative present at all of their executive meetings. the Fed has had oversight from the start. why is bernanke spared from demands about what he knew and when did he know it?

at least wapo's david cho is paying attention:

How the Fed Failed to Tell Obama About The Bonuses

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031804210.html?hpid=topnews

a cut from above link:

"Federal Reserve officials knew for months about bonuses at American International Group but failed to tell the Obama administration, according to government and company officials, exposing problems in a relationship that is vital to addressing the financial crisis."

watching on cspan. rubin opposed regulating credit default swaps? but the line he's been putting out was that he didn't understand how these derivatives worked. if he didn't understand them, why did he oppose regulating them? what did rubin know and when did he know it!

No more taxpayer bailouts – encourage individuals to invest in our economy!!!

Tired of seeing your tax dollars wasted on Wall Street bonuses, corporate jets, scams and office remodeling as well as rewarding bankrupt banks that refuse to lend to Americans?

What is wrong with our government - combine spending with tax cuts in one easy plan!

Quickly help the USA auto industry, clean up foreclosures and pump cash into the economy – without government bailouts
Millions of Americans close to retirement have seen their pension and IRA savings slashed in value by 50%!
Many have taken their funds out of the stock market altogether.
Why not encourage Americans to buy cars made in the USA and/or foreclosures?

For those over 55, offer the option to withdraw up to $35,000 from their IRA’s and pension savings tax free if they buy autos made in the USA.
With regard to foreclosures, allow us to withdraw up to $450,000 tax free to buy a foreclosure (or home going into foreclosure). Require that these foreclosures and autos must be held at least 3 years, fully paid in cash, no mortgage, no loans and NO GOVERNMENT BAILOUTS!
This would quickly provide jobs, help American auto makers, provide capital to the banks, clean up the foreclosure blight and give Americans a chance to recoup some of their retirement loses – without borrowing from China and bankrupting American taxpayers.

re cspan, anybody notice the wondrous symmetry of obama set up to be attacked from both left and right? and critics mocked obama could never bring about bipartisanship.

The Nazis are still the Nazis. All remarks about major atrocities used by Americans refer to atrocities committed against Jews which is the gold standard when talking about atrocities. You know you will be talking about Jews being murdered as your simile or any other part of speech. You don't hear references to US soldiers murdering Indians. You don't hear much about Spaniards committing genocide in South Americans. You hear about Jews being murdered because that has been going on so many centuries that all know of it.

BTW if you need more than one video of Hamas committing murder I can supply more. The numbers don't matter. What matters is the joyous abandon with which Hamas murders people. That was the point. Seems you missed it.

I am all in favor of Israel avoiding anything to do with Hamas and gaza. Let the Egyprians play the role they did till 1967.

I am also in favor of wiping Gaza clean of human life if there is more bombardment from inside Gaza. Israel left Gaza some years ago. Nothing says Israel is obliged to help Gaza survive.

Anyone who bambards another country in an effort to get better treatment deserves to die for their efforts.

I still remeber what the USA did when Cuba tried to set up missiles. We all know how those nice Americans said nothing and did nothing about it. Or did they?

Hamas's charter states clearly their intention in relation to Israel. Hamas was voted into office. When you vote scum into office you get to suffer with that scum especially when that scum uses you as a human shield.

I have no sympahy for Hamas. Let Saudi Arabia build Hamas its own power plants and its own food production facilities and let Israel respond to any missile attack with overwhelming force as it sees fit.

If you think Israel should make nice with anyone who states clearly they intend to kill off Israel than you are truly an idiot. Excuse me, idiot is far too mild an epithet for you.

I would also point out that Isarel has never used civilians as human shields. Those paragons of virtue the Islamic warriors do so as a matter of course.

I would think the Palestinians should turn on Hamas and butcher them in the same fashion they butchered Fatah.

Have a good life and go visit Gaza for a few years. They can use someone with your intellect to clarify why Hamas should be given free rein to murder Israelis. I am sure your arguments will be so brilliant that Israel will dissolve itself in favor of allowing an Islamic theocracy to come to life.

Of course you could also work out the elusive formula for proportional response to several thousand missiles being fired at you. All those gigantic intellects who claim Israel's response is disproprtionate can't seem to explain the formula to me for a proprtional response.

That is akin to christian explaining to me that a Jew who died long ago will come back to life and shower them with love for having murdered and tortured Jews and others in his name. Surely nothing says I love you like committing murder and torture in one's name for many centuries.

The Nazis are still the Nazis and they are still known largely for murdering Jews along with others. People who can't tell the difference between killing and murder are known as religious fools.

""What matters is the joyous abandon with which Hamas murders people.""

Ali Murad Abu Shaweesh was 12 when Israeli soldiers shot him in the back.....
the Israeli soldiers, who taunted the Palestinian boys over loudspeakers outside the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, goading them to come out and throw rocks, did so under the gaze of Chris Hedges, a reporter for the New York Times.

"joyous abandon":
http://tinyurl.com/dxt95e
nazi is as nazi does.

""I am also in favor of wiping Gaza clean of human life if there is more bombardment from inside Gaza. Israel left Gaza some years ago.""

"more bombardment from inside gaza"
why is there never any photos of this so-called 'bombardment'?
oh wait, here is documented proof of the 'bombardment':

both sides of the story!
http://tinyurl.com/a4ujc5
some of these poor beleagured israelis are actually smiling!

""truly an idiot. Excuse me, idiot is far too mild an epithet for you.""

ha ha. keep it up pally, you are a typical israeli shill and your every word betrays that fact.

""Israel left Gaza some years ago""

actually, israel has encircled gaza with a massive wall, making gaza the world's largest concentration camp.
for months before their heinous bombing and MURDER of even palestinian children, israel had cut off all influx of food and other necessities to the palestinians.
not only that but israel are the ones who broke the cease fire as even CNN has publicly stated.

"" proportional response to several thousand missiles being fired at you""

again, where is the evidence of those supposed "several thousand missiles"?

nothing like a few lies between shills, eh pally?

For the past decade we have been told by media what it is we should care about.

It is our great shame that we did very little to question this. Our media was less than it should be to be sure, but we let it be so. We kept buying the papers and watching the t.v. shows. We quietly began to care about what the media led us to care about.

Do we really care more about the Octomom than we do about the state of our economy? We certainly shouldn't, but the media, we are told, give us what sells. Like sheep we will let ourselves be led. Not unlike what has happened in this blog thread. It began about Geithner and the economy, but then got redirrected to a war that has no relationship to what the thread was about.

Im tired of being led.

I think Geithner is doing a pretty good job under the circumstances, I think that people fail to understand how very important timing was with both the 'BAIL OUTS' . Obama was left with very little choice in regard to Bush's bail out, you know the one, came with no oversight at all. He needed someone on the inside of that if he was to move quickly (which the world markets demanded). Geithner was an obvious choice. Bringing in someone with no contacts or relationships in this would be the same as bringing in a dentist to do an face lift. Do I like the bonuses? Hell no. Do I think it was a big enough deal in the scheme of things to risk delay of vital legislation? Nope.

We let the Maddoffs, and the Cramers and the (Name that irresponsible Economist here) tell us what to do, did we ever think that their advice might be a tad tainted by what they did for a living? It would seem not.

Frankly, I don't think those that lost their ass because they got greedy deserve much of anything, UNLESS they can help fix the mess they made. Then I would be willing to talk bonus.

Not that I think thats fair, it is not, but it could well prove to be both expedient and profitable since we the People now own a fair amount of these concerns.

For those of you who wish to talk about the war in the Middle East (pick one). Do so in blogs pertaining to that subject.

it isn't a "war".
people are being brutalized and having their land stolen by other people who believe that they are god's chosen ones and that the rest of the world's people are mere cattle.
what a coincidence that the very same "chosen ones" control the very same media that presents us with 'octomoms'.

geithner is a weak non-issue distraction and i won't go away just for YOUR convenience.

Binary thinking is a limited in the ME as it is here.

Everything is not black and white.

Sadly some folks have to bring it down to that level.