Comments on: Kabuki Or Bust? Economy Does Not Need Paulson’s Reject Plan

By: selise

selise — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:38:11 +0000

late follow up…. i did finally get to talk with someone at both the senate banking and house financial services committees about the rules regarding who could ask questions at the hearings. in both cases there is no impediment to appointing committee counsel (or some other staff) to question the witnesses on behalf of the committee. this issue also came up in thread just now with william black (great thread btw).

By: smith9898

smith9898 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:48:36 +0000

I think given the plan offer by Geithner and Obama is a road to failure,but Obama seems to be blinded by this plan which is rehash of Bush Paulson plan. I think Paul Krugman is right in his assessment of the Obama plan,but none of the economic team are listening. The question is what do we do and the answer is? First get back all of the bonus money back from all parties that took TARP money. Secondly craft the regulations needed to insure that we the taxpayers get back all of our money period. We need to call for the resignation of the entire economic team cause they do not know what they are doing. We need to call,email the entire congress to not pass this new bailout plan. We need to call the Whitehouse to let Obama know he going in the wrong direction.

By: tejanarusa

tejanarusa — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:21:10 +0000

Wow, they gave a Gridiron Dinner and nobody reported on it endlessly? The media really are dying off.

Seriously, I love the economic series plan. I’ll either be there live or catching up.

And to think I was going to ask if FDL had any ideas how to get through to our new President. I should have known.

By: Christy Hardin Smith

Christy Hardin Smith — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:14:01 +0000

Deliberate? Maybe. Indirect through blindsided loyalties? Perhaps. Digging in on a plan not of their making because they don’t want to admit they were wrong? Very possible.

Whatever the root cause of it — what I’d like to think is that they have the ability to turn around and question what they are doing to make it better. But thus far, I haven’t seen nearly enough of that on anything — and that, more than anything, worries the hell out of me.

By: kyeo

kyeo — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:10:04 +0000

So you think Obama’s own advisors are attempting to undercut his own agenda? I find that pretty unlikely as well; they’d have to think Obama was stupid in that case, which I don’t think anyone does. I certainly think there’s an argument to be made that Geithner and Summers are too short-sighted and too aligned with Wall Street to see the larger picture, but I doubt very much that either of them are engaged in deliberate sabotage.

By: Christy Hardin Smith

Christy Hardin Smith — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:08:54 +0000

Fresh posty goodness up top for folks who want it…

By: Leen

Leen — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:02:25 +0000

After Obama’s warning I just keep thinking the men and women in black will knock on AIG’s door late in the evening and open up the next morning with totally new owners. Or is owning 80% enough?

By: selise

selise — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:50:37 +0000

p.s. i got through to senate banking and am waiting for a call back from house finance. will leave a note summarizing the info i got on hearings, etc.

By: selise

selise — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:49:02 +0000

that was why i never understood your focus on gramm when as far as i could see rubin and summers were no better.

By: Christy Hardin Smith

Christy Hardin Smith — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:40:49 +0000

Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that. I know exactly what I think about Gramm — Summers is more complex, so that’s a tougher answer from my perspective. Mainly because I know so much more about Gramm, and so much less by comparison about Summers at this point.