Political Commentary

Thuggery

6 Comments

Congressman Gerry Ackerman:

…the point of finding out who has taken this money – – listen, we own 80 percent of that company right now. From my — as far as I am concerned, they are almost public employees. Public employees, we have — we can have certain requirements on them.

If they return the money, then I don’t think anybody has to know who they are or what their names are.

So, as Jonah says, if you just give us the money, we won’t tell the people who want to garrotte you who you are and where you live. We just want to make you an offer you can’t refuse.

And of course, there’s all the bluster from slimeballs like Chuck Schumer about ex-post-facto bills of attainder, as though it’s not dually unconstitutional.

I cannot recall a time in my life that I have been more sickened by the political class in Washington.

[Update a few minutes later]

And then there’s this, on the president comparing bankers to suicide bombers:

“Same thing with AIG,” Obama said. “It was the right thing to do to step in. Like they’ve got a bomb strapped to them and they’ve got their hand on the trigger, you don’t want them to blow up, but you’ve got to ease them off the trigger.”

And the president held out his arm and pantomimed a hand on a trigger, and we were rapt, waiting for what would happen next.

Remember, the president is a great communicator.

Like many, I have my share of anger over the bonuses, at the employees, at the AIG leadership, Geithner, the Fed, President Obama, Senator Dodd, etc. … But if some nut tries to kill some AIG employees… who fanned the flames?

Hey, it’s the Chicago way.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

What Did Geithner Not Know?

3 Comments

…and when did he not know it? And a bonus — “heckuva job, Timmy!”

I think I hear the bus starting to warm up its engine in preparation for its next victim.

By way of the AllahPundit we learn that TIME has been told that the Fed flagged the AIG bonuses to Treasury on Feb 28, ten days before word percolated to Geithner. What an operation – Geithner was at the NY Fed working with Hank Paulson on these bailouts, was brought to Treasury to provide continuity, and now has forgotten everything prior to Jan 20, 2009. Geithner needs to bring on some senior staffers so he can fire someone. Inshallah.

…FREUD IS EVERYWHERE: I know they are a bit down on Obama just now but this reflexive Bush-bashing from the Chi Trib blog is ridiculous:

This appears to be a case where the government’s right hand didn’t know what the left was doing. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner learned only last week about the bonuses, according to the Bush Administration.

Yes, we all miss Ari and Dana and what’s his name. But since this is the Obama Administration let me offer an editing suggestion: “This appears to be a case where the government’s left hand didn’t know what the far left hand was doing.” Just trying to help.

Maguire is a one-man wrecking crew on this story.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

The Problem Is Bigger Than Them

10 Comments

Jim Manzi has some useful thoughts:

Commentators on both the Left and Right seem to think that if only we could get the right person to take over these companies and clean up the financial mess, everything would be OK. All it takes is somebody competent and honest, because the answers are so obvious. A rotating series of scapegoats has been created. Paulson? Fool. Geithner? Moron. Liddy? Stooge. It’s funny how their idiocy didn’t seem to surface so much in their prior careers.

Maybe the issue isn’t with the men we’ve selected, but with the problem we’ve asked them to address. Some problems don’t have solutions. The American electorate seems to be intent on re-learning the lesson that how to effectively manage socialized means of production is one of them. The tuition for this course tends to be pretty steep.

I’m sure that Liddy is deeply regetting that he took the job, particularly given the (lack of) financial compensation. The notion that a government, or any one person, is smart enough to run an economy is what Hayek called the fatal conceit.

[Update early evening]

James Pethokoukis:

It’s cliché to say there’s a lot of blame but going around — but there is a lot of blame to go around.

Everywhere you turn in this mess, you can find government right there. To say this is a private-sector failure is ridiculous. It’s like Forrest Gump, where he keeps showing up at historic moments. Everywhere you look in this mess, again and again, you see government.

The most infuriating thing about these clowns, both in Washington and the press, is how a non-existent free market and “deregulation” keeps getting falsely blamed for this as an excuse for bigger government and more regulation.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

Fun With Teleprompters

9 Comments

Somehow this seems appropriate:

A laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium to take over but it seems the script had finally been switched and the US president ended up thanking himself for inviting everyone to the party.

Well, who else should he have thanked? He is The One, after all.

And I agree with this:

Imagine if George W. Bush had such a crutch and pulled a monster gaffe like this. It would be played 24/7 on television until the end of time.

For some strange reason, the networks refuse to release video of this great moment in hilarity.

This reliance on his TelePrompter is just embarrassing.

Mr Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the “teleprompt president” over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech.

Who considers him a great orator other than his slobbering media sycophants? Any time the man has to utter more than two sentences off script he becomes The Wizard of Uhhhs.

We know that it would have been shown endlessly had it been George Bush.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!