But I can't hear what you're saying.
In which Thomas Friedman drops another 800 word deuce in the New York Time moaning about the malignant dysfunction of the American political system --
Calling America: Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello?Without
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: November 2, 2013
SINGAPORE — HAVING lived and worked abroad for many years, I’m sensitive to the changing ways that foreigners look at America. Over the years, I’ve seen an America that was respected, hated, feared and loved. But traveling around China and Singapore last week, I was confronted repeatedly with an attitude toward America that I’ve never heard before: “What’s up with you guys?”
...
mentioning
the words
"Republican" or "Conservative"
once.
Because Both Sides.
8 comments:
Alan Greenspan is a Republican.
He once worked for convicted criminal Charles Keating. Greenspan was a Randite, Washington influence peddler who worked tirelessly to eliminate financial regulation. While working for Keating, Greenspan's deregulatory efforts gave America a savings and loan crisis that cost taxpayers at least a half trillion dollars.
Seeing what a conservative intellectual giant Greenspan was, Reagan asked Greenspan to make changes to Social Security and the Greenspan Commission was created. Greenspan oversaw a massively regressive tax scheme that took money directly out of the pockets of poor and middle class Americans to hide the budget holes caused by Reagan's massive military deficit spending.
Saint Ronnie was pleased. He nominated Greenspan to become the Federal Reserve Chairman. Presumably as a reward for another job well done.
Republicans loved this Greenspan. And why shouldn't they? He was an actual member of Ayn Rand's inner circle and wrote articles for her newsletter before joining government. It was only logical that he was renominated to be Fed Chair by Bush the elder.
But...
In 1992 the pot smoking, liberal Bill Clinton became president. Later in 1994 Greenspan testified before Congress that derivatives trading was more safe and just as necessary as commercial banking. His testimony helped ensure this part of finance remained unregulated. (This decision eventually led to over a 155 trillion dollar bubble in toxic derivatives.)
Understandably, less than 2 years after the aforementioned testimony Bill Clinton wanted to get rid of this crazed conservative with ties to Ayn Rand, Objectivist philosophy, and radical deregulatory views. So Clinton nominated Greenspan to a third term as Fed Chairman. Hating Greenspan's anti-regulating, free wheeling, wild west finance capitalism so much, Clinton had no choice but to nominate Greenspan to a fourth term as Fed chairman.
We all know what happened next. Bush the lesser stole the election from a piece of wood someone found in Tennessee. Naturally,Bush pledges to change course from his pot smoking predecessor.
Bush wants to free up the power of capitalism so that a new tide will rise all boats. He wants to change direction and end burdensome regulation on capital. So when he eventually gets the chance he does a 180 degree turn and renominates the libertarian Greenspan for a fifth term as Fed Chairman.
The rest is history...
Because Both Sides.
Thanks for the update, sweetie.
My first thought when I hear the words "both sides . . ." is that, yes, both sides have neoCons/Libs (or Blue Dogs) dressed in progressive garb as they mortally stab anyone actually evincing progressive ideas.
It's bloody on both sides, but piled higher and deeper (as the saying goes) on the right.
Love ya,
C
Good morning, Mr. Glass.
'Without mentioning the words "Republican" or "Conservative" once.'
Maybe it's like Dune...
"There is a place terrifying to us...to women. It is said a man will come...the Kwisatz Haderach...he will go where we cannot..."
Except they think the Kwizatz Haderach is gonna be Mr. Rubio or Mr. Cruz or whoever the next Republican Jesus is, when in all probability it's gonna have to be liberals (the ones with as close to perfect memory as you're gonna get).
Enjoy your day.
---Kevin Holsinger
Yeah, dickhead Durban wants to cut social security, so while assholes clearly abound on both sides, only one side would shut down the govt and then blame it on the Muslim usurper. I think Friedman occasionally has thoughts but to follow them all the way down the rabbit hole would land him in realityland where people don't get rich for putting their musings on a webpage twice a week. He would rather keep the sex and the city dream alive...you too may one day make money despite doing virtually no research and having very little insight.
-aaroninTW
Didn't we vote for Obama BECAUSE he was going to tackle entitlements and give us tax reform? That was a huge fucking selling point about him with everyone I know.
Tackling SS is a good thing. Not only can we avoid having to pay from the general fund (read tax increases), we can avoid a payroll tax increase, and slashing it will help fuel the financial industry in NY, CA, and DC... you know BLUE STATES to help our biggest donors.
This is a feature not a bug. This is why we vote Democratic.
My wife pointed out that I left out a few important details.
After what amounts to a lifetime of public service for the greater good, the man most responsible for our double digit unemployment and DG not having a full-time job retires. Republican president, Bush the lesser is forced to nominate another Fed Chair. He chooses a technocratic, Republican academic named Ben Bernanke. No surprise there.
Ben drops the Fed Funds rate to near zero where it has stayed for nearly five years. Meanwhile, U6 has remained in double digits the entire time, millions of people have lost their homes and many others have seen the value of their homes reduced by 50% or more. Meanwhile banks refuse to lend money to people who need it or even refinance existing mortgages while the uber wealthy and WallStreet bankers make a killing from the Fed policy of free money and the carry trade. Tired of these failed policies, the American people insist that this aggression will not stand.
So...
The they elect a pot smoking liberal. Realizing what a complete failure Bernanke has been at moderating the business cycle, reducing unemployment or stemming the flow of home foreclosures Obama promises change.
Eventually the Democrat gets his chance to change America's economic trajectory and he nominates the Republican Fed Chair along with all his failed policies to a second term. Lest we forget, Obama also picked Timmy "foam the runway" Geithner to be Treasury Secretary.
The rest is history...
Because Both Sides.
As a Canadian living a pistol shot across the St. Clair River from Michigan, I can tell you that a lot of us foreigners have been asking WTF? for quite awhile. We are just mostly too polite to ask you to your faces.
You just never seemed to care, which I believe is still the case. Also, there is not much differentiation here between the American political parties, because they sure both look pretty conservative to us. Agreed that the Repubs are undeniably loony [and I use that not in reference to our beloved dollar], but most of your Dems would have trouble fitting into Harper's Conservative Party. Including Mr. Obama.
But, its a free country and you guys can do what you want....which seems to be your modus operendi anyway.
In other news, Hillary Clinton, likely 2016 Democratic nominee, recently got $400,000 for two speeches at Goldman Sachs.
When policemen do this sort of thing, it is known as "being on the pad."
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