AIG meltdown: Pelosi blames Senate, Treasury blames Fed, nutroots blame White House
posted at 4:15 pm on March 19, 2009 by Allahpundit
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Variations on a theme of Democratic disarray: Madam Speaker’s miffed at Dodd for exempting the bonuses in the first place, the nutroots are miffed at Emanuel and Axelrod for dismissing the intensity of America’s outrageously outrageous outrage, and Treasury’s miffed at the Federal Reserve for not giving it any lead time to dodge a political freight train.
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.
As pressure mounted on AIG employees to return the bonuses, new details emerged yesterday about what the Fed, the Treasury Department and the White House knew regarding the payments and when. AIG executives said the Fed was informed three months ago by the company that it would pay $165 million by March 15 to employees working at its most troubled division. The Treasury and White House said they learned of the payments from Fed officials only days before they were due…
The Fed officials did not anticipate the political firestorm that would erupt over the bonuses, a senior government official said. “They clearly underestimated the matter,” the source said.
The downside to this goldmine? The GOP’s obliged, as a simple matter of smart politics, to pile on and demagogue the bonuses too, even though the public’s anger is not only potentially dangerous but might end up being harnessed by the left for counterproductive, wealth-destroying means. It’s a question, I guess, of which side can more effectively exploit their version of the “lesson” here: For Republicans, it’s proof of the folly of bailouts and for Democrats it’s proof that business needs to be more tightly regulated. If ever we needed the party to be on its game message-wise, it’s now.
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Eyeroll worthy.
Cindy Munford on March 19, 2009 at 5:02 PM
Most rodents are.
She’s slipping, though-it took her a full 28 minutes to get her talking points from Forehead.
Del Dolemonte on March 19, 2009 at 5:03 PM
More like circle jerk. That’s what this entire administration has been since day one.
Jvette on March 19, 2009 at 5:05 PM
If ever we needed the party to be on its game message-wise, it’s now.
Eyeroll worthy.
Damn right, and we also need the party to deliver the facts; no bullshit; straight facts… Man-up GOP….
Keemo on March 19, 2009 at 5:05 PM
How much you want to bet the questions were requested by the WH and Leno gave them to WH.
Dusty on March 19, 2009 at 5:06 PM
I say ’signing into law(?)’ because just because Congress signs something into law doesn’t mean it really is…check it out: http://www.givemeliberty.org
Also, not giving Obama a heapin’ helpin’ of The Blame after he claimed responsibility and said that he has every confidence in Geithner, is like defending Dodd, saying that he was forced by the Treasury to include the bonus protection clause.
This is in reference to: “…nutroots blame White House”
Perhaps the headline is a paraphrase, not a statement by the author. No one here could be that far off.
Christine on March 19, 2009 at 5:06 PM
I think this is great progress.
It’s the first time in years that a Washington crisis has not been blamed on Bush.
Loxodonta on March 19, 2009 at 5:07 PM
FIFY
BobMbx on March 19, 2009 at 5:09 PM
This kind of stuff is not hip, so she probably hasn’t heard about it.
Dusty on March 19, 2009 at 5:09 PM
Tune into Leno tonight, it will.
thomasaur on March 19, 2009 at 5:09 PM
We could also use a real live media that wasn’t playing for either “team”. There are tons of stories out there, hanging like over-ripe fruit, but there are no journalists.
Cindy Munford on March 19, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Well, I’m hearing that the pen He used to sign the bill was purchased by the Bush Administration (a holdover, if you will).
BobMbx on March 19, 2009 at 5:12 PM
Why is it so hard to believe Republicans are as outraged as Democrats about these bonuses? It was a Republican Congress that enacted Sarbanes-Oxley in the wake of the Enron meltdown. Republicans pushed for stronger regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and exposed the outrageous bonuses paid to Frank Raines and co. at Fannie Mae in the late 1990s. The notion that Republicans think whatever business does is A-OK is garbage.
rockmom on March 19, 2009 at 5:12 PM
Two words: Term Limits
Conservative Voice on March 19, 2009 at 5:13 PM
Yup, tent cities, hungry and scared people, long lines for a janitor’s job, foreclosed house, etc…
getalife on March 19, 2009 at 5:13 PM
I was just in the supermarket and saw one of the rags the “Sun” had a headline “Obama Cancels June, 11 month year will save billions.” Reminded me of the movie “Men in Black,” getting the real news from the supermarket tabloids. Would anyone really be shocked any more if Obama did cancel June? I wouldn’t
msmveritas on March 19, 2009 at 5:16 PM
Yup, and they won’t cover these stories because it is liberal policies that are the cause.
Jvette on March 19, 2009 at 5:17 PM
Two words: Vote Republican.
Loxodonta on March 19, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Allahpundit – The video link is no longer available. The Gestapo must have taken it down.
Christian Conservative on March 19, 2009 at 5:18 PM
NO! Not June, my birthday is in June.
Jvette on March 19, 2009 at 5:18 PM
and when it doesn’t, he will insert the month back renaming it “Obamus”
runner on March 19, 2009 at 5:19 PM
Sorry, that was part of our problem governing, we didn’t ask Americans to sacrifice enough. For the good of the country, your birthday must be sacrificed. Think of all the billions it will save and the skittles being pooped out of unicorns. When it doesn’t work, as runner predicts you can then celebrate your birthday in the fine month of “Obamus”
msmveritas on March 19, 2009 at 5:28 PM
It’s
Reagan’sBush’s fault.29Victor on March 19, 2009 at 5:29 PM
Care to comment on the emergence of Obama’s stock market failing? Down again You claimed that “Bush’s depression is over”…
So everything you state is owned by Obama.
BTW, you never did explain what you meant my a “depression”, care to share with us what you think an “economic depression” is?
right2bright on March 19, 2009 at 5:32 PM
Or else the WH gave the approved list of Q’s to Leno!
INC on March 19, 2009 at 5:32 PM
Did ya’ll read this blog?
http://baracksteleprompter.blogspot.com/
It’s pretty funny.
getalife on March 19, 2009 at 5:34 PM
I don’t get it. How can a company have a legal contract obligating themselves to pay out these bonuses, pay them out, and then the government passes a law to take a 90% tax out of it? Is that legal?
scalleywag on March 19, 2009 at 5:41 PM
Whats that!? Oh yeah, I remember that smell.
Its burning political capital.
Up next, flat beer and stale pretzels.
Speakup on March 19, 2009 at 5:45 PM
Take back the House and Senate!
RobCon on March 19, 2009 at 5:48 PM
And finally your answer:
right2bright on March 19, 2009 at 5:53 PM
Ok,
let’s give 535 people complete control over multi Trillions of dollars. Let’s set the syetem up so that hose people have an avg relection rate of 90%+. Let’s also allow those people to not only vote for their salaries but also allow them to extend the federal debt level on any damn whim they fell like. Let’s also expemt these individuals from every law they pass, let’s let them creat their own bubble land where they do not need insurance, have to worry about retirement etc. Now let’s also give them earmark authority to direct these funds anyway they want by bundling bills together so the result bill is so big no one can possibly read the bill. then let’s allow them to take money for their campaign’s from anyone they want and let’s allow these people giving them money to bundle the money.
I mean what can go wrong? And somehow 52% of the Americian people expect this system to produce better results depending on who is in office? The system is broken and the federal gov has slipped out of its consitutional chains. Everything that is happening could be seen to happen. Everything that will happen is already being shown to those that have enough sense to see it. We will have run away inflation, we will have a one world gov, we will have a one world currency. Our standard of living will be reduced thru inflation so that we are EQUAL with the rest of the world. The rest of the world lives in misery and poverty. We can not bring them up to our level therefore to be equal we must go donw to their’s.
That is what the elites think. That is their objective. It can be seen in the bailouts, it can be seen in immigration policy, it can be seen in the FEd policy, it can be seen by what the Congress and PResident says on a daily basis. It can be seen by the cap and trade crap, it can be seen by the push for “green” and the fake science of global warming.
Each step leads to the next and the next until we will all be citizens of a UN where the elites decide who does what and how often and for how long. Who gets to travel, who gets to go to higher education.
Rant over….
unseen on March 19, 2009 at 5:53 PM
“This video no longer available”
Dang, I guess NBC doesn’t want people looking at their video’s or something. Can’t imagine why…
RedbonePro on March 19, 2009 at 5:54 PM
Two words: Vote Republican.
Loxodonta on March 19, 2009 at 5:18 PM
BS we tried that for 6 years. while it was not has bad has this it could not be called good. We still had the run away power grab of Congress, the uncontrolled spending, the elitism. The over regulation and the lack of Freedom
Rep=daddy state
DEm= Mommy state
I say it time the gov allows us to be adults and stay the hell out of our business. that means stupid idiot laws like seat belts, smoking laws, progressive tax laws, death taxes, hate crimes, etc all must be struck down as unconsitutional
unseen on March 19, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Hey Nancy, dear: NEXT TIME READ THE FUCKING BILL BEFORE YOU PUT IT TO A VOTE.
Now repeat after me Nancy, “I’m a dumb bitch!”
GarandFan on March 19, 2009 at 6:09 PM
Yet, now they spew fake outrage and their positions will change due to the outrage of the American people.
Today, the gop house voted to take their bonuses back. What will the Senate do? The same.
Hypocrites.
getalife on March 19, 2009 at 6:12 PM
That was priceless, thanks
scalleywag on March 19, 2009 at 6:24 PM
Anyone know how much longer we have to put up with her as speaker?
scalleywag on March 19, 2009 at 6:25 PM
At least 8 more years.
getalife on March 19, 2009 at 6:27 PM
Good Lord. So much for hope. I don’t know if I can take 8 more years of that smirk. Mexico is looking better and better.
scalleywag on March 19, 2009 at 6:31 PM
She’s a real class act. I want her on my team.
watson007 on March 19, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Peblowsi should teach a class: Advanced Bullsh*tology.
Obama knew. Geithner knew. Dodd forced it. Obama forced it.
America. You’ve been gang raped by the left.
madmonkphotog on March 19, 2009 at 8:37 PM
What’s that saying, “absolute power corrupts absolutely”? Even faster when there are NO principles to get in the way…
Gohawgs on March 19, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Why did Dodd slip that language in there about protecting bonuses?
Because Dodd is the biggest recipient of financial-industry donations.
jgapinoy on March 19, 2009 at 9:22 PM
What gives you the right to call us “nutroots.” Perhaps you would be more comfortable at Huffington Post or Daily KOS or MoveOn. I’m sick of this. Go ahead and ban me, I don’t care.
rlwo2008 on March 19, 2009 at 10:03 PM
Meghan McCain? Isn’t she the fat one?
mjn99999 on March 19, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Questions:
1. Who of these is the most expendable and bus worthy?
2. Will they get someone further down the trough to take the fall?
3. How much power does The One really have with these vultures? Is he Teflon-coated or merely being propped up by a combination of their good graces and his popularity with the media?
4. Will they simply bully their way through this with characteristic smears, BS and bluster and stay right where they are regardless of what anyone thinks and everybody stays where they are?
Dr. ZhivBlago on March 19, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Anyone know how much longer we have to put up with her as speaker?
scalleywag on March 19, 2009 at 6:25 PM
At least 8 more years.
getalife on March 19, 2009 at 6:27 PM
Yea, in dog years. She’ll be out on her smirky ass in 2010 or I’m not little…heh.
Ltlgeneral64 on March 19, 2009 at 10:53 PM
Funny!
Luck O The Dodd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-98FK22maFM&feature=haxa_popt00us00
jgapinoy on March 19, 2009 at 11:36 PM
We are being lead by a Clown Car Congress and Admini-straction…We all see your feigned outrage…You are deathly afraid that you really cant fool us. You are right, you cant fool us with your outrage about AIG when you dont even know what is in your friggin Stimulus Bill. And you want to get a $3.6Trillion dollar Social Engineering bill passed. You are to dumb to know that the gig is already up. You cant run a company you bought 80% interest in. You dont know how to run a company, since 95% of you clowns have never had to earn a real buck in running a real profitable enterprise. You will not and we cannot let the Clown Car Congress and Adminstration run a Socialized Medical Program, which would represent the goverment in charge of close to 16-18% of GDP. (3-4x bigger than the Pentagon’s share of GDP). You will not and we cannot let the Clown Car Congress and Administration a Socialized Cap and Tax Energy Program, which would socialize another 5-7% of GDP with Mother Nature Pelosi running the US into the ground. I have visions of a post-Green disaster, Mad Max kind of World, with leather-clad, SF-based Sean Penns in charge. You will not and cannot let the Clown Car Congress and Administration have more liberal influence on education to preach and teach SF and Hyde Park vetted subjects, with do-nothing union teachers. Here are the stars of the Clown Car Company: Chris Dodd- Secretary of Lying and Mortgage Fraud Barney Frank- Secretary of “the other side of the aisle did it” Adminstration- I thought Barney was the “other side” kind of guy already. Mother Nature Pelosi- Secretary of the “I will get every last dollar of bail-out money for Socialist California” Department….no wonder she was on a pogo stick has Obama delivered his speech on Porkulus and his budget to Congress. She wants to open the borders to the United State of Cali-Mexico, the 3rd largest Socialist Nation in the World and buy everybody a free education, free health care, free oxygen, free condoms, and state sponsored octo-births, as long as she can hijack bailout money from the rest of us. Charlie Rangel – Head of taxation and tax cheating Administration Barack Obama- Head and Chief Executor of the Obama Head Fake Institute- -where you promise to cover all veterns health care, as long as the vets pay for it -where you promise to meet with the loyal opposition for TV, but allow Mother Nature to write the Stimulus. Omnibus and the 2010 budget without even reading it -where you say that the 18 month pullout of Iraq sounds about right, since the heavy lifting is already accomplished by people A LOT smarter than you. -where you promise no pork and going to go thru the budget line by line, then have to sign the Omnibus Bill in your secret bunker to avoid cameras and questions. -where you close GITMO as a showboat maneuver, without a real plan on what to do next -where you rail about FISA, then vote for it. -where you say on the way to LA that your plan for fixing health care, education and energy will help prevent bubbles and downturns…Mr President, please explain in specific economic terms how that works. You mean the oceans are not rising and the air is not cleansed. We are witnessing the beginnings of the revealing of the real Obama, who couldnt run a parking lot in downtown Chicago
RealDemocrat on March 20, 2009 at 12:46 AM
“PALOMINO!”
csdeven on March 20, 2009 at 1:10 AM
Your breath smells like donkey shit.
csdeven on March 20, 2009 at 1:11 AM
Damn Chinese replacement brains. Never as good as the OEM’s.
johnnyU on March 20, 2009 at 5:20 AM
If it’s the Senate’s fault (per Pelosi), then where was Charlie Rangel, Henry Waxman, and Obey? NONE of those people were in on the conference committee to see this happening?
Or….could it be that breaking a campaign promise to give 5days of review before signing, had $167million consequences?
scottm on March 20, 2009 at 7:05 AM
Here’s the SF Chron on the “livid” Pelosi. Note the overwhelming, ah, annoyance on the part of the commenters. Several of these people were blaming dandruff on GWB only moments ago….
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/20/MNAT16JI6B.DTL&type=business&tsp=1
warbaby on March 20, 2009 at 1:14 PM
That hasn’t stopped our military.
sethstorm on March 27, 2009 at 6:17 AM
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