About the 12:20 mark you can see me jumping in the background.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
THOM HARTMANN'S INDEPENDENT THINKER REVIEW OF THE MONTH FOR BUZZFLASH
THOM HARTMANN'S INDEPENDENT THINKER REVIEW OF THE MONTH FOR BUZZFLASH
The Republican Great Depression of 1929-1939 has been an unending source of mystery, fascination, and disinformation for the past four generations. As you’re reading these words, there’s a huge push on by conservative think-tanks and wealthy political activists to reinvent the history, suggesting that Roosevelt prolonged the Depression or that New Deal programs were ineffective. At the same time, folks like David Sirota are valiantly pushing back with actual facts and statistics, showing that Roosevelt’s New Deal was startlingly effective, particularly when compared with the Republican policies of 1920-1929 that formed the bubble that crashed in 1929, and the Republican failures to deal with its consequences during the last three years of the Herbert Hoover administration (1929-1933).
To really understand what brought about the great crash, however, it’s most useful to read an historical narrative written by one of the world’s preeminent economists when that world-changing event was still fresh in his and his readers’ minds. “The Great Crash” is that book, first written by Galbraith in 1953-54 (and published in 1955) and updated for modern readers in 1997 (the author is now deceased).
Reading The Great Crash is an eerie experience; it’s as if somebody had taken the Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush years – particularly the W. Bush years – and written a screenplay about them, just changing the names. The parallels between the Republican zeal for deregulation and “free” markets of the bubble 1920s and the bubble 1990s and 2000s are shocking, particularly given that Ben Bernanke’s PhD theses was on the Republican Great Depression and there is no shortage of so-called “experts” on the topic in the Bush administration and both political parties.
Still, in retrospect, there it is. And its damn near impossible to read this book without coming to the conclusion that when the current generation knowledgeable of the Republican Great Depression of 2007-201? dies off, as the generation that remembered the RGD of 1929 has largely recently died off, history will again repeat itself. There will always be greedy men and women, and there will, in all probability, always be Republicans trying to elevate greed into a noble philosophical construct.
There was even, in late 1929, the era’s own Bernie Madoff – a fellow by the name of Clarence Hatry. All the players are there. An incompetent president, regulators willing to look the other way, libertarian ideologues who think they’ll change the world for the better (and get rich at the same time), Democrats and free-market skeptics yelling, a hype-driven press, insiders making out, average people getting wiped out. It’s all there.
And, perhaps most interesting, because this is history, we get to find out how it turned out, what helped and hurt, and extrapolate from that what we should be doing now.
The Great Crash is a quick Saturday afternoon read at a comfortable and well-written 194 pages. It’s difficult to put down once you start; it reads like a novel. And you’ll be infuriated, entertained, and – ultimately – enlightened and better prepared to deal with the further downturn that is certainly coming.
Thom Hartmann is a New York Times bestselling Project Censored Award winning author and host of a daily talk show on Air America Radio. You can learn more about Thom Hartmann at his website and find out what stations broadcast his program. You can also listen to Thom over the Internet.
The Republican Great Depression of 1929-1939 has been an unending source of mystery, fascination, and disinformation for the past four generations. As you’re reading these words, there’s a huge push on by conservative think-tanks and wealthy political activists to reinvent the history, suggesting that Roosevelt prolonged the Depression or that New Deal programs were ineffective. At the same time, folks like David Sirota are valiantly pushing back with actual facts and statistics, showing that Roosevelt’s New Deal was startlingly effective, particularly when compared with the Republican policies of 1920-1929 that formed the bubble that crashed in 1929, and the Republican failures to deal with its consequences during the last three years of the Herbert Hoover administration (1929-1933).
To really understand what brought about the great crash, however, it’s most useful to read an historical narrative written by one of the world’s preeminent economists when that world-changing event was still fresh in his and his readers’ minds. “The Great Crash” is that book, first written by Galbraith in 1953-54 (and published in 1955) and updated for modern readers in 1997 (the author is now deceased).
Reading The Great Crash is an eerie experience; it’s as if somebody had taken the Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush years – particularly the W. Bush years – and written a screenplay about them, just changing the names. The parallels between the Republican zeal for deregulation and “free” markets of the bubble 1920s and the bubble 1990s and 2000s are shocking, particularly given that Ben Bernanke’s PhD theses was on the Republican Great Depression and there is no shortage of so-called “experts” on the topic in the Bush administration and both political parties.
Still, in retrospect, there it is. And its damn near impossible to read this book without coming to the conclusion that when the current generation knowledgeable of the Republican Great Depression of 2007-201? dies off, as the generation that remembered the RGD of 1929 has largely recently died off, history will again repeat itself. There will always be greedy men and women, and there will, in all probability, always be Republicans trying to elevate greed into a noble philosophical construct.
There was even, in late 1929, the era’s own Bernie Madoff – a fellow by the name of Clarence Hatry. All the players are there. An incompetent president, regulators willing to look the other way, libertarian ideologues who think they’ll change the world for the better (and get rich at the same time), Democrats and free-market skeptics yelling, a hype-driven press, insiders making out, average people getting wiped out. It’s all there.
And, perhaps most interesting, because this is history, we get to find out how it turned out, what helped and hurt, and extrapolate from that what we should be doing now.
The Great Crash is a quick Saturday afternoon read at a comfortable and well-written 194 pages. It’s difficult to put down once you start; it reads like a novel. And you’ll be infuriated, entertained, and – ultimately – enlightened and better prepared to deal with the further downturn that is certainly coming.
Thom Hartmann is a New York Times bestselling Project Censored Award winning author and host of a daily talk show on Air America Radio. You can learn more about Thom Hartmann at his website and find out what stations broadcast his program. You can also listen to Thom over the Internet.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Commentary: Secrets to success in Washington
By Ed Rollins
CNN Contributor
Editor's Note: Ed Rollins, who served as political director for President Ronald Reagan, is a Republican strategist who was national chairman of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- To most Democrats and many Americans, the Bush/Cheney nightmare is over!
With the start of the new Congress, and President Barack Obama's inauguration two weeks away, there is a new hope that both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue can work together on some of the most serious problems facing this country in recent history.
The answers to solving those problems may not be apparent to ordinary Americans, but what they do know is the old way didn't work. And the voter's patience will be short, because they need help -- and they are scared.
As a veteran of several administrations who has worked in the White House and in Congress, I have watched a lot of smart people come to town with massive ideas and end up failing big time. So I am going to offer some unsolicited advice.
First to the Democrats:
Remember the game is now all yours. If you get the problems solved, the glory is all yours, too. If you fail, you don't have Bush and Cheney to blame anymore -- or any other Republican, for that matter.
The consequences of your actions will be far reaching. You are about to change the order of things and it's imperative that you work hard, make careful decisions and be strategic and look to the long view.
Don't be rushed by current events. Do something Congress has never done before. Plan. Read the bills that you are passing. And think of the kids who are going to have to pay for all this in the future.
To Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Guide, don't dictate. Make your chairmen your allies, your members your customers, and punish those members who misbehave. Allow dissent but not rebellion!
Don't Miss
* Feinstein slams Obama's CIA pick
* Commentary: Can Obama, Congress share power?
* Rollins: Election 2008 is heading for history
* In Depth: Commentaries
You are still the public face of the Congress, the most unpopular body in town. You have to convince voters that you hear them and that this Congress is going to be different. If the public likes you, it will like the Congress. If it doesn't, you and your members will pay a price sooner or later.
Never be strident or petty. The steel fist inside the velvet glove is the rule. Think political at all times but never appear political. And don't be partisan. Be the leader of the House and always remember your party has a big majority and at the end of the day you can win.
To Majority Leader Harry Reid:
Seat Roland Burris! This is one battle you don't need. The last thing you and your caucus wants now -- or the new president needs -- is a battle over seating his replacement for the last two years of his term.
Roland Burris is a distinguished trailblazer who has been elected statewide four times. He will also be one of your safest votes. None of us like what Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has allegedly done, but don't make this the fight on principle to prove your point.
He is still the governor, he still has the appointment power and if the criminal justice system finds him guilty, he will be sitting in jail long after you and Sen. Burris are retired.
Also remember that after Inauguration Day, you are the most unpopular figure (according to polls) in town and not much better back home. Tone down your rhetoric. You can ask your pal Tom Daschle (former senator and majority leader from South Dakota) how one of the biggest men in town can lose his seat back home.
To my Republican friends in the House and Senate:
Be a real opposition party. Articulate what you stand for and stand up to the president and the Democrats with ideas that can counter the direction they will be taking the country.
Don't be timid and don't feel you have to be bipartisan because the media thinks that's the way to go. Also, don't get sucked into lowest common denominator solutions and vote with the Democrats on things that violate your stated principles.
Realize you are going to be in the wilderness for a time. The country needs an opposition party and you're it. Along with the Republican governors, you are going to have to cobble together the concepts and solutions that will attract voters back to our party.
To the president-elect:
Beware of your own party. Republicans are not your problem. Each member of Congress will think they are your constitutional equal. The more senior they are, the more they will test you.
You will have to remind them from time to time that if they want to be the constitutional equal, they need to bring the other 434 members over to your office.
Either that or they can go get another 66 million or so votes to add to their congressional total to be your equal. Many will have their own agendas and some of their ideas will be good ideas. Many more will be disastrous.
Also be careful how you staff your White House. You seem to have a lot of layers. Czars and counselors and assistants galore. You may have built in conflict on your own team.
What you really need is a small loyal staff who will present you the best options for the very tough decisions you will have to make every day.
Have somebody who is your reality check who will tell you the truth. That is a tough job but desperately needed. And lastly, make only big decisions. You've got a whole government out there to make the small ones.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ed Rollins.
CNN Contributor
Editor's Note: Ed Rollins, who served as political director for President Ronald Reagan, is a Republican strategist who was national chairman of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- To most Democrats and many Americans, the Bush/Cheney nightmare is over!
With the start of the new Congress, and President Barack Obama's inauguration two weeks away, there is a new hope that both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue can work together on some of the most serious problems facing this country in recent history.
The answers to solving those problems may not be apparent to ordinary Americans, but what they do know is the old way didn't work. And the voter's patience will be short, because they need help -- and they are scared.
As a veteran of several administrations who has worked in the White House and in Congress, I have watched a lot of smart people come to town with massive ideas and end up failing big time. So I am going to offer some unsolicited advice.
First to the Democrats:
Remember the game is now all yours. If you get the problems solved, the glory is all yours, too. If you fail, you don't have Bush and Cheney to blame anymore -- or any other Republican, for that matter.
The consequences of your actions will be far reaching. You are about to change the order of things and it's imperative that you work hard, make careful decisions and be strategic and look to the long view.
Don't be rushed by current events. Do something Congress has never done before. Plan. Read the bills that you are passing. And think of the kids who are going to have to pay for all this in the future.
To Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Guide, don't dictate. Make your chairmen your allies, your members your customers, and punish those members who misbehave. Allow dissent but not rebellion!
Don't Miss
* Feinstein slams Obama's CIA pick
* Commentary: Can Obama, Congress share power?
* Rollins: Election 2008 is heading for history
* In Depth: Commentaries
You are still the public face of the Congress, the most unpopular body in town. You have to convince voters that you hear them and that this Congress is going to be different. If the public likes you, it will like the Congress. If it doesn't, you and your members will pay a price sooner or later.
Never be strident or petty. The steel fist inside the velvet glove is the rule. Think political at all times but never appear political. And don't be partisan. Be the leader of the House and always remember your party has a big majority and at the end of the day you can win.
To Majority Leader Harry Reid:
Seat Roland Burris! This is one battle you don't need. The last thing you and your caucus wants now -- or the new president needs -- is a battle over seating his replacement for the last two years of his term.
Roland Burris is a distinguished trailblazer who has been elected statewide four times. He will also be one of your safest votes. None of us like what Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has allegedly done, but don't make this the fight on principle to prove your point.
He is still the governor, he still has the appointment power and if the criminal justice system finds him guilty, he will be sitting in jail long after you and Sen. Burris are retired.
Also remember that after Inauguration Day, you are the most unpopular figure (according to polls) in town and not much better back home. Tone down your rhetoric. You can ask your pal Tom Daschle (former senator and majority leader from South Dakota) how one of the biggest men in town can lose his seat back home.
To my Republican friends in the House and Senate:
Be a real opposition party. Articulate what you stand for and stand up to the president and the Democrats with ideas that can counter the direction they will be taking the country.
Don't be timid and don't feel you have to be bipartisan because the media thinks that's the way to go. Also, don't get sucked into lowest common denominator solutions and vote with the Democrats on things that violate your stated principles.
Realize you are going to be in the wilderness for a time. The country needs an opposition party and you're it. Along with the Republican governors, you are going to have to cobble together the concepts and solutions that will attract voters back to our party.
To the president-elect:
Beware of your own party. Republicans are not your problem. Each member of Congress will think they are your constitutional equal. The more senior they are, the more they will test you.
You will have to remind them from time to time that if they want to be the constitutional equal, they need to bring the other 434 members over to your office.
Either that or they can go get another 66 million or so votes to add to their congressional total to be your equal. Many will have their own agendas and some of their ideas will be good ideas. Many more will be disastrous.
Also be careful how you staff your White House. You seem to have a lot of layers. Czars and counselors and assistants galore. You may have built in conflict on your own team.
What you really need is a small loyal staff who will present you the best options for the very tough decisions you will have to make every day.
Have somebody who is your reality check who will tell you the truth. That is a tough job but desperately needed. And lastly, make only big decisions. You've got a whole government out there to make the small ones.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ed Rollins.
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