House GOP’s AIG plan simply recycles what Obama is already doing.
House GOP’s AIG plan simply recycles what Obama is already doing.
Earlier today, Reps. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) introduced legislation that would direct Treasury Secretary Geithner to “recover AIG executive bonuses, increase transparency in bailout funds, and detail for taxpayers the communications between the Administration and AIG.” While Republican Leader John Boehner touted the legislation as the “two-pronged House GOP response to AIG revelations,” it seems to be a rehash of what President Obama is already doing to address the issue. As Obama explained yesterday:
In the last six months, AIG has received substantial sums from the U.S. Treasury. And I’ve asked Secretary Geithner to use that leverage and pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole. I want everybody to be clear that Secretary Geithner has been on the case.
Greg Sargent writes that the legislation appears to be “an effort to position the Republicans as the ones who are leading a populist rebellion against AIG and are trying to wrest those bonuses back.” In reality, it appears that the House Republicans are just playing catch up.
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Just demagogic posturing by the R’s. Let me know when they are marching in solidarity with the UAW, then I’ll pay attention to them.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:25 pmWebbe see, last fall the Republicans handed over a huge chunk of cash to various Wall Street failures with no controls and NOW they are saying doing it again is a bad idea?
They obviously are confusing history with hysteria. Guys, what you said and did a few months ago just happen to have been recorded, repeatedly. Your secretary can’t lose enough tapes.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:30 pmWhy didn’t the RepubliCon liars and thieves do this eight years ago, when the Criminal Bush stole the election. Playing catch up, Hell they caused the problem!
March 17th, 2009 at 7:41 pmApparently this free speech site won’t publish my comment because I referred to Geithner as a B*stard!
March 17th, 2009 at 7:41 pmSure Obama called for the oversight, but Fox, CNN, CNBC, ABC etc… will all tout the Republican proposal with little or not mention of what already took place.
Then, all the dim witted republicans will believe it. Just like they believed everything spewing forth from the republican side. Stupid bastards.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:43 pmRepublican rehash.
Combine warmed-over talking points, stale rhetoric, freshly strained analogies, and a twist of unintentional irony.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:49 pmMaybe the greatest thread high-jack excuse eva! Huuuuurrl!
Have an airsick bag handy! I’m dry-heaving just typing this…
You’re welcome.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:50 pmWhat.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:50 pmA.
Surprise.
.
.
.
Not.
If their plan is very similar to the Dem plan, then this means they will vote against their own plan. Normally this wouldn’t make since, but we’re talking about goopers here.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:57 pm.
(R)ebranding redux
.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:00 pmGOP plan…we have no idea what we are doing or what we have done but we are more than willing to talk like we did, even though any sane person would realize it is a lie but if we talk loud enough and long enough someone might listen even if they are laughing or puking but we don’t care because we just have to say something because we just can’t shut up even though what we say is retarded but someone will buy it and in the next election, providing we haven’t totally torched the country which we did a darn good job of trying but keeping cells alive is more important than making lives better for functioning human beings and if we keep babbling people will elect us if for no other reason than to shut us up for a few years……………..
March 17th, 2009 at 8:06 pmjust have to say -
President Obama needs to drink more water
and get LOTS more sleep.
.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:09 pmBut Rush sez, the AIG derivative bosses should keep their bonuses. Do I smell a fracture in the rushpublican party?
March 17th, 2009 at 8:15 pmYou have to love what hypocrites they are. Back when President Obama was putting caps in CEO salaries and restrictions on bonuses into the Economic Recovery plan, the Republicant’s were screaming about “government interference with private business…and the ever so popular “nationalization” accusation.
In the Senate, Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., urged the administration to proceed with caution. “I think we’re all appalled by these _ some of these executive salary arrangements and bonus arrangements and perks and all the rest,” he said. “On the other hand, I really don’t want the government to take over these businesses and start telling them everything about what they can do. Then you truly have nationalized the business.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/03/obama-devising-ways-to-li_n_163431.html
March 17th, 2009 at 8:18 pmSeriously, you guys – come on.
Would it be the R plan, if it was a new, original plan?
March 17th, 2009 at 8:22 pmIt seems to me that republicans/corporats/capitalists saying regulation is bad is like saying you can’t use chainsaws in a Texas cage match. Machetes, bazookas and chain guns are ok but no chainsaws.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:24 pm“I think we’re all appalled by these _ some of these executive salary arrangements and bonus arrangements and perks and all the rest,” he said. “On the other hand, I really don’t want the government to take over these businesses and start telling them everything about what they can do.”
Since they can’t control themselves, someone has to. It isn’t ‘their’ money they are pissing away.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:26 pmAs angry as I am too about AIG bonuses, I find it quite funny that the Republicans have joined in the populist outrage. Werent’t these the same guys who, mere weeks ago, were ranting and raving against President Obama’s plan to limit CEO and executive pay and bonuses? It seems just days ago that the same GOPers were up in arms, screaming about Obama’s undermining capitalism, ranting about “nationalism” and calling Obamas plans the dreaded “socialism.” I remember when their outrage and call for armed revolt because “Obama was ending American capitalism.” Now, Grassley, Cantor, Boehner, Mitchell, and their cheering squad at Fox are mad as Hell that AIG capitalists are running amok. All of a sudden, they are populists, caring about the taxpayers. Where’s McCain in all this? He’s the guy who has received soft money donations of “more than $70,000 per year to his non-profit, just to gain favor. Favor to the tune of 2 multi-billion dollar bailouts.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:36 pmDumb Question:
When Obama’s plan works (of course after the repubs have voted against it even though they are saying it should be done), will the repubs take credit for inventing it in the first place ?
March 17th, 2009 at 11:08 pmLance is my congressman. Didn’t vote for him, but as far as Repubs go, he’s more or less an honest politician and not an whacked-out idealouge (like Mike Ferguson, who represented the 7th before him)
That said, it’s about damn time the GOP brays for the blood of executives.
March 17th, 2009 at 11:27 pmRepublicans are the party of No New Ideas, but if Obama does pull the economy up by it’s bootstraps you can bet your sweet bippy they’ll take some credit for it. Well of course! A-holes.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:07 am#3 ..The democrats are also part of the problem. Larry Summers and Phil Gram worked tirelessly to repeal Glass/Stegall. FDR put it into place so we would never have another depression. It kept banks from investing in Wall Street and real estate. speculating with our money. Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1999. So Larry Summers fixing the problem he helped to cause is laughable. Fire him and all the Clintons running our govt. We voted for Obama. What would be the difference if Hillary had won?
March 18th, 2009 at 8:22 amYou could call this the Bandwagon Syndrom. If an idea looks like it’s going to work, jump on board, then claim it for your own. Other names would be Weathervane Disease, or Herd Condition. Whatever you want to call it, the only cure is found in the voting booth. Quarantine the sufferers by permanently removing them from Washington, D.C. and subjecting them to a lifetime of isolation.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:50 pm