Sun, Sep 21, 2008 2:08pm ET

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O'Reilly falsely claimed that Rep. Frank "sat by" while "Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae made bad loans"

Summary: In a column, Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that Rep. Barney Frank "sat by as mortgage brokers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made bad loans." Also, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace did not challenge a similar claim by Sen. Jon Kyl that efforts by the Bush Administration and Republicans in Congress to regulate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae "were stopped at every turn by Democrats." In fact, more than a year ago, Frank sponsored a bill to create the Federal Housing Finance Agency, granting that agency "general supervisory and regulatory authority over" Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and directing it to reform the two companies' business practices and regulate their exposure to credit and market risk.
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Posted by eweston8542983

Several of the Mc Group are already on board the lets blame the democrats train. MSM will encourage this. The name Phil Graham will not get much expsure while they look for GOP approved scapegoats.

Posted by SueEld

This is just another GOP Lie, The Wall Street Journal has also been targeting Barney Frank. Not suprising since it is now part of News Corp. Rep Frank had a nice piece on Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-barney-frank/iwall-street-journali-edi_b_126923.html

Posted by albertsenj

Is EVERYONE going to let the GOP get away with claiming to be champions of regulation when they have a decade-long history of choking off any attempts to control markets.

Posted by wolf kotenberg

O'Reiily himself sat by. I sat by when my friend got a 400000 dollar mortgage for 500 dollars down. Had I known then that GW Bush was going to bail them out with " my money " I would have been more alarmed than " it is his a$$ if he can't make the payments. O'Reilly is a self grandising idiot. He is part of the problem for not using his FOX pulpit to spread the warning around while it was happening and not waiting till 20-20 hindsight kicks in and pick the most convenient lawmaker to throw a haymaker at..

Posted by foghornleghorn in reply to wolf kotenberg

Had I known then that GW Bush was going to bail them out with " my money "

The MSM can't come to terms with the fact that the last 7 years of Bush saying "the economy is strong" were based on his house of cards built on the phantom equity in the housing market made possible through deregulation and speculation on mortgage securities.  Now it has collapsed.  All Bush did was try to buy time til he was out of office.  He almost made it. 

Posted by worrierking

Where the hell was O'Reilly when the administration was crowing about the new "OWNERSHIP SOCIETY".

Did he question how according to his hero, GW, more people were now homeowners than at any other tine in our history?

Posted by juliajayne in reply to worrierking

Anti Bush Bumper Sticker: Approved This Mess 

Posted by wolf kotenberg in reply to juliajayne

Boy, isn't that the real truth.

Posted by djasper2761 in reply to juliajayne

This low life's tombstone should be a porta potty. It should be mandatory that every American over 18 years of age use this porta john. Kids would just create too many traffic jams.

              Our ship is sinking

Vote for: Porta John and Keep on Palin 08

Posted by juliajayne in reply to djasper2761

Well, just as long as they put that porta potty up there in the Kennebunkport family complex. I don't want Jr. stinkin' up my part of Texas anymore than his god danged library at SMU already will. Punk.

Posted by Brabantio in reply to juliajayne

Sorry, you can't use the word "punk" anymore.  It's a gay slur, according to Bobthep.

Posted by wzwriter in reply to Brabantio

Did Bob get tired of people calling him a punk?  :-)

Posted by juliajayne in reply to Brabantio

Well, as you know boys, I'm not the most PC gal in the world. :-) And since when did punk become a gay slur? And that begs the question, does that mean I think Bush is gay? Naw. I can think of lots of other adjectives for Jr. , but that's not one of them. 

Posted by djasper2761 in reply to juliajayne

You CAN'T use bobthep any more as it is a slur against those suffering from neuron and dendrite necrosis and spongiformencephalopothy

Posted by djasper2761 in reply to djasper2761

We also CAN'T use "W" anymore as it denegrates those suffering from Copra Phagic Hebra Phrenia (That goes for George and bush)

Posted by Left Coaster in reply to worrierking

It wasn't just any old OWNERSHIP SOCIETY, either. Remember? He also claimed that minority home ownership was the highest in history. He hasn't made that claim in quite some time, I've noticed.

Posted by worrierking in reply to Left Coaster

I've noticed that too. I seem to remember him patting himself on the back about how the inner cities were being reclaimed by "new homeowners".

Posted by princeofwheels

Nothing new here...LIES and more LIES by those on one side of the aisle. Whatever happen to those great values of the Reepers when it comes to personal responsibility. Most of our Reeper leaders are just plain old cowards. Vote them out..the only way to save this country.

Posted by snoopy in reply to princeofwheels

Here's irony for you...

Posted by eb in reply to snoopy

So it all falls on Barny Frank.  Yup thats how we blame it all on liberals. 

Meanwhile it seems the big boys are holding a gun to the head of congress and the rest of the political class.  Do these emergency measures or else it all falls apart and it will be your fault for not accepting the emergency package NOW.

Thats it folks, no deliberation, no lengthy debate, no second look.  It does not sound like things really ever belonged to we the people.  It seems like everything belonged to the financial people and now that they are about to drown, we better be obediant and bail them out or else. 

...and thank you BO.  If I don't feel so swell about all this, I can target Barney Frank.  That saves me a lot of time and effort.  I don't need to figure out why things are going to hell and figuring it all out it is like untangling a muddy garden hose.  Nope BO gave me a name and thats all i need.  Back to sleep...

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to eb

So it all falls on Barny Frank.  Yup thats how we blame it all on liberals. 

Better yet, balme it on a gay liberal...a point which I am sure was not lost on many of Billo's ardent followers.  ;>)

Posted by mescal in reply to IRONY 101

Irony, you've been here long enough... and have witnessed enough Savage Weiner threads... to know that our nation is secretly being run by a gay mafia. Don Barney, we now know, is the boss of that unusually flamboyant family. Don't believe me? Fine. One of these days, though, Don Barny will make you an offer that is just too FABULOUS to refuse.

Posted by djasper2761 in reply to mescal

You left out some important info: This country is actually run by a group of gay, black chinese dwarfs with blond hair and blue eyes that practice scientology. Tom Cruise knows all about them but remains silent on the subject. When Tom was jumping up and down on Ocra Winfree's couch, it was because he was elected their leader. They are rarely seen in public as this would cause mass lycnhings after they are put to work rebuilding the railroad system and harvesting the rice fields. I have one of them living across the street from me and he only comes out after 3am.

Posted by mescal in reply to djasper2761

Well, that goes without saying.

Posted by shaggles in reply to eb

Exactly.  The way they're trying to shove this bailout package through without giving congress time to even discuss it reminds me of the Patriot Act, the Iraq War, FISA reform, etc.  What I would like to see in this package is a complete ban on CEO bonuses with every penny of what would have been a bonus being repayed to the govt rather than passed on to share holders, a reasonable salary cap for any company that gets bailed out and an temporary increase in capital gains tax so that the people who benefit most from the bailouts are paying more. 

Posted by ukobserver

I'm not sure who Phil Graham is but l have heard of this guy: GRAMM, William Philip (Phil), a Representative and a former Senator from Texas; born in Fort Benning, Muscogee County, Ga., July 8, 1942; attended the Muscogee County public schools; graduated, Georgia Military Academy, Atlanta 1961; graduated, University of Georgia, Athens 1964; received a doctorate, University of Georgia 1967; professor of economics, Texas A&M University 1967-1978; author; elected in 1978 as a Democrat to the Ninety-sixth Congress; reelected as a Democrat to the two succeeding Congresses; resigned January 5, 1983, to run for election to the Ninety-eighth Congress as a Republican; reelected as a Republican, by special election, on February 12, 1983, and served January 3, 1979, to January 5, 1983, and February 12, 1983, to January 3, 1985; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1984; reelected in 1990 and again in 1996 and served from January 3, 1985, to November 30, 2002, when he resigned; not a candidate for reelection in 2002; chairman, National Republican Senatorial Committee (One Hundred Second and One Hundred Third Congresses), Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (One Hundred Sixth Congress and One Hundred Seventh Congress [January 3, 2001; January 20, 2001-June 6, 2001]). The man who pushed through the bill 8 years ago which has lead to the financial crisis the world is facing today.

Posted by ukobserver in reply to ukobserver

How the hell do you get this new format to do paragraphs?

Posted by wolf kotenberg in reply to ukobserver

it is like a bloody ticker tape on the bottom of the scream at CNBC, isn't it, bloody blokes.

Posted by djasper2761 in reply to wolf kotenberg

Speaking of blokes, billybob o'really is a skid mark on the boxers of life. He is always saying: "I just go by the facts". It was a "fact" at one time the earth was flat and the earth was the center of the solar system. fox facts=fake facts. This is one dangeous potato head!!! He is an educated derelict.

Posted by BottleBlonde in reply to ukobserver

Try typing, then hitting enter.

Then hit the space bar, then hit enter again.

That should do it.

Posted by wolf kotenberg in reply to BottleBlonde

whole lot better than my answer

Posted by BottleBlonde in reply to wolf kotenberg

but not nearly as entertaining.

Posted by ukobserver in reply to BottleBlonde

Thanx people.

I was goning to use UK text speak but l can't actually stand the bad grammer!!!

Posted by roundhouse in reply to ukobserver

He's the author of the Gramm Guts America Act.

Posted by steeve

More evidence that liberalism is synonymous with reality.

Only after reality hits him in the face does O'Reilly attack a democrat for not being liberal enough.

Posted by magnolialover

Am I in Bizzarro world? Even if the democrats did block regulation, wouldn't that have been republican's wet dream? Aren't they the ones always talking about free market this, and free market that, and that the free market will correct itself without government regulation? What the hell is going on over here? All of a sudden, the republicans care about sexism, care about regulation, and all of the things that, you know, they never cared about until about a week ago. Jeesh...

Posted by Timmee

LIESLIESLIES - I'm so farking sick of it. 

Posted by snoopy

This article from Politico really says alot about McCain hipocracy...

Fannie Mae vet protests McCain ad
By: Politico Staff
September 19, 2008 06:28 PM EST

A former Fannie Mae executive has written to The New York Times in an effort to escalate Democrats' pushback to a McCain campaign ad accusing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) of guilt by association with former officials of the mortgage giant.

The McCain ad, called "Advice," says: "Fannie Mae collapsed. Taxpayers? Stuck with the bill. Barack Obama. Bad advice. Bad instincts. Not ready to lead."

The former executive's letter, not yet published, was provided to Politico:

To The Editor:

Yesterday, Senator John McCain released a television commercial attacking Barack Obama for allegedly receiving advice on the economy from former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines. From the stump, he has recently tried tying Senator Obama to Fannie Mae, as if there is some guilt in the association with Fannie Mae's former executives.

It is an interesting card for Senator McCain to play, given that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, was paid by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac several hundred thousand dollars early in this decade to head up an organization to lobby in their behalf called The Homeownership Alliance. ...

I worked in government relations for Fannie Mae for more than 20 years, leading the group for most of those years. When I see photographs of Sen. McCain's staff, it looks to me like the team of lobbyists who used to report to me. Senator McCain's attack on Senator Obama is a cheap shot, and hypocritical.


Sincerely,

William Maloni
Fannie Mae Senior Vice President for Government and Industry Relations (1983-2004)

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to snoopy

Great catch, Snoopy!

Posted by Dem02020

In the final few months of the Bush administration, we're about to have what must be the single largest transference of money from the U.S. Treasury to the private sector, than has ever happened in U.S. history... than has ever happened in the world!

Has any government ever considered transferring $700 billion (possibly a trillion dollars) of public money to the private sector?

No war or social program has ever cost this much, not in the history of the world... and yet in what is relative suddeness, the Bush administration is presenting a full-court press against Congress and the American People, to do just that, and transfer a truly mind-boggling sum of money to the private sector.

There are two questions of enormous importance to consider here: one, to whom is this extraordinary amount of money going to, and two, what expense or loss is this money supposed to be covering?

And what the answer to the first question seems to be, is NOT to me and you!

We the American People are NOT the beneficiary of this extraordinary sum of money being drawn from the U.S. Treasury... it is by all accounts going to private companies (financial services and investment companies and banks, all privately-owned and operated), and NOT to the population at large, or to any significant fraction of it... WALL STREET is where this money is going, to put it in a single term: WALL STREET!

And the other question's answer, about why this money is going there, and exactly what losses are being covered by this extraordinary world-record-breaking amount of public money that is being siphoned off to the private sector?

There is a widespread rumor (and who is spreading this rumor?) that all of this money is covering "bad home loans"...

Are you kidding me?

Does someone expect us to believe there are nearly a trillion dollars of non-performing mortgages as the exclusive reason behind these extraordinary losses of these financial service companies and investment funds and banks even?

BULLCHIT!

We need to talk about this!

This needs to be an intense subject of public debate!

We're in no mad rush here... it's not like a house is on fire, or a ship is sinking... we can be cautious, and take time, in making this step... a trillion dollars being siphoned out of the U.S. Treasury, in the name of WALL STREET?

We need to look at the books of these companies... we need to know exactly what it is they've lost so much money on... I don't believe for a minute, that it's all or even mostly "bad home loans"

STOP THE MADNESS, and take time to think: this looks like maybe the greatest looting of any public treasury in the world!

Let's look closely at the losses of these companies... let's look at the books.

And the not so funny thing is, that whatever true "bad home loans" there are in these losses that this public money is supposed to cover, the unfunny truth is that that money isn't going to those homeowners, and isn't going to save their homes... they already lost their homes, and none of this money goes to them!

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to Dem02020

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..

>>>>I’m certainly no expert---I get dizzy trying to follow it but I think they did do what had to be done.  It’s not the loan defaults alone.  It’s the defaults in combination with the way they invented of slicing and dicing packages of these loans into securities which are apparently so complicated it’s hard for even the owners to put a value on them.  Banks were even scared to lend to one another fearing the other banks might go under because they can’t evaluate then others’ solvency with any degree of confidence.  Just my 2 cents on the matter.

Posted by my4cents1172 in reply to eddy3957 reregistered

So it was like a bunch of fraternity guys screwing everyone else with no protection and some of them get AIDS. Now no one touches the other guy and it is our duty to get screwed?

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to my4cents1172

Interesting way to put it.

I would say the fraternity guys didn't just giver each other AIDS, they went further and busted up the all the buildings, stole the school endowments funds and embarrassed the school in the eyes of America and the world with other improper conduct around campus. Then they convinced their fraternity brothers around the country to do the same to their schools. 
Then the alumni all had to pitch in to try to fix the situation or the colleges would all just go out of business and all the students would have to go home, etc.

Of course it's worse than this becuase unlike the higher education business the companies involved in the financial markets affect so many businesses and consumers which in turn affect so many more businesses and consumer.  And not just domestically as these fancy derivitives were sold all around the world.  The risk is a giant downward cascade of the economy both here and abroad.  And this country depends on foreign counntries to buy it's bonds........and boy does it get complicated.

It would be nice if it was possible to punish the people who did and enabled all this and fix the problem that way, but the damage is already done and can't be undone that way.  The horse is out of the barn and the barn is on fire..

Feeling more confident about my support listening to Bill Cunningham live and Michael Reagan (I think live) on their radio shows lambasting the 700 billion RTC-like bailout.

Eddy & 4cents, I think the two of you have boiled down the past few decades of Repooplicken power very nicely.

Posted by wzwriter in reply to Col. Harlan Sanders

Actually, the Republicans are more like THIS guy - Mr. Crosote:

Occurred to me you may think me boastful in declaring myself able to stomatch not just one right wing radio guy but two simultaneouisly.  My secret is to also have soothing music on in the backgound.  For me it's an uplifting Mozart golden oldy.

Well, there are no Mozart newies...

Actually there is one.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7623663.stm

(Do-over)

---------------

Actually there is one:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7623663.stm

Posted by Lorelei in reply to eddy3957 reregistered

What would be nice would be if we DIDN'T FRIGGING REWARD THEM.  I mean the golden parachutes on these guys are ridiculous.

It's unjustifiable!!!   I have to struggle to make ends meet and this is what I am still going to be stuck with: 

In 2007, Wall Street’s five biggest firms — Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley — paid a record $39 billion in bonuses to themselves.

That’s $10 billion more than the $29 billion loan taxpayers are making to J.P. Morgan to save Bear Stearns.

Those 2007 bonuses were paid even though the shareholders in those firms last year collectively lost about $74 billion in stock declines — their worst year since 2002.

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to Lorelei

I agree.  Stunning set of facts and figures you present.

Posted by my4cents1172 in reply to Dem02020

I agree.

There is no need to hurry and save these fat cats like there is no tomorrow. Similar doomsday projections by the current administration got us into the Irqa debacle.

If we are spending >700B of tax revenues to bail private companies out, let's spend whatever is needed to fix the whole economy.

And while we are at it, let's reconize that McCain is an opportunist and nothing else.

Posted by Dem02020

THIS IS INSANE!

Do you realize the unparalled powers that the Secretary of the Treasury (a Bush administration officila) is seeking, in the final few months of the Bush administration: they are seeking an unreviewable and unlimited power to spend nearly a trillion dollars of our money, on WALL STREET!

The so-called "fact sheet" that the Secretary of the Treasury released yesterady, includes no specific description of the "troubled assets" that he and his co-conspirators in the Bush administration want to spend $700 billion of our money on...

These "troubled assets" are also referred to in the so-called "fact sheet" as "distressed assets" and "illiquid mortgages"... that's it, there's no more specific description of what it is that's supposedly so important that nearly a trillion dollars must be siphoned off from the U.S. Treasury NOW!

And that's the other thing here, of how unbelievably urgent these Bush administration officials are portraying this situation, as we and our Congress must get on board a trillion dollar's worth NOW, IMMEDIATELY, THIS WEEK AND NO LATER!

Why are they acting as though a house is suddenly on fire, or a ship is suddenly sinking?

Hasn't the losses of these financial companies and investment funds (we're being told we need to bail out investment and hedge funds, NOW!)... hasn't all of this been happening as most things happen in finance, over time and gradually?

Why is the Bush administration trying to convince us that the world is not turning gradually, but is about to tip over NOW!

This is insane. The Secretary of the Treasury, a Bush administration official, in the last couple of months of the Bush administration, wants unrestricted unlimited powers to siphon off nearly a trillion dollars from the U.S. Treasury (NOW!), and his so-called "fact sheet" describes no specifics at all as to what exactly these "troubled assets" are...

Like, where are all these supposedly "bad home loans" from: Texas?

And what is the nature of these "bad home loans": are they commercial real estate developement schemes?

What are the specific and exact holdings of these investment funds that have lost so much money, and want us to make up those losses?

This is crazy... this is way too much public money to give to the private sector, for reasons so vague and undescribed, as nothing more than "troubled assets"...

And all of it NOW! As though a house were on fire, or a ship was sinking...

People need to STOP, and take a breath, and start talking about what these specific "troubled assets" really are.

I mean, if WALL STREET truly wants this money, then they can open up the books on these companies and investment funds (hedge funds!), and describe in detail for us, the locations and particular conditions (such as mortgage type, commercial or residential, and mortgage amount, not in total, but itemized: are there any million dollar mortages we're talking about here? Multimillion dollar mortgages?)...

Does anybody here at this late date, really trust the Bush administration and it's officials this much, to give them a trillion dollars NOW, for WALL STREET, for something that they aren't even describing in detail, let alone itemizing...

THIS IS INSANE.

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to Dem02020

THIS IS INSANE.

Exactly...how are we going to pay for the invasion of Iran, let alone finish "winning" the war in Iraq in the next 10 years or so?  ;>)

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to IRONY 101

You found a silver lining to the mortage meltdown---no more super expensive wars.

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to eddy3957 reregistered

---no more super expensive wars.

Don't be so sure about that...my friend. Insanity knows no bounds...

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to IRONY 101

McCain on 60 Munites tonight told a story about a woman giving him her deceased son's dog tag and he held up the tag and ominously said "This is what being President is about.". 

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to eddy3957 reregistered

In my observation and opinion John McCain still has unresolved issues about Viet Nam, which I find disturbing, particularly when placed in the context of his family's history of military service and his POW experience. IMO if McCain is elected there's about a 65% chance, at least, that we're going to invade Iran...

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to IRONY 101

I'm pretty sure I would.  It's not that alone though.  His history from before even being on active duty shows a belligerent temperment and mean streak.

Voters tired of war have to ask themselves do they want any more blood on their hands.  I don't know if this study on a million Iriquis killed in iraq from 'September 07 has been introduced to this board before:

http://www.opinion.co.uk/Newsroom_details.aspx?NewsId=78

Posted by mescal in reply to IRONY 101

I'd say the likelihood of going to war if McCain is elected POTUS is much higher. In fact, I'd say its just about a dead certainty. The neocons are not going to abandon their bizarre, imperialistic scheme of achieving dominating world control of a rapidly dwindling resource. They are murderously detirmined that every drop of oil to be found from Saudi Arabia to Uzbekistan will be THEIRS to parcel out... AT WHATEVER PRICES THAST THEY CHOOSE... to the international market.

When Republicans chant "drill, baby drill", they ain't just talking about wildlife refuges and environmentally sensitive offshore locations.

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to IRONY 101

In my observation and opinion John McCain still has unresolved issues about Viet Nam, which I find disturbing

John McCain has guyilt issues from sitting out the war in a prison cell, and singing like a canary while he was there. McCain did not experience the on-the-ground day to day. He's trying to make it sound like he has great experience, but basically he flew planes, crashed them, was captured the last time he crashed, and was then out of action in a prison.

His experience of war was as an outsider, and he desperately wants that experience.

That's why he wanted to walk the streets of Baghdad, although he didn't really want the experience of doing it without 100 soldiers and three Apache helicopters as bodyguards.

I respect his service, but he has no memory of the actual details of the Vietnam war. Which is why he thinks he can "win" in Iraq drawing on the experience that he doesn't have.

"guyilt" should be guilt.

 "This is what being President is about.".

I saw that too. I'd like to think being president would be about seeing a kid's college graduation photo, or seeing a young person starting a business, or a family, or buying a home on a working wage. Apparently it's about a glamorous and heroic death happening way too early.

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to Col. Harlan Sanders

Apparently it's about a glamorous and heroic death happening way too early.

Does that, by any chance, remind you of another culture? One that is presently held in great disfavor because of the actions of its most extremist elements? Perhaps there are characteristics of human nature which are universal...

Posted by Col. Harlan Sanders in reply to IRONY 101

Yep, Irony. And unfortunately too difficult to see for our own religious zealots, who call the other kids who have been talked into giving their all for God & country "Madmen"..

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to IRONY 101

Does that, by any chance, remind you of another culture?

-----------

Klingons?

O'reilly, Hab SoSlI Quch!  Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam.

McCain on 60 Munites tonight told a story about a woman giving him her deceased son's dog tag and he held up the tag and ominously said "This is what being President is about."

Obama has one too, also given to him by a deceased soldier's mother. Why isn't that common knowledge? Obama doesn't bring it up as a campaign point.

Having one of those bracelets and the restraint to not make a big "LOOK AT ME!" fuss about it: What being President is really all about.

Posted by MissDee in reply to Easy to refute wingnuts

"Obama has one too, also given to him by a deceased soldier's mother. Why isn't that common knowledge? Obama doesn't bring it up as a campaign point."

Maybe it's because he doesn't have one with his own name, service number, and blood type on it to make it a mathching set...

Posted by magnolialover in reply to MissDee

Last time I checked, serving in the US Armed Forces, was not a requirement of anything. You don't have to have served to respect the people in uniform.

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to Dem02020

Dem,

You're right..this IS insane. Allowing people to qualify for home loans that they had no hope of repaying is the ULTIMATE in greed. As much as it fits into your seering hatred of George Bush, it is the dems who are responsible.

Posted by Dem02020 in reply to Goodfella57

It was as obvious as a full moon, that my comment was entirely about opposing (or at least limiting) this unbelievable looting of the U.S. Treasury, and the siphoning off of nearly a trillion dollars of our money to private investment firms and funds, on WALL STREET...

As obvious as a full moon, my opinion is.

Now, what the freak does your comment have to do with that?

I mean, truly, is there any hidden opinion in your comment, for or against this bailout looting of the Treasury?

If so, I don't see it... if so, it's as though it were hidden behind, and eclipsed by, the moon.

(And what's my "seering hatred of George Bush" got to do with my sounding the alarm at what may be the crime of the century?)

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to Dem02020

Dem, just wait until people catch on that this bailout contemplates foreign entities as well. Why should we pay for their losses? So they can afford to buy up more American assets?

Posted by Col. Harlan Sanders in reply to Goodfella57

Goofyfella, are you saying that Republicans just "stood by" as unqualified people got loans? Why didn't they stop this outrageous chain of events? Just kidding, I know you're just repeating what Rush Limbaugh told you.You don't really expect anybody here to fall for the stuff you swallow, do you?

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to Col. Harlan Sanders

Here some items from the New York Times during the CLINTON years:
This one from October 1994
    Minority Home Loans Rise, But Many Are Still Rejected

Or this one from November 1993:
     Fed Stops Bank Merger; Cites Lending Concerns

Read the articles carefully and you'll find the seeds of the financial crisis we're in now.

Posted by snoopy in reply to Goodfella57

Nice try rewriting history, but the seeds were planted by Phil Graham and pushed through the senate by McCain. Another little fact for ya:

A study of CRA loans shows:

  • CRA loans constituted only 23% of all loans and 9.2% of high-cost loans.
  • CRA loans were twice as likely to be retained in the originating bank’s portfolio than loans made by other institutions.
  • CRA loans were less likely to be foreclosed upon than other loans.

Posted by Tbone Slickens in reply to snoopy

Wrong.  Now you're re-writing history.  You can blame Graham, after all he did write the legislation, but Billy Clinton singned it into law.  He could have VETOED it.  He didn't.  The SEED that was planted was when clinton adjusted the Communtiy Reinvestment Act.  This allowed preditory lenders free reign on the poor. 

Everyone seems to miss the obvious also.  Alan Greenspan is at least in part responsible for cutting short-term interst rates to incredibly low levels over the years.  When the market bubble burst in '01 the housing bubble popped up.  People were able to acquire more house than they could afford.  This covered the spectrum from poor to affluent.  Especailly those who were trying to "flip" houses and first time buyers that wouldn't, couldn't or shoudn't have.

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to Goodfella57

Minority Home Loans Rise, But Many Are Still Rejected

So, the number of loans to "people who were unqualified" didn't happen as often during the Clinton Adminnistration as you tried to lie us into thinking.

You said, "Allowing people to qualify for home loans that they had no hope of repaying is the ULTIMATE in greed." According to the story you posted as "evidence," many were rejected.

Why is it that wingnuts never post corroboration that actually corroborates?

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to Goodfella57

How does stopping a bank merger promote bank mergers? Even the headlines you cite contradict your tales.

Posted by mescal in reply to Goodfella57

Yeah, Goodfella, you're absolutely right! The Democrats ARE responsible for this fiasco.

And Oceania has ALWAYS been at war with Eurasia.

Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you. Its almost time for your Two Minutes Hate.

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to mescal

More like his 24-hour hate.

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to Easy to refute wingnuts

Wait a minute...how am I the 'hater'? I never said I hate anyone. Read your own posts to find the hatered.

Posted by mescal in reply to Goodfella57

That whooshing noise was both of our posts flying right over the top of your skull.

Posted by historygeek001 in reply to Goodfella57

Wrong.  It is the Republicans that made the laws that allowed such loans to be made. 

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to Goodfella57

Allowing people to qualify for home loans that they had no hope of repaying is the ULTIMATE in greed.

So, giving someone $400,000 for a home that is worth $200,000, knowing that person would default and even if they got the home back it was only worth half the money that was paid out is Greed?

Next time you feel greedy, please come and stand next to me. The money you throw into the air should be fairly easy to catch.

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to Easy to refute wingnuts

GREED by unscrupulous and predatory mortgage companies 

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to Goodfella57

Repeating the stupidity doesn't explain how losing $200,000 is greedy.

Posted by jbraskin4786

O'Reilly makin a false claim???? Shocking. ;)

Posted by Dem02020

And for the benefit of those who are interested in this unbelievably expensive and bold scheme of the Bush administration, to siphon off nearly a trillion dollars from the U.S. Treasury into the private sector, specifically to WALL STREET (and I guess George W. Bush was bound and determined to get that money for WALL STREET, after we stopped him from privatizing the Social Security Trust Fund)...

For those who are interested, McClatchy is about the best source I've found on the Internet Wire, for the best and most critical (read "specific and detailed" for "critical") reporting of this monsterously expensive and bold scheme of the Bush administration, as it wraps up the final few months of eight year's worth of bold schemes...

Right now, McClatchy is running on it's fron page a nice profile of Treasury Secretary Paulson, titled "Can You Trust A Wall Street Veteran With A Wall Street Bailout?"

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/52856.html

The first two paragraphs:

"Making the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson repeatedly said today's financial problems were long in the making. He should know. He was part of the Gold Rush that has brought the global financial system to the brink of collapse.

Paulson presided over one of the most profitable runs on Wall Street as chairman and chief executive officer of investment banking titan Goldman Sachs & Co. from 1999 until President Bush nominated him on May 30, 2006 to take over the Treasury Department."   

Now, are you reading anything anywhere about this scheme, as good as just those two paragraphs alone?

Further down in the article, we have:

"At a minimum, there's irony in Paulson being in charge of so large a bailout.

In the last annual report at Goldman that Paulson signed off on in November 2005, a year in which he received $38 million in compensation, investors were clearly told that the federal government wouldn't be there to save them from bad investments."

Go to McClatchy, they're pretty good, read the whole article, and the others they are offering... they're pretty good, it's timely stuff, it's real Journalism: they may be the only ones out there right now, in the business of real Journalism.

And I'd remind again about the money being siphoned off from the U.S. Treasury (a trillion dollars) in the name of WALL STREET: this money is not going to a single home-owner, nor is it going to stop anyone from losing their home... this money goes to WALL STREET, and nowhere else... this may be the crime of the century in the making... you better get caught up fast on what's going on... McClatchy is a really good start, I say.

Posted by mescal in reply to Dem02020

Dem

Your post today are coinciding eerily with the groing misgivings that I'm having over this entire bailout plan. In what is claerly a slowl developing situation, we are suddenly being told that WE MUST ACT, AND WE MUST ACT NOW! There's no time being alloted to the American people to digest these events, and there is certainly no time for debate. We must put TOTAL AND COMPLETE TRUST IN THIS REPEATEDLY DISCREDITED NEOCON ADMINISTRATION TO SAVE US FROM THE CRISIS THAT THEY'VE WHOLLY BROUGHT ABOUT!

It seems seems more than a little coincidental that this crisis has hit just as the Bush Maladministration is about to lose power. I have to wonder... and wonder HARD... if this is simply a case of them exercising their last chance to loot the national treasury as they exit the political stage, like an avaricious hotel guest stuffing towels, bath robes, and even a flat screen TV into his luggage just before checking out.

Talk radio host Mike Malloy has often refered to the Bush Maladministration as the Bush Crime Family. I now think that this characterization is grossly unfair to the Mob. I can think of no mafia family with as egregious a history of greed, corruption, bloodshed, and total and complete indifference to human suffering.

If God does indeed exist, then these ruthless thugs will burn in hell.

In the meantime, however, Leavenworth Federal Correctional Facility will do.

Posted by roundhouse in reply to mescal

It's the shock doctrine one last time for old time sake.

Disaster capitalism.

Naomi Klein has these pigs dead to rights.

Posted by mescal in reply to roundhouse

Indeed she does, Roundhouse.

Indeed she does.

Posted by juliajayne in reply to mescal

I love when Mike malloy calls this administration the Bush Crime Family. Very fitting. And in addition to "The Shock Doctrine" there's another comprehensive book by Kevin Phillips called "Bad Money" that you and RH might be interetsed in.

http://www.bad-money.com/

Posted by juliajayne in reply to juliajayne

Okay, here's a good article by Thom Hartmann as well.

http://airamerica.com/thomhartmannpage/blog/2008/sep/17/why-could-be-worse-republican-great-depression

Posted by roundhouse in reply to juliajayne

Thanks JJ. I'm off to work so I'll have to read those a little after midnight.

Here's a good read for you, too. James Galbraith's Predator State.

Posted by juliajayne in reply to roundhouse

Thanks back, RH. Checking it out right now.

Posted by Goodfella57

Irony,

Ironcally, you're the first to point out that Frank is gay. Isn't that convenient...when all else fails, blame homophobia.

"..more than a year ago..." is WAY too late.

Look...the fact is that it was the DEMOCRATS that encouraged the loosening of credit standards that led to this mess. Let's not try to change history.

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to Goodfella57

How many of Billo's viewers do you think there are who, when Barney Frank's name is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is that he's gay? And not in a good, happy sort of way, either... I just found it amusing that Billo blamed someone who is already considered to be an immoral monster by right wing FOX viewers. And if you believe that Democrats...excuse me, I mean DEMOCRATS...are solely to blame for the economic crisis then you are indeed hopelessly clueless. We had a Republican Congress for over ten years and a Republican President for the past eight...for whom regulation was a nasty word. What have they been doing...besides making the rich folks richer?

Posted by eddy3957 reregistered in reply to IRONY 101

"...Democrats...excuse me, I mean DEMOCRATS...are solely to blame for the economic crisis..."

-------------------------

Expect to hear plenty of this...apparently Chaos Central Command has told them what they think........I'm hearing it right now from two right wing radio guys live.

I've heard it from real live humans, Eddy, Can't really blame the radio guys, they're geting a paycheck for spewing out this BS, it's our fellow Americans(Like Goodfella) who roll over and have their bellies rubbed with the stuff that are responsible for the mess.

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to Col. Harlan Sanders

"...it's our fellow Americans(Like Goodfella) who roll over and have their bellies rubbed with the stuff that are responsible for the mess." CHS

I don't even get that...
But as I said, I can see failure on both sides of this: The desire to have anyone and everyone own a home, no matter thier abiltiy to pay. And the unregulated financial institutions that exploited the situation.

Can you not see it that way at all? Or is it yet another reason to hate Bush because it is 100% his fault. Come on...How tired it that?

Posted by my4cents1172 in reply to Goodfella57

It looks like you find failure on BOTH sides when it is convenient to you, and choose to ignore failures when only one side could be possibly blamed (from 200 to 2006).

Posted by my4cents1172 in reply to my4cents1172

200 = 2000

Posted by roundhouse in reply to Goodfella57

You're utterly pathetic fella. Take some some of that Goddamn personal responsibility you cons are always talking about and own this nightmare of deregulation and CEO worship.

Posted by mescal in reply to roundhouse

The right wing mantra of "personal responsibility" was never intended for application to them, RH.

It was intended exclusively for the rest of us suckers.

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to roundhouse

I didn't say that there is no republican culpabilty here.

But lets face facts: It started with the loosening of credit standards for those who shouldn't be owning a home because they can't afford it. That was during the CLINTON administration. It was the greed of mortgage companies and lending institutions during the Bush administration that magnified the problem and put us in the mess we are now. There's plenty of blame to go around.

Posted by roundhouse in reply to Goodfella57

Baloney. Clinton definitely screwed up with NAFTA, but this, "we don't need no stinking badges," cowboy capitalism as legislated by Phil Gramm is at the heart of this crisis.

Loosening credit standards is about broad prosperity, it enables more people to own a home and claim their constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With prudence and ethics from lenders, this could have worked well. But no. The market fundamentalists had to have no oversight or restraints because the market is perfect and always work best when left alone.

Posted by roundhouse in reply to roundhouse

That's what i expected from you, fella.     Nothing. 

Posted by my4cents1172 in reply to Goodfella57

kind of like a rape case. The rapist is not to blame, or only partially, right?

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to Goodfella57

Ironcally, you're the first to point out that Frank is gay.

You mean besides Frank himself and the thousands of news and TV articles written and published over the last twenty years?

Now, that's irony for ya.

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to Easy to refute wingnuts

Actually, I meant that he, IRONY was the first in the comments thread to point out the Frank is gay as if that had some bearing on the story.

Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to Goodfella57

Actually, the irony is that you, of all people, attempted to lecture anyone about rewriting history.

Posted by Goodfella57 in reply to Easy to refute wingnuts

ETRW,

I've lectured nobody.

Posted by roundhouse in reply to Goodfella57

You've lectured nobody?

Liar.

"But let's face the facts," has been the launching pad of countless monotonous lectures on any given topic. 

Posted by GotKids

The DEMOCRATS in Congress better get ahold of this freight train because it has Hurricane Katrina and "New Orleans had 2000 buses" written all over it. The Repugnuts are trying to frame the debate, poison the social consciousness, call it what you will. But if this perception takes hold, and if left to it's own devices, it will, then this is the "Cadillac driving welfare queen" Redux.

The right wing talkers are ALL over this. Every single last one of them is "this is all the fault of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Frank Raines and his buddy Barack Obama."

Get your guns out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by roundhouse in reply to GotKids

Damn right. But I'll tell you what. I have to applaud the Dems for framing this disaster from day one for what it is: A disaster of Republican deregulation.

This will be a battle the Republicans lose. 

Republican economics has its fingerprints all over this.

Posted by mescal in reply to roundhouse

And Faux News is hard at work scouring those fingerprints off this whole fukcing FUBAR.

They lack even Pravda's sense of journalistic ethics.

Posted by SueEld

Just a side note, I really enjoy this new format.

Posted by wzwriter in reply to SueEld

Just a side note, I really enjoy this new format.

Me, too.  It's easier to tell who's replying to whom.

Posted by Great American

So Barney Frank sponsored a bill! That's great. Too bad he was encouraging bad loans at the same time. Let's have some more regulation and oversight instead of stopping the bad loans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by eweston8542983 in reply to Great American

Its hard to really figure out what your saying T. Tentitivly, your your opposed to more regulations. If so what stops bad loans, market forces. Is there some further toy that the financial folks wanted that would have avoided this meltdown? Surfhood, indentured positions, selling ones soul to the finance company store?

Posted by IRONY 101 in reply to eweston8542983

For a start we could eliminate the silly dreams and aspirations of lower income people...it's downright un-American.   ;>) 

Posted by Great American in reply to eweston8542983

Bad loans aren't from a lack of regulation.  They are from the Clinton administration forcing banks to underwrite bad loans or face certain con