"... more than 100 of its lobbyists huddled with Republican lawmakers to reject safeguards, accountability, and oversight of the industry."

What meeting??? Can't have been any such meeting!!!

Our corporate media will never acknowledge that such a meeting took place; therefore, it must not have taken place.

Even if it did take place, our dumbocraps will never have the stones to make an issue of it. And our dumbocrap president would not want to make an issue of it and risk bipartisanship!

Talk to conservatives about the financial crisis and you enter an alternative, bizarro universe in which government bureaucrats, not greedy bankers, caused the meltdown.

Mr. Krugman knows of what he speaks. I had an unpleasant convo with a winger relative about the financial situation and he was jumping all over this talking point with wild eyed fervor. I didn't even bother to correct him as he is already a lost cause. When you think that there are stockpiles of WMDs in Iraq, but the media doesn't report it because the "ingredients" are "separated", your brain just isn't up to the task of thinking.

That pep rally, by some measures, should have been one of the year's biggest scandals.

Steve, you need to take the Sinclair quote "meta":

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

It ain't just the paycheck-bondage of the Repugnants that is screwing this country... the Media and all of us in one way or another get queasy at the big implications of corporate control of our society.

... the Rs met with the lobbyists in the Visitor Center of the Capital building, no less. I'm sure they also met in the same place with regular Americans who have been soaked with higher bank and credit card fees, and seeing billions of taxpayer money going to these jokers. Oh wait...

What a joke this country has become.
The United Corporations of America!
Feudalism here we come!

Yesterday's “motivation” lament that Obama can't do much because Congress has so much control over legislation has been followed by a slew of posts about various ways that Congress is in the hands of complete bastards. Someone has to kick their ass, or at least challenge them to fight. The choices are the media, the Dem leadership in Congress and the president. It’s time for the White House to take off the gloves. Obama last night on 60 Minutes is a good start.

Yes conservatives have to take a large measure of the blame for deregulation of the financial services industry. Lets not forget that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act which repealed the Glass-Steagall had was a "bi-partisan" bill afterall it passed the Senate with the support of 38 Democrats and the House with 155 Democrats. President Clinton signed the bill. Given the large majorities favoring the bill vetoing it would have had little effect.

I know all too well that many Democrats are not liberals - see health care reform - I just think that there is a bit of culpability across the spectrum.

Perhaps the difference is that - hopefully -- Democrats realize the mistake and learn from it and will seek to develop a set of regulations that allows the financial services industry to perform its job -- we all use credit -- and not engage in activities that have the potential to crush the economy.

Bob O'Reilly
Cambridge, MA

My theory is that the Bush Admin created this mess by diverting the public from the Iraq War by making home ownership active and easy. You know-"We can fight this war and it's not going to affect the American way of life" kinda thing.
We all know that you can't fight a war without taxes but "taxes" are the Pavlov's bell to the American voter.

I mostly agree with citizen_pain!

Our country has become something worse than a joke.

A corrected name is The United Corporations of Amerika.

And the worst is yet to come. There is a likelihood that the Supreme Court will announce its decision this week or next on "Citizens United vs FEC". It is expected that the rethug appointees to the court will rule that is is an unconstitutional infringement of free speech to have any rules or limits on corporate money involvement in political campaigns.

The impact of this will be that corporate money will have unlimited say in politics. The expected ruling will say that this includes 'not-for-profit' corporations set up to avoid reporting requirements. The totality of this will be that politicians will have a complete fear of crossing the wealthy who would be able to spend unlimited amounts to remove them from office. The ruling is also expected to not allow any testing or rules that prohibit foreign money funneled to these 'corporations'.

We are screwed!

If every network newscast, the cable stations and newspapers had made an issue of the Rethugs in bed with the banks, it might have resonated with the public. Of course that didn't happen. Creating distractions is what the media for the most part does best, especially when it has to do with what's good for this country - as opposed to what's good for the ruling classes.

As an aside, the American media also hasn't reported that the German high court banned electronic voting, and it happened back in March. Coverage in the US? None. Nada. Zero. It would seem that such a move by a major country might inform how we do business here. But business isn't interested in democracy on any front.

I learned a new term this week-end. The term is “Manufactured Doubt.” It is what the right-wingers are best at. Fox, Rush, Hannity, Beck and the odious Mark Levin, have all mastered the fine art of manufacturing doubt. They will take one little snippet in the news and blow it way out of proportion. And they always find a way to blame the liberals for all the woes besetting this country. It is a game to them. They can’t stand to lose. They will do whatever it takes - cheat, lie, steal - in order to win. Winning is the only thing that matters.

I'm going to send that man some nice cookies!

For the benefit of Sheridan:

What you fail to fathom is that we republicans are at war with the greatest enemy ever faced by our country. This enemy is so terrible that he makes Hitler look like a cub scout leader.

When you are at war, it is essential that you win. Our country requires no less than any action necessary to win. Lying in the defense of our great country is very much acceptable. Cheating in the name of our great country is a small price to pay. Winning, of course, is the only thing that matters.

And, after we defeat The Chosen One and the democrat party, we will return to our rightful republican place as rulers of this country!

For the benefit of RepublicanPointOfView

Those who rely on name calling betray the weakness of their position. You have proven nothing except your ability to name call.

Please go home until you have something to say that includes facts.

Bob O'Reilly
Cambrdige MA

To Bob O'Reilly:

As a republican, who understands the way that our system works, I do not need facts.

As a republican, I can afford to be honest on liberal sites like this; because our base will never visit here.

Here is some truth for you:

We lie.
We know that we lie.
We know that our corporately owned media will not call us on our lies.
We know that our ignorant, mindless base will believe all of our lies.
We know that our lies will confuse enough of the vast muddle of voters into believing that there must be some truth to our lies.
We will continue to lie.

p.s. RPOV is a sarcastic commentary based upon beliefs expressed by my friends from the financially well off part of the republican party.

My Republican b-i-l told me with utter confidence that Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson caused the mortgage meltdown.

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