It would seem that in addition to now railing against outrageous bonuses guaranteed in a package he supposedly put together (or at least reviewed), our esteemed President was the past recipient of a rather tidy sum from AIG.
But no worries. He’s on the case now, Obama is, having recovered his mojo. Or at least, that’s what the JournoList wants us to think.
Just as Barney Frank is going to fix Fannie and Freddy — even though this is the same guy who assured us it wasn’t broken, and was among those insisting that it’s critics were really just secret racists out to keep a brother down.
Evidently, the irony hasn’t yet gotten thick enough yet to choke the air out of these lying pricks. But there’ always tomorrow, yes?
OUTLAW!
****
update: Maybe Leno can work in a few questions about this, y’think?
Whether tomorrow will come or not remains to be seen. I’m guessing MAYBE.
Hey, lookit! Managed to discuss language AND hammer Obama, all in the same day.
REJOICE! IT CAN BE DONE!
Evidently, the irony hasn’t yet gotten thick enough yet to choke the air out of these lying pricks.
Amen.
We also learn this today. Nice.
h/t AoS
Guess that whole “post it on the WH site and let us debate it for a coupla days” thing never quite took off then, huh?
It’s not a campaign bonus he recalls. But now that this disturbing situation has been brought to his attention, he’ll investigate all means of you know, fixing the situation. Americans want an end to this type of leadership.
Can I hang here for a bit?
Barney Frank and Chris Dodd should be publically flogged for what they did, as starters. Now I am not letting Republicans off the hook either, a few of them deserve flogging too–but that Frank and Dodd appear to be getting a complete pass by the MSM is a disgrace.
The more who cry out the better.
Sure, Hongqi. Why not?
If there is one thing I hate it is a bought and paid for president who won’t stay bought.
Let us not forget that Barcky went out and stated in public that the earmarks that he vowed to end were only a small portion of the overall budget, and therefore, we can overlook them. However, when it comes to AIG bonuses, again a small number in comparison to the bailout, and the overall orgy of spending that Congress has engaged in, we are now to be outraged.
Dude, these bonus are sheer decimal dust in the overall scheme of robbery going on.
Why are we paying more than passing attention to this crap?
There are far worse things lurking in the coming legislation.
Barcky wanted to spend more on condoms than was spent on the AIG bonuses.
It’s not the bonuses, C Smith. It’s the fact that our President is railing against what his own package promised.
It goes to his having lying liar pants on fire.
An old fashioned morality play is in progress.
On the shining white unicorn, Barack Obama, aka “The People’s Hero”.
Dressed in the Black Cape, the villain, evil AIG-man.
The beleaguered heroine, the powerless, but purehearted “Little Economy”.
Watch “The People’s Hero” as he rescues the “Little Economy” and saves those millions of dollars from the evil clutches of AIG-man, who in his death throws mortally wounds “Little Economy”. With her dying breath she begs Obama to save the world from all those other evil capitalist scum. “The Peoples Hero” promises and goes out to save the world for the socialist paradise.
The End (for everyone)
Barcky was in favor of it, before he was against it.
Thanks Dan,
I’ve been reading the ongoing debate between Jeff and that #$%^@# Patterico and this seems like the place for me.
unfortunately, I bring nothing to the community except for being a slight to horrific embarrassment.
But I am a people person (do you allow bouts of turrets here?).
Fuck yeah.
We don’t mind sudden bursts of expletive, or anything of the sort, so long as you’re able to get back on the rails in a reasonable amount of time.
Fuckin’ A.
Irony? we see no irony. Go Obama!!! Our HERO!!!!
Medication and song keeps me very calm. I will do my best.
Filled with green beer is probably not the best time to introduce myself to your blog but hey…
Sorry, I’ve got nothing else.
FTFY
It rained today. An afternoon rain, mein gott in himmel did we need it.
I don’t know maggie. It’s about time for spring to be over here and summer to begin, when every afternoon clouds bloom over the glades and drift to the coast and blammo, downpours. It’s been over three months since we’ve had a serious rain though. Trees are starting to really suffer. Combined with any disease and they’re toast.
I want to hear more . . .
Amber Kimball
Well, ok, but take off your shoes and leave ’em by the door over there first, then grab a chair and a beer.
Sdferr,
Thanks for the heads up on post 4. I’m going to pass that on.
I can’t look at Barky these days without hearing Zappa’s Dirty Love.
Just like your momma make that nasty poodle do.
Give me
So, you rush an 1100 page piece of legislation through, without reading it, and vote it up in record time. What could possibly go wrong?
I heart Michael Ramirez
Re the update. This is too much stuff masquerading as incompetency. They were close when Rahm said chaos is the best time to get things done. It has to be to keep taxpayers distracted while they steal, hide, stuff documents down their pants… whatever.
Watch Obama give away a HOUSE again, or a car. He’ll go on Leno and pull some ditzy 50-year old from the audience and dance with her. Oh snap.
Just between you guys and us, in November the elites of this country all got together and elected one of the single most destructive morons to the office of the President this country has ever seen. Worse than Warren G. Harding. Doesn’t bother us so much, we’ve all got the cash to move, now. Just thought the rest of you would like to know.
How does the Teleprompter thing work on a late night talk show? That’s got to be awkward, eh?
A tightly scripted impromptu. Or else.
This is one of those nightmares you don’t wake up from, isn’t it?
Yeah, AIG, I know. At least we could criticize Harding without being racist. Him being a people of pallor and all.
“Comment by C Smith on 3/17 @ 9:03 pm #
Dude, these bonus are sheer decimal dust in the overall scheme of robbery going on.
Why are we paying more than passing attention to this crap?”
It’s a distraction from the fact that this administration is already a miserable failure.
How does the Teleprompter thing work on a late night talk show? That’s got to be awkward, eh?
You obviously haven’t seen this He’s prolly been dying to try it out.
Politics as three card monty.
I wonder if the Journolist has like a Batsignal or something where they all rush to Obama’s defense. This would make a great comic book.
Journolist Assemble!!!!!!
Blah, blah, blah..RUSH LIMBAUGH! Blah, blah, blah…RUSH LIMBAUGH POLLS BAD, WORSE THAN CHENEY…
I’d like to get a look at the contracts these bonuses are being paid under. Inherent in the concept of the word “bonus” is that it is a payment for better than average work. Bonuses are incentives to work a little smarter and better. How could a contract be worded so that the people who ran a company into the ground were entitled to bonuses?
Randy, I would be interested to know how YOU know those folks who recieved those bonuses where actually the ones who ran it into the ground? Or, do you just know things? I mean, I’ve heard countless people make this accusation, so I guess it must be public knowledge.
Reggie Bush supposedly recieved a bonus from AIG. Burn him!!!!
And, actually, I could give a shit about about 160 million. Lemmings.
Randy, I suspect that kind of “business practice”, in general, had a lot to do with the demise of AIG.
That’s apparently how the contracts were written, though, and (more on point) that’s what was specified in the Porkulus bill that Pelosi and Reid’s Insane Clown Posse passed, and Teleprompter Jesus signed.
They’re going freaking batshit now that word is getting around, fearing (rightly) that this is going to damage the prospects for Porkulus II (and III, and IV…).
Does anyone believe that this was the only questionable expenditure in the Porkulus bill? Me neither.
Here’s an idea, Harry, Nan, and Barky: how about you do your fucking jobs and actually read the legislation for which you are responsible?
The only way any of them will read it is if someone mistakenly transcribes it on O!’s teleprompter.
I’m going to have to turn off my radio today, aren’t I? All morning, it is all they’ve talking about.
Carin – amen to that. I work for one of AIG’s fiercest competitors, you’d think I would at least enjoy a little screetching at their expense. But it bores the living #$%& out of me instead.
Bonuses are tied to quantifiable benchmarks. Make your benchmark, get your bonus.
Perhaps those who caused the failure didn’t make their goals. Or, perhaps the contracted bonuses were idiotic. We probably should have looked at this sort of thing before we started sinking billions of dollars into the company. And perhaps we should have mulled over the 1180 page Porkulus for more than 15 hours before having a vote on it. Maybe someone would have read the Dodd Amendment and said “WTF? I’m not voting for that.”
When teleprompters attack:
“Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House when he realized something sounded way too familiar. Turns out, he was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just given.”
“But Cowen was 20 seconds into his second address when it dawned on him that he was giving word for word the speech that Obama had just read from the same teleprompter.”
That’s just kookie talk, Pablo,
Now, let’s not speak of this anymore.
Sigh.
william, the truth of the event is worse. Baracky’s teleprompter is attempting to take over the world.
So, the questions here would seem to be:
1) Is Cowen as much of a retard as Obama?
2) If not, did Obama’s people insist that Cowen deliver a speech that they had written, and that Cowen hadn’t seen in advance?
I mean, how could you get 20 seconds into your own speech before realizing that something was wrong?
If the goals were valid, and if the executives in question did in fact meet the goals, I actually don’t have a problem with them getting their pay.
But we don’t know that, do we?
The reason we don’t know that is because Congress and Obama didn’t do their jobs.
Randy, the bonuses were retention bonuses. Which means they were promised (and paid) in order to retain the services of the affected employees. Which means the only performance indicator they were tied to was continued service to the company. Facts: they’re what’s for dinner.
Facts can not stop the JournoList.
When is Teleprompter Jesus going to give back all the loot that he received from AIG?
I hate it when my package makes promises it can’t keep.
Which is pretty much most of the time.
Benedict is right about the nature of the bonuses being “retention.” Last year a group of executives tried to get the board to base performance bonuses on 2006’s sterling numbers as opposed to the rapidly crumbling 2007 figures.
Apparently the word “bonus” means something other than performance based upon ROI or net profit or some other inconvenient measuring stick. That being said, the hypocrisy is so thick with our current gang of congressional thieves that it can only be dented with a Katana.
Related: I mentioned in Jeff’s previous post about the CRA that my brother serves on the board of directors of a small regional savings bank in the same county as the bank profiled, East Bridgewater Savings Bank. I E-Mailed him and asked him if his bank had ever had the FDIC pressure them for not making enough high risk loans. Here is his reply:
Roll that around in your head for a minute. While Frank and Dodd have been insisting that Fannie, Freddie and the CRA had nothing to do with the current crisis, banks have been pressured by the FDIC to make more high risk loans to more high risk clients for well over ten years!
Perhaps there was some kind of cumulative effect?
You guy are all racist homophobes.
JD’s just phoning it in this morning.
Yeah, Carin. You are right. The total and complete ineptitude of Baracky and his minions has me worn down. That, and the fact that I am in the People’s Republic of Minnesota, which I am still in favor of giving to the French Canadians.
I wonder who the Demon of the Week will be next week?
I am thinking that for any sustained recovery in the stock market, we should request that when Congress takes their summer vacation, Baracky should join them.
I wonder who the Demon of the Week will be next week?
Now THAT can be a fun game. First is was Bush. Then Rush. Now AIG bonus-getters. Who’s waiting in the wings now?
Hmm who will the Demon of the week nominee be? Ah fuck it Boooooooooshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
*elected one of the single most destructive morons to the office of the President this country has ever seen.*
RACIST !!
This state’s full of German Lutherans, JD. Them Frenchies wouldn’t stand a chance.
Walleye Uber Alles!
Schumer is out there talking about taxing bonuses to misdirect from Chris Dodd actually making the bonuses happen and Obama, Geithner, Pelosi-Reid, and the rest of them missing it.
AIG was tits up but for this bailout. And they are afraid of lawsuits? They could put the company into receivership if they wished to do so. The company is in quasi receivership now, living on the kindness of strangers, or rather “friends” since Dodd got $280K from AIG, Schumer got $116K and Obama got a cool $100K. Perhaps they will give that money back to the tax payers and then tax the bonuses too?
The bonuses are frustrating but probably necessary. Lets say you’re an employee of a company that’s tanking – you’re going to be looking for another job. Sometimes, this results in a mass exodus and the most qualified/most talented will be the first to find jobs. However, if you want to fix the company, you need the talent to do so and you can’t have them going to other companies right now, though they have every right to do so. I hope they had the execs who got bonuses sign an employment contract to lock them in for a few years so they really will be forced to try to fix the company.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m a bigger fan of letting companies fail – bailing out AIG, Goldman Sachs, etc is a short term fix, nto a long term strategy. I think the big 3 auto companies would be better filing chapter 11 and re-structuring their union contracts so they can start making a profit. However, “too big to fail” is the washington buzzword and I think what that really means is “too many voters who won’t vote democrat if they lose their jobs.”
By the way: AIG insurance division continues to be profitable and solid for the most part. Their financial division is the one dragging the company through the sewer (two of my best friends work for AIG.) Some of those bonuses are going to executives responsible for continuing to lead the insurance division successfully.
Don’t forget that Jim Cramer was a Demon of the Week as well …
As an aside, the $167M in bonus payments amounts to approximately 0.02% of the “stimulus” package. When Baracky was waxing poetic about the evils of $9,000,000,000 in earmarks, which is over 50 times as much as these evil bonuses, we were told that in the grand scheme of things, they were only about 1% of the overall bill, therefore, not all that significant. So, 1% is acceptable, but 0.02% is worthy of outrage?
Sure, BJ … that sounds like Republican talking points if I ever heard ’em. Get yourself back to the re-education camp ASAP.
The first winds of an impending Hurricane might seem invigorating and the rain welcome. But I want it to fail!
Progressives want it to succeed.
– O! and Ace forgive me, for I need “help”.
Hahaha, I just remembered: ever hear the song “Boy” by Cameron and “Blaze”?
The interspersed refrain from the background girl,Blaze[?]:
Boy
Boy
Boy
Oh Boy
Boy
Boy
Boy, Boy, Boy, Boy
Great song, about 5 versions, one featuring Mariah Carey, one only Blaze doing the “Boy” word exclusively, no dogs present. Quite “offensive”, so I listen to it a lot, but God help me if….Because I’m white, of course.
Obama’s railing against the AIG bonuses is to make him look like the “Hero of the Little Guy”.
Next it will cause the employees needed to save AIG to leave resulting in it’s failure. This will be blamed on AIG, bankers and capitalism in general.
Then the push for another grand “Stimulus” and/or bailout with more attached earmarks and regulations to “curb the abuses” of the Capitalists.
The media runs cover to hide that Obama-Pelosi-Reid had any involvement in the debacle that our economy has/will become.
Oh, Organized through the JournoList. Soon to be merged into “The Ministry of Truth”.
The new landlord has decided to douse the walls in kerosene and apply a match. Meanwhile, the most vocal tenants are fussing over a new doormat he gave to one guy in Apt. 4F. “It’s not fair! We don’t get doormats!”
“”Someone brush those ashes out of my face!”
“update: Maybe Leno can work in a few questions about this, y’think?”
Jan Leno is funny & smart, but I think he’ll act all deferential and call Barry “Mr. President” and we won’t learn anything.
(since I won’t watch, I’ll hafta hear the fallout secondhand)
The economy is crumbling around Teh One’s feet, and he is more worried about demonizing Jim Cramer, Rush, and going on Leno?!
I wonder if David Espo is on the JournoList.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090318/ap_on_an/bonus_stakes
No, meya, Chris Dodd is the “new enemy”, same as the old enemy – Progressive Ganglandia.
“yup. Definitely the new enemy.”
Brevity is the soul of [a t]wit.
A group of so-called objective professional journalists are engaged in a conspiracy to promote and give cover to a political agenda, and meya thinks it’s just fine.
I don’t know whether to be sympathetic or insulted.
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the “Obama Team”, as I believe they call it when thay can get away with it.
I’m strictly from commercial.
C’mon, meya, just admit to us that if Bush had members of his administration in secret deliberations with members of the mainstream press, you’d have screamed bloody murder. Just for once admit that your so-called “principles” are completely conditional on the actors behind any given current event.
Trust me — you wouldn’t be spilling any deep, dark secret. The rest of us around here figured it out a long time ago.
But maybe you think i’m insufficiently angry at Grover Norquist’s weekly meetings?