Sanders writes: "We don't need a treasury secretary who thinks that Wall Street deregulation was not responsible for the financial crisis. We need a treasury secretary who will work hard to break up too-big-to-fail financial institutions so that Wall Street cannot cause another massive financial crisis."
White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew has been nominated for Treasury Secretary. (photo: Getty Images)
No on Lew
11 January 13
resident Obama on Thursday nominated Jacob Lew to be treasury secretary. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, said he would not vote to confirm Lew. "Jack Lew is clearly an extremely intelligent person and I applaud his many years of public service to our country. I believe that he will be confirmed by the Senate. Unfortunately, he will be confirmed without my vote. At a time when the middle class is collapsing and millions of workers are unemployed, I do not believe he is the right person at the right time to serve in this important position.
"As a supporter of the president, I remain extremely concerned that virtually all of his key economic advisers have come from Wall Street. In my view, we need a treasury secretary who is prepared to stand up to corporate America and their powerful lobbyists and fight for policies that protect the working families in our country. I do not believe Mr. Lew is that person.
"We don't need a treasury secretary who thinks that Wall Street deregulation was not responsible for the financial crisis. We need a treasury secretary who will work hard to break up too-big-to-fail financial institutions so that Wall Street cannot cause another massive financial crisis.
"We don't need another treasury secretary who believes in ‘deficit neutral' corporate tax reform. We need a treasury secretary willing to fight to make sure that large, profitable corporations pay their fair share in taxes to reduce the deficit and create jobs.
"We don't need a treasury secretary who will advise the president that he should negotiate with the Republicans to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits. We need someone who is going to strengthen these programs.
"We don't need another treasury secretary who believes that NAFTA and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China have been good for the American economy. We need someone in the White House who works to fundamentally re-write our trade policy to make sure that we are exporting American goods, not American jobs."
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
 18 May 2013
|
 19 May 2013
|
 17 May 2013
|
 18 May 2013
|
 20 May 2013
|
 19 May 2013
|
 18 May 2013
|
|
17 May 2013
|
 18 May 2013
|
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
The more I learn about Jacob Lew's history the more I am convinced that the President is terribly mistaken on this nomination. Jack Lew is most certainly not an amoral Right Winger that believes the Federal Government shouldn't have a budget for anything other than the military. And that is a good thing. But he does strongly adhere to the meme that states that the US fiscal problems are that we spend too much money, that financial institutions more efficiently serve the public good when regulated by a consensus of the regulated and the public.
This meme has to be destroyed. It is demonstrably false and until we realize that the ones being regulated cannot make the regulations and then public vets the rules, the order must be reversed.
President Obama needs to be forced to have another point of view than to continue listening to Bill Clinton's leftovers. If we wanted that, then Hillary would have been the Democratic candidate in 2008.
I couldn't agree with you more! This appointment clearly shows where Obama is at and it's not with the people. And your assessment of Bill Clinton leftovers and having Hilary as a candidate at any time who would only continue these disastrous policies is spot on!
The problems are so political even within the party that it makes it difficult to achieve a balance. This position needs a prosecutor's mentality - it's had enough white collar criminal types for too long.
He's doing exactly as he intends, just as he has from day one of his first term.
As leader of the Democratic Party's branch of the GOP, he faithfully serves Wall Street, the banks, and the corporations.
But if the Democrat wing would have not started the Iraq War of 2003, that would be enough difference to be worth voting for.
My problem with that statement is: "As a supporter of the president, I remain extremely concerned that virtually all of his key economic advisers have come from Wall Street." He shouldn't be a supporter of this treacherous knave in the White House, unless the knave changes his ways.
My rationale? "An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness."
sorry, but a reality check is sorely needed
He's been Obama's harshest critic from the left.
Guess it's not too likely, though. After all, he is not in the pocket of Wall Street.
SO disappointing!
deliver us from evil....
WALL STREET VILLAINAIRES
What you say is not only obvious but glaringly so. Obama's worshippers for some strange reason blind themselves to what he has actually done (as opposed to what he says).
And then they treat criticism from the left, like mine, as heresy.
The main contradiction in Bernie's comments is his support for the president - who is nothing but a Wall Street pimp - and his opposition to Lew, who is also nothing but a bagman for the investment industry. One corporate bagman appointing another to run the economy. This appointment is a payoff to Clinton for the campaign. I guess Erskine Bowles caught too much flack for the catfood commission to get past the democratic base. So he's sending an obsequious pimp instead.
This version of the democratic party creeps me out. And this generation of liberal/progres sive leaders are the most lame, pathetic and elitist phonies I've ever seen.
How many foxes are they letting into the chicken house before it becomes bare of pickin's.
Mt Sanders told Amy Goodman in a recent interview that he didn't think the President was progressive and it looks like he is Hell-bent on proving it -like bungin' a gloved hand into a hat, see what comes out.
Krugman.
Many others with the interests of working class at heart.
When we can get our own house in order, when when we can elect 60 Senators and 290 Representatives who reflect our political will, then we can consider being as intransigent and as dictatorial as our opponents seem to be. I won't be promoting that kind of narrowmindednes s but I know many of my colleagues will. In the meantime, we need to minimize gridlock, and anyone more to the liking of progressive left is not going to do the job.
If you're looking for the red button, it's up there on the right....
I know -- dream on.
there's an elephant sitting in the Oval Office but NO ONE WILL SPEAK ITS NAME.....
The Neocons who drove policy under Bush cheney regime have modified their approach..less in your face but still the same old same old...nothing has changed except instead of boy idiot (Bush) the powers have put a brother in the front window...but all major decisions seem to be coming out of aipac or Tel aviv offices.....Thi s is not CHANGE this is merely a continuation of the same "ganiffs" .....to make it so that there is no space between Israel and the US....we is them...they is us? Madness.....Rah m is gone....replace d by ..Axelrod...rep laced by Lew...BUT AT LEAST HE AINT GREENSPAN....so its all good?
"As a supporter of the president, I remain extremely concerned that virtually all of his key economic advisers have come from Wall Street...."
I lost a lot of respect for Senator Sanders a couple years back.
He first proclaimed his undying support for Single Payer healthcare--and only Single Payer--as real healthcare reform.
And promptly caved to White House pressure and voted for the HMO subsidies and rationing enacted under Romney in Massachusetts now known as the Affordable Care Act--when the vote was close.
Ironically, in the same breath as the Senator opposes Jack Lew, he says that Lew will be confirmed.
Of course, should some Goldman Sachs skeletons emerge that endanger Lew's confirmation doubtless the Senator would vote for him--with some explanation about supporting the President against the Right-wingers.
This is another golden opportunity for the D party's devotees to witness more Wall Street rape of the US, thanks to their emboldened leader, Barack Obama, who, unfortunately, has spine only for Wall Street.
OBAMA HAS NO DIFFICULTY HELPING WALL STREET REDUCE THE US TO THE FOURTH REICH!
RSS feed for comments to this post