So-called liberal blogs trying to throw Obama under the bus

[HopeOverFear]

Repeat, Rinse, Pout
Posted by Al Giordano - March 19, 2009 at 12:41 pm By Al Giordano

Oh, if they cared a shred about their integrity, the pushers of two false stories that dominated the Netroots blogs in recent days would be issuing corrections today.

Their latest failed attempts (two of many so far in only the first eight weeks of the new administration) to storm the gates of the White House and make a scapegoat out of (fill in the blank: Emanuel, Geithner, whatever absent father figure is in their craws on any given day) reveal the simple formula of their online aneurisms and from here on out will serve as a guide to how they whip themselves into a froth so routinely only to be discredited within days of each spastic attack.

The first came out of the loud claims that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner allegedly hid or kept secret the fact that AIG Corporation would pay bonuses to its executive and employees even after receiving bailout funds.

Well, lo’ and behold, The Field has obtained a November 25, 2008 press release from the AIG Corporation] in which the troubled financial giant told the entire world that it would be offering bonuses in 2009!

HEre's the link to that press release: http://ir.aigcorporate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=76115&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1230022&highlight=bonuses

Some conspiracy, eh? One in which the alleged conspirator announced it to the public four months in advance!

The AIG statement – its main point was that brought-out-of-retirement CEO Edward M. Liddy (the guy who testified before Congress yesterday) would work without a salary this year – also said:

“five members of AIG's top-seven-officer Leadership Group will not receive annual bonuses for 2008 or salary increases through 2009… AIG's Senior Partners will not earn long-term performance awards in 2008. Furthermore, they will not receive salary increases in 2009, and their 2008 and 2009 annual bonuses will be limited.”

In other words, while AIG trumpeted that some would not be receiving bonuses, and that bonuses would be limited, it clearly disclosed that some would be receiving bonuses in 2009. And this was before Obama was president or Geithner was Treasury Secretary.

That press release was (and is) posted on the fucking Internet, kids. So anybody that tells you it was such a big secret – supposedly withheld in a grand conspiracy by Geithner and others – obviously didn’t bother to do a simple Google search before flapping their keypads.

[progressivebydesign]

1. I'm so sick of so-called Democrats who are so quick to attack...

It was obvious that the reason the bonuses were kept in the language was because the threat of lawsuits by those receiving them, and that they were contractually entitled to them. The penalties, per AIG, for not receiving them, was actually getting 3-times the original amount. I just never come over to DU anymore, because I find so much of it depressing.... No one will ever be good enough for them, or pure enough, I think. Makes me sick.

[Hutzpa]

18. Why are you so quick to cave in,

look at the poster before jumping off the cliff, or is it something else.

[Luminous Animal]

2. Link does not work (n/t).

[Thrill]

3. Democrats always eat their own. No surprise

This is why they don't stay in power very long

[Cha]

4. I love Al Giordano..he always comes

up with ways to bust the duplicitious whiners.

[ProSense]

5. Your link isn't working. Here:

Repeat, Rinse, Pout

[HopeOverFear]

6. thanks for that I'm not good at doing that stuff lol n/m

[ShortnFiery]

7. FAUX Democrats.

One of our Founders claimed - "We either hang together NOW or we will hang alone in the future." No truer sentiment was ever conveyed.

Hello?!? Are they aware that another GOP Executive Branch would mean THE END of our Democratic Republic? Do they care? Apparently not. :(

[FrenchieCat]

8. I called it!

Stated that Bloggers were playing Sherlock Holmes and having a good time doing it....

At our detriment, of course. :mad:

[cottonseed]

9. This was a great article. I read it last night.

Reading his description of the cycle (the Hamsher, Greenwald, Sirota circle jerk) was the best part of it. There's a ton of good comments as well. It's intelligent discussion, from blog post to comments. Beats the hell out of what was going on here last night.

[Hissyspit]

10. ???

Greenwald says Geithner claimed to not know about the bonuses when it's pretty obvious he did. Giordiano is confirming Geithner should have known. Geithner said he asked Dodd to include the loophole. Someone explain to me what I'm missing. I admit I haven't paid all that much attention to this because I don't think it is all that important.

Hamsher and Greenwald and Sirota, great intelligent progressive voices, are some nefarious horrible conspiracy all of a sudden? Sorry. Not buying that.

[yowzayowzayowza]

11. Yea, quite odoriferous. n/t

[bvar22]

12. Faux outrage from the cheerleaders.

I watched Geithner himself claim he didn't know about the bonuses until last week.

What do we know?

1)Dodd authored an ammendment BEFORE the bailout that would deny bonuses to AIG executives.

2) Someone from the Obama administration pressured Dodd into changing his ammendment to the exact opposite.

3)Dodd lied about doing so...
OR lied about NOT doing so (taking one for the team) when his ammendment was removed in committee.

:shrug:

One thing is certain.
Had the Liberal Blogs not catupulted the issue into the mainstream, NOTHING would have happened.

Score 1 for The Liberal Blogs.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Why are you calling people cheerleaders?

Just curious.

Why is what you do warranted as you call people names,
but everyone is suppose to tolerate your Obama hating ass?

[bvar22]

16. I am NOT an Obama hating ass.....

I am a "Centrist" hating ass.

"Centrism"....because its soooo EASY!
You don't have to STAND for ANYTHING, and get to insult those who do!
:party:


Repeating my last 3 lines:

One thing is certain.
Had the Liberal Blogs not catupulted the issue into the mainstream, NOTHING would have happened.

Score 1 for The Liberal Blogs.

[FrenchieCat]

22. What is it that happened?

A lot of noise that amounts to about .23571428% of the real issue.
But OK....Breakthrough! :eyes:

[ProSense]

15. Make believe. n/t

[bvar22]

17. Which part of my post do you contest?

1)Dodd authored an ammendment BEFORE the bailout that would deny bonuses to AIG executives.

2) Someone from the Obama administration pressured Dodd into changing his ammendment to the exact opposite.

3)Dodd lied about doing so...
OR lied about NOT doing so (taking one for the team) when his ammendment was removed in committee.

:shrug:

[ProSense]

19. The vote in Congress has nothing to do

with who approved the bonuses last year. Nothing!

The people quibbling about that issue are the same ones claiming that Congress shouldn't have passed the tax bill and shouldn't be writing laws to void contracts.

[ProSense]

14. No, Giordiano

is talking about a master conspiracy. The release is there it states that the bonuses would be scaled back.

Geithner said he didn't know the specific amounts or timing, which aren't mentioned in the release.

Note there were two payouts by AIG: the first was $121 million and the current $165 million, which is the source of outrage. In fact, it was the reports of Liddy's letter to Geithner claiming he couldn't do anything about them that exploded this in the media.

So the notion that there was this conspiracy planted before Geithner was even in office is ludicrous.

[Hutzpa]

20. Indeed

don't this smells like rotten fish, it's a shame that
folks here are buying this BS, are they stupid or just
plain enablers...take your pick.

[Uzybone]

21. You are missing the part

where Greenwald smeared both Rahm and Gibbs (both by name) and the WH by claiming they planted a story to blame Dodd.

[Hissyspit]

23. I was busy at the beginning of the week and missed a lot, but it originates in the New York Times.

Do we know Greenwald was wrong? Do you have links?

[Jennicut]

25. Greenwald blamed Rahm and Gibbs. He went about it the wrong way.

[Uzybone]

26. He lied about Gibbs; saying he was blaming Dodd

if you read the transcript and saw the WH briefing it was pretty clear that was not the case. He claimed Rahm was the source of the NYTimes story (which the NYTimes mysteriously disappeared), but had not one ounce of proof.

[madfloridian]

28. Geithner had to have known...

I agree with you.

[Jennicut]

24. What gets on my nerves is this blind blame on Rahm of all people

When in doubt Rahm did it and is to blame! Utter stupidity. Lets face it, Obama and Geithner kind of messed up in not capping these bonuses. But they were in place under Bush to begin with. Geithner was afraid of the govt. getting sued over it and realized correctly that we have bigger fish to fry. This gotcha crap involving slamming Geithner and Dodd is terrible and just divides the Dem party as the real enemy is the right wing and its conspirator the MSM.

[Laelth]

27. It's important for those of us on the left to remain vigilant.

Progressive change can not be accomplished without constant pressure by us, progressive Democrats. Kudos to liberal bloggers who keep asking questions and are trying to keep the administration honest. Boo to anyone who tells the liberal blogosphere to, in essence, "shut up."

:dem:

-Laelth

[Rosa Luxemburg]

30. the point is whether the criticism of Obama is honest?

we see posts with false information all over the internet from 'supposedly liberal' bloggers.
These guys should do their homework before firing off.

[Laelth]

35. Perhaps.

Greenwald's theory makes sense to me. Besides, as a defender of the 1st Amendment, I am generally opposed to anyone who says "shut up."

:dem:

-Laelth

[LWolf]

29. Obama threw the left under the bus a couple of years ago. nt

[TheKentuckian]

31. That left throws themselves and anyone else they can under the bus

This contingency of "the left" wants to throw rotten tomatoes and claim to be victimized by the known universe.

It isn't about left, right, or center it is about personality type as far as I'm concerned. Right sure ain't happy, the so called moderates aren't happy, and neither is the self claimed left but somehow 65% or so of the country likes what the guy is trying to get accomplished.
Right, center, and left can't all be outraged and the guy have this level of support.

[LWolf]

33. There are a lot of factors that play into

any politicians' level of support, it's true.

I'm not part of that 65%, obviously.

From where I sit, that 65% is accountable for the lost opportunities to achieve substantial, positive change in the next 4-8 years.

The fact that so many support someone whose rhetoric is about "bringing people together" while distancing himself so fast and far from the left as possible receives that kind of support simply increases the alienation and level of disenfranchisement experienced by the left.

[depakid]

32. I think you forget who's driving the bus

and who handed out the bous payouts from taxpayer funds. Wasn't progressive bloggers....

[pot luck]

34. Bush?

Weren't these bonuses sanctioned under the previous administration?

[depakid]

36. They could have been stopped

but Gaithner refused to do so- and put pressure on the Senate to allow them to go through. Heck of a job, eh?

[HopeOverFear]

37. but Geithner wasn't secretary of the Treasury last year

so how could he have stopped it?

[depakid]

38. Last year was not when this happened

This was done under Obama's watch- and Obama's going to take the heat for it. As well he should.

[HopeOverFear]

39. when what happened, what are you talking about?

no snark, I'm just asking for clarification.

[pot luck]

40. These contracts were drawn up under Bush who did nothing to stop them.

"Neil Barofsky, a Bush-appointed special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), confirmed in March 19 congressional testimony that the Bush administration Treasury Department knew about the AIG bonus contracts and did not insist on their abrogation as a condition of AIG's receiving bailout money through a stock purchase agreement signed by AIG and the Bush Treasury Department."



http://mediamatters.org/items/200903200029

[depakid]

41. The payment provisions of the 2nd half of TARP was authorized under Obama

This is what the whole Dodd vs. the Treasury controversy is about.