Two Take-No-Prisoners Progressives To Help Oversee the Bailout

[babylonsister]

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=71211DC9CC1D6327C438C163EF0B99A8?diaryId=9948

Two Take-No-Prisoners Progressives To Help Oversee the Bailout
by: David Sirota
Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 18:00


This is really great news:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Friday named their three members of a five-person oversight panel that will monitor Treasury's Wall Street rescue plan and regularly report back to Congress...Reid appointed Elizabeth Warren of Harvard Law School. And the two leaders jointly appointed Damon Silvers, AFL-CIO Associate General Counsel.

Warren is one of the true heroes of the progressive movement, especially on financial oversight issues that are so often forgotten. In In These Times' big cover story on progressive candidates for an Obama Cabinet, I suggested her as the Treasury Secretary so she would be in a position not just to oversee this program - but to run it.

Silvers is also a real pro. I've been in a few meetings with him and he's exactly the right combination of progressive and badass that will be perfect for this appointment.
Dav

[Idealism]

Its about time Pelosi and Reid grew some balls and forced something to be done

[rockymountaindem]

1. Good news

That's nice for a change.

[Robbien]

2. But doesn't the bill have a clause that stipulates Paulson has unfettered

rights to do what he wants with the money and specifically states he does not have to report his actions to anyone?

[babylonsister]

3. I thought that part was tossed. Maybe someone can weigh in? nt

[tbyg52]

7. I think he can still do what he wants

I think they just prettied up the language and buried it in the middle, instead of the stark, unmistakable location and language of the original. Been a while since I looked at the new one, though, so I'm not sure.

[w4rma]

4. Congress has yet to sign off on $300 Billion of the bailout, I think. (nt)

[BrklynLiberal]

5. K&R

[Agony]

6. Now if we can get President Obama (Yeah!) to make the same kind of choices

we might have something...

[bettyellen]

8. you seriously think he had nothing to do with these selections when it's the #1 issue right now??

that's crazy talk.

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. You bet Obama was talking to Pelosi

This is good news.