Krugman: "Why...does Wall Street expect anyone to take its whining seriously?"

[ProSense]

Krugman: Mortified

Digby points us to Mort Zuckerman continuing to complain that Obama is being a big meanie.

The thing is, right from the start, he was making stuff up — taking umbrage at Obama remarks that he had taken radically out of context, so as to make the very mild-mannered president sound like a rabble-rouser. In a sane world, Zuckerman’s rants would be discounted entirely as coming from someone obviously looking for ways to feel aggrieved.

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Krugman: Losing Their Immunity

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Why, then, does Wall Street expect anyone to take its whining seriously? That money manager claiming that finance is the only thing America does well also complained that New York’s two Democratic senators aren’t on his side, declaring that “They need to understand who their constituency is.” Actually, they surely know very well who their constituency is — and even in New York, 16 out of 17 workers are employed by nonfinancial industries.

But he wasn’t really talking about voters, of course. He was talking about the one thing Wall Street still has plenty of thanks to those bailouts, despite its total loss of credibility: money.

Money talks in American politics, and what the financial industry’s money has been saying lately is that it will punish any politician who dares to criticize that industry’s behavior, no matter how gently — as evidenced by the way Wall Street money has now abandoned President Obama in favor of Mitt Romney. And this explains the industry’s shock over recent events.

You see, until a few weeks ago it seemed as if Wall Street had effectively bribed and bullied our political system into forgetting about that whole drawing lavish paychecks while destroying the world economy thing. Then, all of a sudden, some people insisted on bringing the subject up again.

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President Obama

To say that we are bound together as one people, and must constantly strive to see ourselves in one another, is not to argue for a false unity that papers over our differences and ratifies an unjust status quo. As was true 50 years ago, as has been true throughout human history, those with power and privilege will often decry any call for change as “divisive.” They’ll say any challenge to the existing arrangements are unwise and destabilizing. Dr. King understood that peace without justice was no peace at all; that aligning our reality with our ideals often requires the speaking of uncomfortable truths and the creative tension of non-violent protest.

[liberalmike27]

1. I get they are whining, or protesting

My problem is the way they continue to reject political allies, both within the democratic party, and outside of it, like labor, or MoveOn. Are they so clueless as to not realize they actually need people in power to make ANY of the changes they need to have, to achieve their somewhat foggy goals?

[ProSense]

2. Who

I get they are whining, or protesting

My problem is the way they continue to reject political allies, both within the democratic party, and outside of it, like labor, or MoveOn. Are they so clueless as to not realize they actually need people in power to make ANY of the changes they need to have, to achieve their somewhat foggy goals?

...are "they"?

[tk2kewl]

3. what?

someone on this board, last week very astutely pointed out that the lack of leadership is part of the strength of the movement.

A leader can be jailed, smeared, bribed, or even killed to squelch a movement. 99% of everyone cannot.

[TheKentuckian]

6. You know we are talking about Wall Street not those protesting it, right?

[lunatica]

8. The movement has gone global and you think they need help?

Have you been on vacation or asleep for the last month?

[n2doc]

4. kvetchocracy n/t

[unblock]

5. they're used to whining working. but it's usually accompanied by buckets of campaign contributions.

they're used to whining to congress and the media and dangling money and getting their way.

they're still trying to figure out how to dangle money in front of the protesters.
trust me, they would if they could.

[lunatica]

7. Money talks too much