16
POPSThat horrible media double-standard toward Palin the same conservative commentariat that vilified both Clintons 24/7 now whines that Palin is receiving “the kind of mauling” that the media “always reserve for conservative Republicans.” So said The Wall Street Journal editorial page last week. You’d never guess that The Journal had published six innuendo-laden books on real and imagined Clinton scandals, or that the Clintons had been a leading target of both Letterman and Leno monologues, not to mention many liberal editorial pages (including that of The Times), for much of a decade
8
POPSThe real story on Clinton's Marc Rich pardon: Israel Israel was lobbying hard to get Rich off; Clinton was lobbying hard to get concessions from Israel for a peace agreement with the Palestinians. It almost worked. (Rich, BTW, has never used the pardon. Under its terms, if he returned to the USA, he would owe tens of millions in back taxes)
8
POPSThe battle for Obama's economic soul Will it be Rubin and Summers - the Clinton-era advisors who abetted Greenspan and Gramm? Or will it be Volcker and Buffett, who, five years ago, called the new instruments "financial weapons of mass destruction?" Let's hope for the latter - the more Democratic - pair.
9
POPSFannie Mae & Freddie Mac not the cause of the subprime mortgage meltdown Between 2004 and 2006, when subprime lending was exploding, Fannie and Freddie went from holding a high of 48 percent of the subprime loans that were sold into the secondary market to holding about 24 percent, according to data from Inside Mortgage Finance, a specialty publication. One reason is that Fannie and Freddie were subject to tougher standards than many of the unregulated players in the private sector who weakened lending standards, most of whom have gone bankrupt or are now in deep trouble. During those same explosive three years, private investment banks — not Fannie and Freddie — dominated the mortgage loans that were packaged and sold into the secondary mortgage market. In 2005 and 2006, the private sector securitized almost two thirds of all U.S. mortgages, supplanting Fannie and Freddie, according to a number of specialty publications that track this data.
9
POPSFactCheck: Who's really responsible for crisis? "Screwing up takes a great deal of cooperation." D's blame R's and R's blame D's - but those accusations (and I have made them, too, sorry to say) are far too simplistic to help us fix the problem. Here's a list of contributors to the perfect storm.
2
POPS"Only through direct contact with the destitute" The heartlessness of Reagan theory implanted in Clinton law leaves us with a more brutal society, and a need to cry out "unceasingly for ... the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor" - excellent writing from Catholic Workers
5
POPSThe Ron Paul counter-convention Media pitched "fracture" that never materialized during the DNC; Now there's a counter - rally of 10,000 people led by a Republican candidate, featuring Republican big names, in the same city as the RNC, and it doesn't make the news!
5
POPSUnity Realized: Hillary Nominates Obama In an incredibly unifying and symbolic moment during the New York state delegate roll call, Senator Hillary Clinton asks for a suspension of the vote and requests the nomination of Barack Obama by acclamation. RIP “Democratic Disunity” meme.