By Al Schumann on Sunday March 22, 2009 11:36 AM
Obama said in an interview with CBS television network's "60 Minutes" program that if Geithner tried to quit, he would tell him, "Sorry buddy, you've still got the job."
Fantasy meets bromide, falls in love... The passive aggressive misdirection of that little morality play is very cute. But it's utter bullshit. Any bets on when he goes under the bus? Someone has to take the fall for putting the Great Looting into overdrive. Geithner is perfect. He's a socially retarded little yuppie, deeply unlikable, with a dork's delight hairdo and a face made for graceless victimhood. In hindsight, he was a perfect pick for Treasury. He's got a bus quotient of 9 on a scale of 10. The psychodrama of his departure appeases the Brand Democrat team leaders, takes the focus off Summers and gives Obama breathing room.
Comments (27)
Al, you're a sharpie... the good kind.
Beware of feel-good populism, or faux populism that falls short of evicting management, wiping out shareholders, vaporizing the shadow banking system, and converting banks into public utilities.
Too many in the agitated mob will be satisfied (if such a word means anything in the present context) with confiscated private jets and showy perp walks.
USian socio-political culture has never been too keen on structural thinking or structural solutions. In the age of twittering celebrity gossip that's diminished all the more. I expect that little constructive will come of the more than justified rage.
Posted by gluelicker | March 22, 2009 12:26 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 12:26
I think they'll try to scapegoat the anarchists and anti-Bush/anti-Obama paleocons, once the Geithner flap loses impact.
They're almost cloistered minorities, with cultural grounding that's alien to wingnuts and pwogs alike. The "conscience reds" -- Owen's lovely phrase -- amongst the paleos get liberal moral panic specialists all excited.
Thanks for the compliment, Gluelicker.
Posted by Al Schumann | March 22, 2009 1:21 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 13:21
"fantasy meets bromides, falls in love."
That could be the best six word caption ever on this site!
However, I dont see the big relief that would come from firing Geithner. Anyone who cares knows he is only a water-carrier. One way or another, Obama looks like a fool (along with Congress, who approved all this stuff.) Geithner is merely the black-tie wearing federal marshall who left town rather than take on the outlaw gangs. Americans (of my age anyway) are familiar with the roles.
Posted by senecal | March 22, 2009 1:33 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 13:33
Seneca, with Geithner I think they're looking for a temporary distracting spectacle and a set of talking points with which to arm the faithful, e.g. "what more do you want? Geithner's head on a pike?". They're buying time.
My premise is that they'd dearly love to immiserate until they get enough nutters wound up into a rash of domestic terrorism. It worked well in the Clinton regime.
Posted by Al Schumann | March 22, 2009 1:59 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 13:59
Al: I think you'll appreciate this slightly off-topic bit from Open Democracy -- a film plot based on taking literally the phrase "zombie bankers".
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-zombie-solution
Posted by senecal | March 22, 2009 2:24 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 14:24
Pretty good. But he left out one thing: the pwogs in the lobby of the building, clamoring to open the doors, demanding that we realistically consider both sides of the issue and calling anyone who objects an "armchair activist". It's little comfort that they're going to become zombie food too.
Posted by Al Schumann | March 22, 2009 2:54 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 14:54
Keeping embattled
Drudges around awhile often
Works
as well as
the brotherly fast roll under the press bus
Let's see rummy had quite a long tour
Even after his vicious
flock fuck
By the 4th estate
The moment came for a new broom
But none to soon
Let the prick play
The face on the
Helots' fast bag ....
for the nonce
Posted by op | March 22, 2009 4:09 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 16:09
Yes, Owen, but the Rummy show was for different audience expectations and was rooted in a different managerial style. He was a delicious villain for the pwogs and smart aleck punch out artist for the wingnuts.
Clinton tossed someone under the bus every week and bought himself eight years. No sooner had he stood by them than they were out the door. I doubt there's been any change in Democratic thinking since then. Could be, but I'll firm up my bet and say Geithner goes in time for a mid-term election's new broom.
Posted by Al Schumann | March 22, 2009 4:24 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 16:24
Mid term election? That's years away! I thought you meant NOW! Geithner will probably fire himself before then, or be ordered to take a leave by his cardiologist.
Of course we don't know what tales he might tell if threatened with ignominious leaving, and thereby turn the tables. How is that Summers is considered so invincible -- is he our new Cheney?
Posted by senecal | March 22, 2009 5:01 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 17:01
Years?! Hey, to me the Clinton regime seems like just last week. A year and a half, now that I'm forced to put a clear time table on it, seems like the blink of an eye.
I'm getting carried away, but I like that. I like it very much. I'd say yes, he's our bankster eminence grise. I can't wait for him to shoot someone in the face. To be so lucky to live to see that...
Posted by Al Schumann | March 22, 2009 5:22 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 17:22
Ha, ha, ha!!
Posted by senecal | March 22, 2009 9:29 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 21:29
maybe larry ziffle will shoot
the fucking boy t-sec
in his graceless victim's mouche
just b4 the mid terms
and the dork will make an election eve
mia culpa wrapped like the invisible man
Posted by op | March 22, 2009 9:35 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 21:35
This is something to look forward to. I never dreamed I'd be cheerleading for Larry Summers, of all people, but if he can find happiness this way, I'd be a small and spiteful person to deny him my heartfelt wishes for success.
Posted by Al Schumann | March 22, 2009 9:43 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 21:43
Personally, I'd rather see Geithner shoot Summers in the face.
senecal, are you the same person who used to be seneca?
Posted by Save the Oocytes | March 22, 2009 9:58 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 21:58
I think senecal is the low-calorie version of seneca. I dunno, marcus tullius tiro, someone of that caliber.
Posted by gluelicker | March 23, 2009 4:47 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 04:47
Save the Oocytes: Really, you're sure you'd like Summers to be shot in the face? Some poor slob would have to clean the mess up.
Posted by gluelicker | March 23, 2009 4:51 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 04:51
larry is more into hand jobs then hand guns
and as for shotguns
fuck he ain't even into shot glasses
diet coke-aholic ????
larry z
needs to be trussed up
back to back
with master geitlick
and sent over to the plato institute
for the next wholeness mixer
Posted by op | March 23, 2009 8:43 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 08:43
Yeah, senecal is seneca. I got tired of being the windy old Polonius who tutored Nero, even though he was a cool philosopher and playright. Senecal is a character from Flaubert's Education Sentimentale -- a communist/bohemian friend of the hero's in turbulent post-Napoleonic Paris.
Posted by senecal | March 23, 2009 9:40 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 09:40
Al Schumann writes:
I think they'll try to scapegoat the anarchists and anti-Bush/anti-Obama paleocons, once the Geithner flap loses impact.
They're almost cloistered minorities, with cultural grounding that's alien to wingnuts and pwogs alike...
Wingnut? Hey, watch it there, buddy. I resemble that remark. You're looking at a guy who's been called an anarchist -- not to mention a subversive, by his wife -- to his face and taken it as a high compliment. I came by it honestly, too; it wasn't like I scarfed down a bunch of Bakunin in college and declared myself an anarchist, I came by it through nearly twenty years of steadily deteriorating faith in Gummint, the Democwats, Pwogwessivism, and the US Left Establishment, culminating in Seattle '99 and "A16".
As far as the scapegoating goes, that's pretty much in the No Shit, Sherlock Department, when you consider, throughout the history of peace/justice/workers' movements in the US, how the anarchists and radicals did all the heavy work and ended up being scapegoated as "violent" or some such bullshit, while the Kum-Ba-Yah Singers took all the credit.
So, smile when you call me that, pal. That's "Mister Anarchist" to you. (;^>
Posted by Mike Flugennock | March 23, 2009 11:02 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 11:02
But, seriously, Al -- great post.
Love that title, too.
Still, I'm surprised that you couldn't recall that great old saying -- how does it go, now...?
When you're under the bus, the view never changes.
Posted by Mike Flugennock | March 23, 2009 11:04 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 11:04
under the bus with him! post-haste!
then let Summers step up to the guillotine. There's no way he's going to get his policies through in this environment, although his arrogance seems to make him think otherwise. The sooner they all expose themselves as shameless plutocrat henchmen the better.
Posted by bob | March 23, 2009 11:17 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 11:17
Mike, I wasn't comparing or likening anarchists to wingnuts! It would be hard to find groups that are less similar, which was part of my point. No wobblies will be tossed under the bus by me, I can promise.
Posted by Al Schumann | March 23, 2009 12:57 PM
Posted on March 23, 2009 12:57
I love the idea of Summers ascendant. I would feel, like, so vindicated. And I would really, really enjoy watching all my liberal-schmiberal friends scrabble around for somebody worse -- some evil that Larry could be lesser than. Shylock, perhaps.
Posted by MJS | March 23, 2009 6:02 PM
Posted on March 23, 2009 18:02
This was one funny thread! Helps me get through another day . .
Posted by senecal | March 23, 2009 8:00 PM
Posted on March 23, 2009 20:00
gluelicker, I think Tim should do the clean-up himself. If he turns out to be good at his new job, he will be cleaning up after a lot of people.
Mike, does this mean your anarchism is better than that of younger people?
Posted by Save the Oocytes | March 23, 2009 8:11 PM
Posted on March 23, 2009 20:11
Save the Oocytes writes:
gluelicker, I think Tim should do the clean-up himself. If he turns out to be good at his new job, he will be cleaning up after a lot of people.
Mike, does this mean your anarchism is better than that of younger people?
Not better, just different.
I'm old enough to remember outfits like the Yippies and the Diggers and the hippie "free stores" (out in SF), and how the Grateful Dead gave concerts for free (after they became famous) and allowed people to tape their gigs (I've done many), and people like Emma Goldman and Sacco/Vanzetti, and the Haymarket Uprising -- as opposed to the late '90s/post-Seattle black-hoodie militant vegan crowd, whose anarchism seems based largely on old Sex Pistols and Black Flag records.
Posted by Mike Flugennock | March 24, 2009 10:05 AM
Posted on March 24, 2009 10:05
" the Haymarket Uprising "
so it was u mike
behind that
coven of dynamite tossin' blackguards
Posted by op | March 24, 2009 10:40 AM
Posted on March 24, 2009 10:40