Month: June 2010

Thought we were through?  Not quite, says an article in the New York Times.  At least the round-the-clock oil spill coverage hasn’t made everyone hysterical like the swine flu coverage did.

One question from the ABC/WaPo poll on immigration was, “Would you support or oppose a program giving illegal immigrants now living in the United States the right to live here legally if they pay a fine and meet other requirements?” To my surprise, 57% would support such a program, with 40% opposed. These results, which … Read more

While anything from uninspiring to boring has been used to define President Obama’s primetime speech on Tuesday, Gail Collin’s has a great column on it, I believe that the speech was not just flawed because it was unexciting, but rather because it was reveals fundamental disconnects from the Obama Administration. First, the rhetoric of the … Read more

Politico reports that House Democrats have agreed to a compromise with the National Rifle Association that may enable passage of a modest campaign-finance bill, the DISCLOSE Act. The bill would require groups to disclose their top donors if they want to run ads or send out mailers during election season. Why wouldn’t the NRA oppose … Read more

As we wait for financial regulation reform to make its way through its final legislative hurdles, it’s a good time to step back and consider questions like how we got here and where we’re going. For this, consider checking out John He’s indispensable primer on the ideological backgrounds of Timothy Geithner and Larry Summers, the … Read more

In one hour, Obama addresses the nation about the BP Oil Spill. My question about the speech is simple: “How big will he go?” A commitment to energy sector regulation reform? Or something bigger — like a firm commitment to pass comprehensive carbon pricing by the end of the year? Is this going to be, … Read more

I just finished Michael Lewis’ wonderful book The Big Short. In it, Lewis recasts the financial crisis as a tale of heroism, where three rogue investors peer through the fog of moral recklessness and embarrassing incompetence that was the financial service sector circa 2008, and decide to short the market. They were right, of course, … Read more

Your first day at the bank and you’re kind of nervous. After all, your concentration in anthropology and Vault Guide readings might not have provided you with enough background to actually be a productive human being. But at the office, the analysts are friendly and act interested about your thesis. The higher-ups are charismatic, if … Read more