Naomi Klein Discusses "Disaster Capitalism" On Real Time With Bill Maher (VIDEO)

Naomi Klein, author of the book "The Shock Doctrine," was a guest on Bill Maher's HBO Show, "Real Time." Klein's book posits that certain people often like when there is a disaster because it allows them to rationalize making radical and unpopular changes that normally the citizenry would not go for. She discusses her theory of "disaster capitalism" within the context of the current economic crisis.

[WATCH]

Comments

[HeIsTheOne]

Naomi is correct, this has been coming for a long time and why is Paulson is such a rush? Something's not right here..well maybe too "right". Feels like the spin before Iraq. Why should we trust Boooosh and his cabinet?

This is from 2006, and everything predicted has happened:

On Sept. 7, 2006, Nouriel Roubini, an economics professor at New York University, stood before an audience of economists at the International Monetary Fund and announced that a crisis was brewing. In the coming months and years, he warned, the United States was likely to face a once-in-a-lifetime housing bust, an oil shock, sharply declining consumer confidence and, ultimately, a deep recession. He laid out a bleak sequence of events: homeowners defaulting on mortgages, trillions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities unraveling worldwide and the global financial system shuddering to a halt. These developments, he went on, could cripple or destroy hedge funds, investment banks and other major financial institutions like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/magazine/17pessimist-t.html?partner=rssnyt

[jse17]

For Naomi’s treatise to reach the increadsingly Republican minority, it must be produced in a talking book format!!!!!!!

[confuseddemocrat]

And picture books format

[mabinog]

They understand it. To them it is a virtue in an amoral world to act so.

[mabinog]

and justifying it is your ordinary everyday hypocrisy.

[Mason]

A good place for them start relearning is to read The New Testament and discover, surprise-surprise, Jesus never said greed is good.

[radiojesse]

I agree 100% with pavroviandog's comment.

[GallopingCat]

Regardless of what Sullivan says, he's still supporting Obama. Maher is really getting on my nerves more than ever in his inability to step into someone else's shoes. A trait, I might add, shared by our current president.

[13champlain]

"Klein's book posits that certain people often like when there is a disaster because it allows them to rationalize making radical and unpopular changes that normally the citizenry would not go for"

Such as state socialism, i.e. the "New Deal". Oops, she apparently has a blind spot for that stuff.

[realpolitic]

You must have been napping. It is the Republicans who have brought us state socialism. Their anti-regulatory practices have made the only solution to save the economy a massive nationalization of the financial sector. By the way, the New Deal was always very popular and still is. It is only the crazy right who despise it. You want to return to the days when the elderly after retirement faced destitution and life on the streets.

[liberalsrheros]

oops? seriously you think those two things are the same and have any small resemblence to todays situation?

[loria]

Obviously you prefer corporate socialism and corporate welfare. It's not working out for most of us though.

Everyone needs to know what McCain plans on doing with your healthcare benefits if you have employee based healthcare. He will tax them. So, be prepared to see a decrease in your income of a lot. Let's say the value of your employee based healthcare is $1000 for your family. Many middle income would end up paying $280 to $330 in tax each month for those benefits. Are you ready to see your paycheck go down by this amount? How about the tax credit he plans. Have any of you found that $209 a month will pay for your individual coverage and that $400 will pay for your family? Then he'd like to deregulate the industry. We've seen how well deregulation has worked. Anyone who isn't really wealthy should think twice about voting for McCain for a lot of reasons.

The McCain campaign has been pretty effective in creating fear of the black man. They've questioned Obama's partriotism and they call him elitist. It has worked, but the scary people in this election are McCain and Pailin. I just hope America wakes up before it's too late.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/opinion/16herbert.html?

[confuseddemocrat]

It was Herbert Hoover, the Republican, who did nothing and let people lose their houses, life savings and their Jobs. (Sounds familiar?)

Then Americans decided to elect a democrat FDR who promised the New Deal to help them out of the Stock Market Crash and the Depression.

[Clairvaux]

Are you still using FDR talking points?

Get the new handout.

[13champlain]

Andrew Sullivan repeatedly exposed her ideas to be hypocritical, and contradictory. Her rants and positions are as shallow and unsubstantiated as the blatherings of right wing types like Rush and Dobson.

[realpolitic]

What is hypocritical about Naomi Watts? You right-wingers love to attack the messenger. Listen, Andrew Sullivan was one of Bush's biggest boosters and a cheerleader for the war in Iraq. What does he know? Also, Naomi Watts is an accomplished writer and thinker. She bears no resemblence to fire breathing haters like Limbaugh or Dobson or even a Bill O'Reilly. These far right propagandists simply make things up!

[mudslide]

Don't you mean Naomi Judd?

[Clairvaux]

Nomi Klein, unlike you, is one of the brightest lights on the porch.

Pay attention. You might learn something.

[JayInDallas]

Go away, Troll. Ever bother to actually pick up her book and make up your own mind rather than getting your talking points from someone else? Didn't think so. But then again, I actually am able to THINK FOR MYSELF.

[GobBluth]

Did you even see the show fully or just get in a Republican 'DRILL BABY DRILL!" fit of irrational hysteria so much that you were unable to actually hear everything said?

That was the part of the show that exposed HIS hypocrisy not hers. He goes on a friggin 2 minute rant that this was not a specific crisis but somehow just happened because people couldn't pay their house mortgages because they got swindled. This is "more of the same" from you Republicans. Sullivan is a gay republican who didn't stop being Bush's buddy until he realized that the Republicans never intended for gay people like him to have lives and marry in the US. Oh NOES!

Bill challenges him and suddenly he shifts positions and just believes that people should be responsible for themselves--to which case Naomi and everyone else attacks him over the notion that we're now paying for these supposed 'smart money managers and CEO's'..we­'re paying because they made bad decisions over things they could not afford or sustain and (best part) with other people's money!!! Now where's they outrage to that? Where is the contradictory and hypocritical statements against that?

You don't hear it from the Republicans my friend. Noami is right..thi­s is a wealth grab and if you're foolish enough to blame the (far too few) messenger then buddy..you need to volunteer to give up your wealth cuz I sure as hell don't want to give up what little I have.

[CommentCulture]

I don't get it. Is anyone a fan of Bill Maher? The guy thinks he's greater than god.

[Smirk]

Bill Maher doesn't think he's better than God. Bill Maher doesn't believe in God.

[shaaronie]

Touche'!

[13champlain]

Drones, err people, like obnoxious and silly people when they say things they like. Maher = Rush = Dobson = Huffington = Obermann = hot air. Anyone who needs a washed up, unfunny has been comedian to reinforce their positions should give themselves a reality check.

[realpolitic]

Why are all the comedians on the left? The right just is not funny. To them, a good joke is moose hunting from a helicopter.

[Jamchinadian]

Whaaat ??? He's only a far more competent and honest social and political commentator that most in the MSM and almost all on the worng wing side.

[Jamchinadian]

Sorry that should have bee " ... than most ..."

[DrVeruju]

Is this true?

"Adam Davidson of NPR blogs about the so-called bailout bill as follows:

I would guess that this has to be one of the biggest peacetime transfers of power from Congress to the Administration in history. (Anyone know?). Certainly one of the most concise.

The Treasury Secretary can buy broadly defined assets, on any terms he wants, he can hire anyone he wants to do it and can appoint private sector companies as financial deputies of the US government. And he can write whatever regulation he thinks are needed.

Most importantly, Davidson points to this passage in the bill:

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

If so, make sure it doesn't happen.

[Clairvaux]

What Paulson is advocating is an economic Patriot Act.

Give up your liberties and wealth and the Bush administration will take care of you.

Well the Bushies have already taken care of us.

[ultrabop]

That wordage is super-scary. In other words, not any regulation or oversight over the Treasury Secretary. Hell, he can decide to print up some money and give it directly to the Booooosh family before they take off for their retirement in the Central African Republic. No wonder W was having such a fine dance on this trip to Africa.

[joebaggadonuts]

Soylent Green, Logan's Run, stuff like that. I had wondered for years what the mechanism was for us to get there. It was staring us in the face for so long. Disaster Capitalism puts it into focus. Destroy the middle class and the rest is easy.

[530Rose]

Well I didn't finish that first paragraph did I. Looking for my source.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080909/bs_nm/usa_autos_loans_dc

This is not it, and this is not new (sept 9) but it is about auto industry leaders on capitol hill asking for a $50 billion dollar bailout package last week. I guess they wanted to get there first. Actually, this one makes more sense, it will probably provide more jobs to middle class families.

But still, socialism is socialism, and if we the taxpayers "Own" the industries, then we should get a cut of any profits they make. Yeah, right.

[Marlyn]

if we the taxpayers "Own" the industries, there is no need for profit.

[530Rose]

Now that we have bailed out the S&L's, Fannie and Freddy, AIG, etc, appear to be on the verge of bailing out overseas banks, have given tax breaks to the rich, the major auto companies think they need a handout in order to make vehicles that meet the fuel efficiency standards! In an interview with Mulaley from Ford, he reportedly said he is confident that the government will

But what about the American people? After all, it is our money. What about limiting the interest we are charged for credit and making sure it can't be changed arbitrarily? What about student loans? What about a COLA for social security so retired and disabled people can afford to live with the current inflated cost of food and fuel?

Would they rather spend money on wars and handouts to other wealthy nations when we didn't have enough money for a health care plan? Didn't have enough money to help in Darfur? So they are going to print more money making it even more worthless in the international economy?

This is socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor. Seems like a backward plan to me!

This book should be required reading before any bailout decision is made.

[boomer1949]

And...look how difficult it has become for a drowning-i­n-debt-ind­ividual to file bankruptcy (thank you GWB) and the stigma assoicated with it. Yet, airlines, corporations, banks, etc., etc., are permitted to do it regularly under the "restructuring" moniker, with little or no hassle. And, the CEO still leaves with a pirate's booty.

[Marlyn]

"This is socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor." ???

It seems like Fascism to me, this effort to privatize all government functions, including the military with mercenaries like Blackwater.

[Kuroneko]

More of her videos on YouTube:

Her lecture, The Shock Doctrine (1 of 6):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka3Pb_StJn4&feature=related

Short film, The Shock Doctrine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kieyjfZDUIc

There are lots more by her and about her in YouTube: Related Videos.

[OneVoiceOfReason]

It's the epitome of cronyism. Take a great country, add a maverick cowboy, stir and heat. Share with anyone who has enough money. I'm surprised that the people of the United States have allowed it to go on this long. Let's take our country back. Thank you, Barack. Let us know if you need any help.

[rw97]

Problem was that self-important windbag Andrew Sullivan wouldn't shut up and give anybody else a chance to talk.

[Matt7]

Someone posted the link earlier; you should see the whole segment. Fascinating!