Larry Summers Protest: Activists Jump On Stage During Speech (VIDEO)

Larry Summers' address before the Economic Club in Washington D.C. on Thursday was interrupted for several minutes as a group of protesters jumped on the stage and held up a large sign behind Summers' head that said, "We Want Our $$$ Back!"

The protest came as Summers was addressing a question on whether a second stimulus would be needed, and it stopped the conversation in its tracks.

"Larry Summers is part of the problem," screamed one of the activists. "He is a toxic mess."

In the audience, another demonstrator began to shout out the money and positions that Summers had earned during his time outside of government. "$5.2 million, this man made working one day a week," screamed one.

The crowd, mostly business officials from D.C., offered applause at Summers' hefty earnings.

There was, it appeared, no security at hand, so the sign-holders remained on stage for a few minutes as they were showered with boos from the crowd. After being escorted away, one activist offered a final salvo: "Thank you, thank you, I speak for the people," she said.

Summers seemed to take it all in stride, and the event moderator followed the fracas by asking (to a big laugh) whether he ever had "second thoughts about coming back to Washington."

Right on time, a protester yelled: "Resign Larry, the people are asking you to give Obama a fair shot!"

Summers then deadpanned, "There are moments that are more pleasant and some that are less pleasant. ... Honestly, I felt honored to be asked by the president to help at this moment."

UPDATE: Here's video:

Comments

[stateMachine]

Great stunt, but they obviously didn't have a full 60 seconds worth of things to say- which is the general problem with the populist critique- 60 seconds could be enough to deliver an 'elevator pitch' for an alternative plan. Or to put up a URL for an alternative plan. This is too complicated for daisies in rifle barrels.

[Cherubim]

“One America that does the work, another that reaps the reward. One America that pays the taxes, another America that gets the tax breaks. One America - middle-class America - whose needs Washington has long forgotten, another America - narrow-interest America - whose every wish is Washington's command. One America that is struggling to get by, another America that can buy anything it wants, even a Congress and a president.” quote by John Edwards
Meanwhile from the 'Forgotten America"
Videos:
A foreclosed neighborhood, Ceveland, Ohio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i_GWrYkcCI
9th Ward New Orleans, LA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAqktFnA4nk&feature=related

[noradunn]

The protesters should have held Summers upside down and shaken the coins from his pockets. He's a thief.

[claylandg]

Summers is part of the problem , fox in the hen house!!!

[thewho77]

The protester spoke the truth. Larry Summers is a Toxic Mess; So is the financial mess he created. Obama should fire him and Geithner now; and hire Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to run things.

[poiuyty]

Between Geithner and Summers Obama has completly thrown away any chance of being re-elected.

[thewho77]

AGREE Even John McCain wouldn't have mad such IDIOTIC appointments an Summers & Gethner

[maggiee]

McCain would have put Phil Gramm in who, although I can't say for sure he would have been any worse, would CERTAINLY have been no better than Summers and Geithner.

[harpen1]

I support President Obama, I question his choice in Larry Summer. I pray that I am wrong

[crazylikeafox]

Listen to the idiots in the audience who think they have something in common with the ruling elite.

They are just there to do the bidding of the elite. The ruling elite would throw them under the bus in a heartbeat if they become useless to them.

[sshaler]

I feel sad for the few protesters who were brave enough to confront Mr. Summers, the audience and the media. There are 100s of thousands if not millions of people who object to Mr. Summers policies and object to people who brought on the economic crisis being hired to rescue the economy. It's too bad these protesters had to stand almost alone.

[tokenconservative]

Summers is the one of the only honest economic advisers Obama has; I may disagree with him on a plethora of things, but you have to give him his intelligence and honesty.

[654321]

He is one of the architects of the sham of an economy that is no coming back to bite us in the you-know-what. He did not help create the false economic bubbles that have now burst by telling the truth. Of course he knew the recklessness of his economic advise in a wide variety of key positions over the past many years, and he scoffed at those who were screaming about it.

[PSM42]

You may be a token conservative. But you are not token enough, imo. Because you are typing rubbish.

Summers is a) the architect of the financial disaster and b) a Ne0c0n Wall St. insider. We the people don't want a shark doing the people's business against a bunch of sharks.

Why did the lawyer who fell into the sea amid a school of sharks not get eaten? Professional courtesy.

Why will Summers be completely useless protecting the US people's interests? Same answer.

[truthynesslover]

LOL!

[654321]

Obama could not be more incompetent!

Heading his National Economic Council is Larry Summers, who recently spoke of having no idea that an economic crisis was about to hit. He could not have picked anyone more clueless (by his own admission).

It gets even scarier. Obama's Budget Director is Peter Orszag, who was an advisor to, get this, the Icelandic central bank just before the Icelandic banking system crashed! Brilliant, Obama! He also worked with Rahm to impose the job sucking NAFTA free trade agreement on us all. That's right. Obama turned to economic advice from someone working for Iceland's central bank. It couldn't get any stupider.

Geithner helped engineer Paulson's failed bailout as thank you to scheming bankers who cared nothing about people's pensions. He's also from, guess where. Yes, the same place all Treasury Secretaries come from: the Federal Reserve, the Frankenstein's monster that can be connected to every economic downturn we've had since the thing was invented.

Oh, yeah, and they are all connected to Robert Rubin, who shamefully led Citigroup to the brink of collapse.

[msblkwidow]

yada yada yada. sick of hearing talking points. repeat, repeat, repeat. An old political trick. the repeat message trick wont work this time. Young folks rule.

The economy is c-o-m-i-n-g back.

654321 said: Obama could not be more incompetent! Get real 654321. Obama...are you talking about the same Obama who is President of the United States? Are you speaking of the President of Harvard Law Review? If so, then please tell us how you characterize George W. Bush if Obama is incompetent.

[scenecreamer]

Bush was also incompetent.

There you go.

It's not a trick, it is the truth.

Obama lied to you, and had an enormous amount of money to purchase an election.
The candidate with the most to spend wins. That's one of the biggest reasons for campaign finance reform. Reform which Obama threw out the window when it no longer suited him.

[Give Peace A Chance]

Where is Obama? Isn't he supposed to be standing between the mean public with pitch forks and the have-mores?

[JTHC75]

Weak. I don't care if these protesters are left wing or right wing. What does it matter what Summers earned? Enough with this crap about high earners "exploiting" people--he only exploited someone if he took something that was legitimately owed to someone else. I don't see any rational claims to support the notion that he got paid with money wrongly taken from someone else. Seriously, when did we get to the point that it's automatically assumed that rich people are stealing from poor people?

[JoeSchmuk]

were do you think the money is coming from then? Trees? The economy, much like the environment, is a closed system. At some point resources will have to be shared, not accumulated. Exploitation is exploitation, no matter how you dress it up.

[twogunmojo]

just so you know...the environment is not a closed system..we are acted upon daily by the sun and the moon....tides and solar disruption of electrical grids come to mind...although the sun seems to have entered a quiet period we are constantly aware of its presence..

[JTHC75]

The economy is not a closed system. Economic activity, the velocity of money, labor, etc., all increase wealth. Physical resources are limited, but imagination, invention, etc. are not. When did people get this insane notion that the economy is a zero sum game?

[unclefesta]

The point about the fees he earned is that he is too close to the finance industry and is now architect of a policy transferring taxpayers' money to the finance industry.

He is a public servant who should be acting in the interests of the country not a sectional interest.

Why should bank profits be private and losses socialised?

Why should the finance industry be given different treatment from other failing industries?

[Edmonsky]

“Why should the finance industry be given different treatment from other failing industries?”

Any highschool graduate knows the followings:

On public holidays, when most families enjoy their private times together, other workers that are classified as essential duties spend their time on the job. Do you want to know why?

People who go to the emergency for care are admitted for treatment per severity of their health status. Do you want to know why?

Building codes for properties designed for public assemblies or utilities are different from private properties. Do you want to know why?

Now that you know that activities have scale of priorities as function of utility. Please look at your fingers to notice that all five are not equal in size and length.

[Edmonsky]

Amongst the “progressives” there are characters that counterparts to the likes of Glenn Beck and ilk of right-wing nuts.

Amongst these progressives nuts, earning legitimate income from speaking fees is tantamount to conflict of interest and criminality. In their twisted mind, anybody that earns living from wall-street or any financial institution is a crook; very much analogous to right-wing mindset that says that anybody with connection to San Francisco or Hollywood is not patrotic and un-American.

[Edmonsky]

Swytech:
Before you start spewing inanities on how “Minority Home Ownership” was responsible for this recession, you may do yourself and your family some good by learning certain fundamental precepts of this recession. Please learn the histories of subprime mortgages; adjustable rate mortgages (ARM); mortgage-backed securities (MBS), collateralized debt obligations (CDO); credit default swaps (CDS); counter-party risks; systemic risks. Please sir, google these phrases and terminologies, and learn their meanings before you start exporting crass ignorance.

In the 80’s and 90’s, poor white males were told that the reason why they could not gain admission to universities or have good paying jobs is because of affirmative action; they believed it because ignorance is a disease. It is the same ignorance is at play again why any thinking person would ever believe that the reason for this economic recession is because of mortgage loans given to unqualified minorities.

[654321]

The view from your high horse isn't very good.

[mam]

Masters of the Universe like Summers are without shame, so the anger of regular, working people just rolls of their backs like water off a duck.