Rahm: Americans "Have A Right To Be Frustrated And Angry" (VIDEO)

In an interview with CNN's John King Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Americans have a right to be upset about recent events on Wall Street.

Asked about bonuses at bailed-out Citigroup, Emanuel responded, "I think the American people have a right to be frustrated and angry." He added that the banks have a responsibility not to fight regulatory reforms because of the taxpayer money they took.

"They have a responsibility to come to the table and understand that taking -- that the risks that they took took the economy to a place, it was near a depression, which we hadn't seen since the '30s. They have a responsibility to be part of the solution, not part of being the obstacle ... which is what the president is facing both on health care and the financial system," Emanuel said. "He's fighting the very special interests that have vested interests in keeping the status quo and their friends up on Capitol Hill, that have actually been their advocates of keeping the status quo." However, he did not say what specifically the president would do.

Emanuel also denied that health care reform negotiations were secretive, saying that there had been plenty of public debate. When questioned on private discussions he quickly moved to what policy he wanted to see come out of the reform process, leading King to accuse the former congressman of "filibustering."

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Comments

[kevin3]

I sure am glad to know this coporate ghoul acknowledges my right to be frustrated and angry, so why not try and appease those of us that are angry, the mahority, by doing something about it?

[sc300nc]

He'll just say it isn't their fault. The administration does not know what to do. Their plan is to wait and hope things improve, than take credit for it.

[Dale Larson]

'Emanuel said. "He's fighting the very special interests that have vested interests in keeping the status quo and their friends up on Capitol Hill, that have actually been their advocates of keeping the status quo."'

It would help if the Obama administration would quit loading up his staff with people from those industries. This is another case where the leadership should just do what needs to be done and ignore the people that nearly sunk the world economy.

And why don't they? Simple... the legalized bribery that goes on in Washington.

Definition:

Bribe – noun

1. money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person, esp. in that person's performance as an athlete, public official, etc.: The motorist offered the arresting officer a bribe to let him go.

2. anything given or serving to persuade or induce: The children were given candy as a bribe to be good

Yep... those are bribes.

[thedave108]

Remember no matter which bank or company or whoever lobbies for anything - our representatives are always free to do the right thing and make the right votes. That they usually choose not to is on one but THEM......­.

[PATina]

Okay... let me guess. This is just another "trial balloon" sent out by the administration just to see how angry the people really are. Or better yet... what he's really saying (w/o actually saying) is that we SHOULD get angry and march down Wall St. w/ our torches and pitchforks. No... no... no... he REALLY wants us NOT to be angry....

Oh heck... I'm tired of trying to figure out what this administration is doing or trying to do... since no one says what they mean or means what they say.

[eahce]

Welcome to the New World Order, war is peace,freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength

[redsongia]

I thought that was the Bush world order?

[eahce]

According to several sources Rahm holds dual citizenships. Very interesting considering his position.

[AllenD]

Let me guess, he is also a Kenyan citizen.

[eahce]

Wrong, I'll give you a hint, he left this country and fought to defend his other country in 1991.

[IGGHY]

We the people have more right than just to be frustrated and angry. We have a right to be rewarded for our hard work. We have the right to not get our savings wiped out by hands-off government. We have the right to ask financial industry to pay back our money. We have the right to demand risky financial industry bear a greater tax burden. We have trhe right to demand to fire Larry Summers for his non-solutions. We have the right to demand Obama pick up his spine and stick to what he promised, namely transparent government. What are you giuys cooking in WH that needs all the secret?

[eahce]

Well when you promise change in your capaign and then after being elected carry on the dirty deeds of the previous administration what do you expect

[GeoLee]

We are angry and we don't trust you, either.

[LovePeacock]

No kidding. If you preface your statement about peoples' emotions with how they "have a right to be [emotional]," there's a problem there. Thank you for letting us know that we are now allowed to be hot tempered. Is there any chance that this President and his Administration is going to ease those tensions, or was this just about how it's our "right" to feel something? Novel concept.

[rhubardpi]

Geez, this guy is almost insightful.

[Steve1]

Does anyone at this White House read the frustration expressed on this site and others? We the progressives who helped this gang find power will not support them a second time around. From what I'm hearing out of D.C. via Rahm, they don't believe they need us, as Rahm says, "the voters have nowhere else to turn...the­y can't vote for Republican­s." No, we won't vote for Reeps, though we won't help the party expand either.

This is all like Clinton 2.0, only Obama really had us fooled even more than Clinton, maybe because Bush was just so horrendeous, it emotionally swayed us into believing Obama was something he's not.

[GeoLee]

Funny, I remember the Clinton years as pretty successful years for me financially. And except for the constant harassment of the Newt Gingrich crowd and Ken Starr, much of what Clinton did governmental speakingwas frankly pretty darn good.

[LovePeacock]

Yes, the myth of Clinton being a poor President is a great one. Right up there with the urban legend about the chicken fried mouse. Based on our past four Presidents - George W., Clinton, Bush, and Reagan (it's too soon for Obama) - there was one good one out of the lot. Clinton. So, tt seems to me that if the same people who put the other three bad Presidents in place are the same ones who think Clinton was sour grapes, they're more than likely a crowd that should be disregarded.

[SangZe]

People in the White House can't read and don't care.

[eahce]

And you thought willie was slick.

[Steve1]

And Rahm Emanuel isn't really a Democrat..­.and certainly isn't a progressive. I have no problem with them stating the obvious, though at the same time it bothers me that both of these men have made so much money playing it safe in the middle working on behalf of large corporations either as lobbyists or in "public service"..­.they only serve a sliver of the public and that is the corporate piece of the pie.

[SmolderingRuin]

Obnoxious, argumentative, duplicitous, and not very bright. Gosh, I'm glad he's on our side.

[masher]

You must be on Wall Street because that is the only side Rahm is on.

[Steve1]

Yes, exactly! Rahm represents Wall Street and the power elites. He's so full of himself it seems one camera isn't quite enough to account for just how smug and how stupid he thinks the rest of us are.

[Thabit]

I'm angry and frustrated that Mossad has an agent as chief of staff in OUR WHITE HOUSE

[CarmanK]

Well at least they know in the WH that people are frustrated and angry. We are not the "tea baggers"/ We need to see progress on the issues that this WH promised to improve and change. It is time and perhaps Krugman is right that Obama is beginning to get things done. After seeing Moore's "capitalism" on Friday, I really think it is time we take this country back. Our constitution is under seige by the "economic aristocrats" who would horde all the nation's goods and natural resources by the top 1%. I also, don't want another Democrat to mention tax cuts, until all the Bush tax cuts have expired and this nation is out of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is time the "fair share" really mean just that for all the people of the country.

[robbep]

I know its hard to be patient but our time is coming. Next year this time Rahm and Obomb will need us again and then they will act like they need us. In 2012 they will be making promises again.

[eahce]

A lot more damage can be done before 2012, just look at the last nine months, and they are just getting started.

[ReedYoung]

Where in the Constitution is a "right to be frustrated and angry"? Oh, that's right, it's implied, like many other rights not enumerated, but not to be disparaged (Amendment IX).

About the Wall Street firms using taxpayers' gifts to them for lobbying, you should have outlawed that before you gave my money to them. They got those gifts in the first place because of all their lobbying and everybody knows it, so don't you act surprised, Mr. Emanuel, that the same losers are continuing with the one investment they have ever made that has provided them a profit.

[AAKAlan]

Fanned!

You are so right.

The hypocrisy of it all may make my head explode.

The government (with Obama's approval) gave $1 trillion in taxpayer money to the thugs who brought our economy to its knees in order to get lending going again.

Was there ever such a stipulation in the bailout agreement?
No.
Were there any limitations put on these voracious predators as to what they could do with taxpayer money?
No
Did our treasury dept. and the The Fed. put any basic conditions on these taxpayer funds?
No.

They gave all this money to banks who were "too big to fail", which they then used to buy more banks, making them even bigger, and granting tens of billions of dollars in bonuses to the employees of these essentially bankrupt financial companies to encourage more risky and dangerous behavior.

WTF?

Is anyone guarding the henhouse? Anyone at all in government?
No

And fewer still as these banks spread around our taxpayer funds to congressmen to get them off their backs so they can revert to their rapacious past.

If there ever were a worse or dirtier financial scandal in the history of this nation, I've never heard of it.