The First Annual Carl Icahn Award

It's time to bestow my first annual award to the corporate authority figure who makes the most ignorant statement in an attempt to influence the fall election. The award shall henceforth be named for its first recipient, The Carl Icahn Award.

Icahn let it be known that Barack Obama, who already has the support of several prominent leaders in the business community, would be a "terrible" President who would take the country on "a huge spending spree" and that a Democratic president in league with a Democratic Congress would lead to "runaway legislation" on social spending.

Let's look at this, for just ten seconds, in an attempt to fully appreciate the inanity of Mr. Icahn's remarks. A Republican president, assisted by a Republican Congress, took this country into an immoral war in Iraq. A war that has killed thousands of American soldiers. Destroyed the lives, culture, infrastructure and very soul of the Iraqi people. (Like when the cops in Philadelphia bombed the house in 1985 and burned down several blocks of homes and killed eleven people, including five children. )

This administration is a war administration. This war was waged for a variety of reasons, chief among which was for Bush to ramp up a wartime economy. So that Bush's supporters could make money. Many of them got rich. Osama bin Laden is drinking a refreshing cup of tea in the mountains of Pakistan. Americans have seemed to have let go of any real hope of bringing him to justice. This administration was built to make war. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Powell, Wolfowitz, all of those contemptible Senators who stood and watched without a question on their lips. The Irag war is a disgraceful failure. Worse than Vietnam, as that engagement was launched in the late 50's, a time when a vibrant fear of communism propelled a lot of lame thinking and bad ideas.

This administration is a pro-business administration. Made up of rich men, whether they be self-made like Cheney or trust fund darlings like the president himself. They would do anything, cut any budget item, forego any basic human need that government might address in order to stimulate the Dow and appease men like Icahn. Where is the US economy now? Republican leaders in Congress, the most intellectually lazy and morally bankrupt legislative assembly in recent history, rubber stamped everything. Gutted regulation. Took every perceived government hindrance to business out of their way. Flooded the world economy with dollars that were backed by nothing other than a passion to wage a war ostensibly against "terror", yet was actually a war against our own crippling lack of discipline, foresight and further ability to dominate the world economy. This administration had every opportunity. It had some that previous administrations never had, in the wake of 9/11. It squandered them all.

Clinton handed Bush a balanced budget. A surplus. A relatively healthy economy. Clinton was not without his sins and made some regrettable mistakes in his supervision of Wall Street, but not like this. Not like what we have had these past eight years. Men like Icahn spit out a tired and hopelessly dated bias toward Democrats as weak on economics. Just as John McBush will tell you Democrats are "weak on terror." And although there will be plenty of time to set people straight about McBush's flawed thinking on the war, this year's Carl Icahn Award goes to Carl Icahn. A man who, conveniently, provides voters with an important opportunity. Whatever Icahn says, do just the opposite. In this case, vote for Barack Obama. Do it for the economy.

Comments

[CEDobson]

I picture a big bronze slug sitting in a plate of salt as the statue for the presentation ceremony!

[AmbivalentGuy]

I think that Icahn uses Zombie logic to pick his candidate:

"What's your name? What's your name? Who's your daddy? Who's your daddy?
Is he rich? Is he rich like meeee?"

[bbbear]

You nailed it Alec!

[MarkInEugene]

Mr. Icahn is a greedy elitist spilling over with hubris and self-aggrandizement. He is a classic capitalist who does not recognize the importance of carefully nuanced regulation, a healthy middle class, and just enough governmental assistance to generate a contributing, productive citizenry worth the investment.
Mr. Icahn could learn a thing or two from the wise and magnanimous, Mr. Warren Buffet.

[tgood]

Has anyone seriously done the math for what the Obama "change" will cost just the first few years if he gets his pet projects passed? Staggering beyond comprehension and yet, Americans are already celebrating their part in electing him to finish off this country. The people Obama seems to represent are the illegal aliens and the welfare class who will once again ride on the backs of Americans still able to work.

Pathetic.

[TimeJumper]

Have you done the math in regard to the costs of the Bush/Chaney administration? I am certain that you are aware that our iconic American middle class incomes have remained somewhat inert over the last seven years of their tenure while the upper echelons of American society have enjoyed prosperity unequaled since the Gilded Age. The slate of Democratic candidates may not be the most appealing; however four more years of Republican laissez-faire economics would certainly be more ruinous to this great country.

[CEDobson]

For as long as I have been old enough to know the difference between democrats and republicans, the welfare defense has always been used to bash a democratic candidate, and in the last several years, illegal aliens attached for good measure.

I have always voted for whom I believed to be the best candidate based on what words came out of their mouths. So far, other than Clinton, I have written in my vote for president. I believe he did an excellent job in office, the budget balancing/surplus a huge feather in his cap. He completely changed the welfare system. He actually did something about our health care system. The place he failed in my eyes is in lying under oath and he paid the piper, rightfully so. I could give a flying f*** about the BJ (think he's the first?).

If Obama is elected, he cannot do anywhere near the damage Bush has done, if he is in fact a true illegal alien-thumpin, tree-huggin, welfare-crazed democrat. Obama couldn't come close to the billions Bush has spent on this war. Lastly, as far as illegal aliens go - as long as there is greed in this country, there will be illegal aliens whether "we" pay to bring them over or they sneak over. Who do you think hires/indentures most of them? White-collar, greedy and corrupt government officials.

I'm willing to bet you think McClellan is a liar too.

[nanooknw]

Carl Icahn laid waste to the Airlines causing the demise of some of our greatest carriers. He has been banned from ever having owner ship in any airline. If there is any left after he started his buy -sell off and bankrupt style of doing business. He was one of the first of his style of business. Yah, we should really listen to this bottom feeder.

[TimeJumper]

Shouldn"t the American taxpayers have their taxes re-invested in the American people rather than have them ceded to corporate CEOs and their executives? The real elitists are those who have pressed upon the backs of the American people their yoke of ideology which they now have us sowing through their fields of folly. We as a nation can no longer afford the premise of "ignorance is bliss"; we must now discard those blinders and take back the reins of government for our own sake. Thus we should put the welfare and prosperity of our country before corporate profits and executive privileges.

[onegandolf1]

Alec,

I think instead of "Flooded the world economy with dollars that were backed by nothing other than a passion to wage a war ostensibly against "terror", yet was actually a war against our own crippling lack of discipline, foresight and further ability to dominate the world economy" , I think what you intended to say was "yet was actually a war fought in favor of" or "in support of" .

[Teadye]

So horrible that we might want some of our hard earned dollars to stay in our own communities benefiting our children and our neighbors. They must still see some turnip that hasn't been squeezed into the wallets of the rich and powerful.

They want to take their global corporate ball and leave in a huff? Let 'em... as long as they don't mind the door being closed and locked behind them. Maybe we should just say "don't let the door hit ya...", levy stiff import tariffs and rebuild all of our small businesses and local industries that these guys tore down to begin with.

[laylahb]

Warren Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha, is currently ranked as the wealthiest man in the world.
Carl Icahn is ranked as #46.

Warren Buffet is a highly-respected investor and a builder of businesses.
Carl Icahn gained his reputation as a corporate raider, and has many enemies on Wall Street.

Whose endorsement would you rather have?

[joebaggadonuts]

Pithy. Truth. Thanks.

[sparklenshine]

Hello Alec,
Nice 60 Minutes interview. I saw more on the 60 Minutes site. Didnt know you'd want to marry again - I'd marry you. Icahn doesnt want a social spending spree? What does he lose? Somehow he must be making out good with the way things are right now - terrible.

Bush supporters make money by waging war. Congress will approve more war spending because they want to get the soldiers home. They know that they are being held for ransom by those businesses who contracted to reap big bucks because of the war. I didnt understand WHY Congress kept approving more money for the Iraq war when so much money was needed elsewhere in our country. The attitude and aura surrounding our govt officials was one of resignation and obligation. I couldnt understand what the obligation could be. Then it hit me. The Iraq war had so much private business involvement that the answer was so obvious. Those same businesses that run our govt and lives also own the lives of our soldiers and the Iraqis. The war will not end until they get paid their ransom money. Bush doesnt "negotiate" with terrorists (big business) , he FEEDS them with our lives.

Yes, the rep mantra was that dems were soft on economics and that war boosts the economy, you are correct. However, if one uses the same strategy over and over without tweaking it to accomodate changing times & advancements the same old same old...just becomes..old.
XOXO,

[Sapphire9]

Steve Earle fan by any chance?

[heal57]

Thanks, Alec. These are my sentiment exactly. Who could spend more money than Bush? And on a fraudulent war yet. Warren Buffet is also for Senator Obama cause he gets it too.


Independent for Obama '08

[wmg57]

Something that has always puzzled me is the notion that the conservative agenda is the fiscally responsible one. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it strikes me that unfettered conservatism tends to lead to budget deficits, infrastructure breakdowns and social discord.
Hardly the results of a healthy economy.

[oldwiseone]

Someone should do a story on neoliberalism. Which in the united states would be better classified as neoconservatism because the rest of the world defines liberal in a different way. What is neoliberalism? It is an attempt by the conservatives, the rich, to change the the world into a profit based tool. Everything, and I mean everything, would be developed and conducted in terms of profit. There would be no social programs and the like. People who are not able to take care of themselves are that way because they are lazy. Interesting concept, and they almost got away with it if it wasn't gor their greed, if one takes the concept to its logical end, health insurers would stop treatment of terminal patients because it would improve their profit margins.

[BillyCioffi]

I thought this "Robber Baron" , Corporate Rapist, had a lot of nerve! One should ask how the people laid off by one of Icahn's little raids over the last 30 years feel about how "terrible" he was for their livelihood and their economic situations. This guy is an absolute amoral swine.