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Posted: March 3, 2010 07:29 PM

Arianna On 'Situation Room': Don't Bother To Pass Weak Financial Reform (VIDEO)

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Arianna appeared on "The Situation Room" Wednesday evening along with CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen to discuss financial reform.

She said that the Senate shouldn't bother to pass a financial reform bill if it weakens the proposed consumer financial protection agency by putting it within the Fed. Arianna accused the White House of wasting time on financial reform in an effort to court GOP votes that could never have been gained. In their push for bipartisan interest, Arianna said that the White House lost control of the narrative on financial reform.

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Arianna appeared on "The Situation Room" Wednesday evening along with CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen to discuss financial reform. She said that the Senate shouldn't bother to pass a financ...
Arianna appeared on "The Situation Room" Wednesday evening along with CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen to discuss financial reform. She said that the Senate shouldn't bother to pass a financ...
 
 
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08:09 PM on 03/05/2010
No issue is more critical to ensuring our nation’s long-term economic health than addressing America’s dysfunctional financial regulatory system. Unfortunately, like so much legislation lately, the Obama administration’s economic reform agenda has fallen victim to prolonged partisan gridlock in the Senate.

As a compromise, Senate Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) suggested burying the agency within the existing framework of the Federal Reserve.

However, even this major concession isn’t enough to satisfy Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). The senior senator from Alabama’s stubborn refusal to adopt common sense consumer protections provides further evidence of the Republican Party’s prime directive: protecting the interests of large banks, corporations and the rich at the everyday American’s expense.

Passing a financial regulatory reform bill that includes both the Volcker Rule and an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency is essential to preserving our nation’s economic stability.

The statements of a former Federal Reserve chairmen, Five former Treasury secretaries, a Wall Street CEO, at least one U.S. Senator and a Nobel prize winning economist all attest to this. Richard Shelby and his fellow Republicans owe the American people an explanation as to why they obtusely refuse to accept these crucial reforms.

Read more @ http://armchairfirebrand.wordpress.com/
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William Young
Repubs you lost GET OVER IT!
06:07 PM on 03/04/2010
Just a problem here, was she doing this when Bush was in office? I mean seriously?
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Chris Rautmann
01:37 PM on 03/05/2010
Yep. Except nobody (except other liberals) were listening.
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GrumpyGrandpa
A '60's liberal who didn't sell out
11:07 AM on 03/04/2010
Thank God for people like Arianna. These are the kinds of influential progressive voices that need to keep nagging the Obama administration to at least TRY to get some of these reforms passed before they begin compromising. That was the problem with Health Care Reform. Instead of starting from single-payer and compromising our way back, we took it off the table and then negotiated with ourselves to gut the Health Care Reform bill.
Someone needs to give the Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration a seminar on closing the deal. You close the deal be saying, "OK, if I take this and change it like you want it, then you are going to vote for it, right?" If you don't get a flat yes that is recorded on video from the Republicans, you simply drop that compromise, because you are never going to get anything by pursuing that like of negotiation. The same goes for Financial Reform. And why the Hell is anyone listening to Chris Dodd? He is a lame-duck who is bought and paid for by the financial services sector. Put him back in his little room and bring him out when he is needed to vote.
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GrumpyGrandpa
A '60's liberal who didn't sell out
11:05 AM on 03/04/2010
Thank God for people like Arianna. These are the kinds of influential progressive voices that need to keep nagging the Obama administration to at least TRY to get some of these reforms passed before they begin compromising. That was the problem with Health Care Reform. Instead of starting from single-payer and compromising our way back, we took it off the table and then negotiated with ourselves to gut the Health Care Reform bill.
Someone needs to give the Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration a seminar on closing the deal. You close the deal be saying, "OK, if I take this and change it like you want it, then you are going to vote for it, right?" If you don't get a flat yes that is recorded on video from the Republicans, you simply drop that compromise, because you are never going to get anything by pursuing that like of negotiation. The same goes for Financial Reform. And why the Hell is anyone listening to Chris Dodd? He is a lame-duck who is bought and paid for by the financial services sector. Put him back in his little room and bring him out when he is needed to vote.
10:16 AM on 03/04/2010
Ditto on fake health care reform.
Turning the economy over to the insurance industry is not reform.
We need the public option from day one.
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batmancw
Turn fear against those who prey on the fearful
09:31 AM on 03/04/2010
"Never Again" says O to a financial collapse?

WHAT A JOKE

If he means it, how about stopping Shrubya's wars, and stopping the reckless spending that, so far , has only served to INCREASE the size of our bloated tick of a government while also bailing out more cronies.
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cstmrsrvc
08:47 AM on 03/04/2010
So then, the logical premise is that it is better not to pass a weak healthcare bill
06:10 AM on 03/04/2010
That's right, give more power to the Fed, to private banking oligarchs that periodically bankrupt their "clients", then buy up the power centers for pennies on the dollar. The only way to "reform finance" in this country, Gergen, is to get rid of (fire) the Fed, and take control of our own money, like the founders intended.

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." -- Thomas Jefferson
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05:07 AM on 03/04/2010
Arianna is a true progressive....I sometimes wonder about the other 95% here that refuse to say anything about the corrupt fed system? Arianna is one of the lone voices in thewilderness that is fighting on behalf of the people. Thank you Arianna!
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03:22 AM on 03/04/2010
Of course a violent revolution is unthinkable, and maybe that is why the Federal Reserve Bank Gang is going hog wild printing Trillions of bogus money without congressional notice and refuses to reveal who is getting all these Trillions even if they go to terrorist nations. Keep in mind, Fed graduate students, have one primary allegiance, "the bottom line. BOA CEO retired with 38 million dollar bonus... for causing bank to fail. Incredible that Americans do nothing at this raping of our country in every conceivable pornographic angle from outsourcing our industries, destroying our environment, pauperizing middle class workers, stealing tens of millions of homes through home loan scams, manipulating our congressmen and elections, and laughing all the way to their Swiss banks.

So what? All those trillions reduce the value of your savings and pay checks in inverse proportion; the more bogus bills the fed prints, the more your dollars are reduced, which means you pay more for less through the hidden tax, INFLATION!

Wake up America, know when you are being slowly and insidiously being seduced by these Feds before you are in helpless labor trying to survive on their dribble down crumbs with you slave labor.

So who cares?
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02:14 AM on 03/04/2010
Only a return to an ultra-strict Glass-Steagall standard will work.

Anything else is silly and a waste of time.
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OldHick
02:08 AM on 03/04/2010
They have insufficient leverage with the banks. They need a pool of stable money they can move around to influence the banks, and to be willing to move it. Without it, the banks are happy to invest in foreign slaves instead of US citizens, turning back the clock on social advances such as restricting child labor. SHAME, Shame.

Second they need to protect and defend the US currency. No such thing going on. They can influence the price of gold by buying and selling gold., taking away the incentive to build another currency based on it.

Elementary Watson. Are they actually trying to do something with the banks, or are they just dancing around with the bankers, wasting time?
01:25 AM on 03/04/2010
I for one still believe that Senator Dodd and Senator Shelby can still somehow come together and come back to Professor Warren's original vision of a functionally independent CFPA. This is yet another issue that should not have a party...As this critically needed agency would benefit struggling all American's regardless of background.

A troubling aspect regarding conservative opposition to the CFPA is the fact that the creation of this independent agency is something that would seemingly appeal to those who would favor competition…as it would help to stabilize and encourage true market forces. Decreasing banking and financial services abuses would also allow and encourage the good actors in the industry to compete on a level playing field as they would be again be rewarded for sound and responsible business practices. This agency would also substantially benefit the greater economy by helping to restore waning consumer confidence, security and systemic trust. Most critically for recovery, justifiably untrusting consumers may well need this type of independent assurance in order to invest with confidence again! In this sense, opposition to the creation of this wholly independent agency would be extremely shortsighted as it could be seen as a crucial element in helping to restore real and desperately needed economic growth across all sectors. This would truly benefit “every” street in America…including Wall Street…and that should be the true goal.

http://thomastonpaine.newsvine.com/_news/2010/03/03/3974904-senator-shelby-please-pass-the-cfpa-the-american-people-need-your-help
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PhilipTaylor
Legalized Bribery is an Oxymoron - must END
01:14 AM on 03/04/2010
IT IS TIME TO STOP PRETENDING THAT WE HAVE A HONEST SYSTEM!

Our nation is staring at its' DOOM!

This is Financial Warfare against the US with a Financiers' coup de tat Supported by the FED!

We can NOT maintain the FINANCIAL ARISTOCRACY’S FED DEBT-BASED SYSTEM!

We are in an Irreversible, Accelerating, Collapsing Operation with Bailout $23+Trillions intensifying the Collapse.

Audit the FED and put it into Bankruptcy Protection! Recover the bailout $Trillions, and Bankrupt Banks that qualify join the US National Bank under Glass-Steagall standards.

Assert National Authority in US to issue US Credits and a Credit currency into the REAL Economy to MOP and SOP UP the Massive DEBTS that the FED Created over the last almost 100 years!

This will and other actions can MASSIVELY enhance our Standard of Living by job creation and infrastructure projects.

The World is depending on the US Political Process to lead and cooperate with other nations in reorienting the Financial/Economic Systems to WORK for ALL People! NOT just those in the Financial Aristocracy who are trying to USE BUBBLES to POP and the MONEY goes to the WEASELS!
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batmancw
Turn fear against those who prey on the fearful
09:34 AM on 03/04/2010
Great post.
Fanned again!
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PhilipTaylor
Legalized Bribery is an Oxymoron - must END
12:50 AM on 03/04/2010
"AND POP THE MONEY GOES TO THE WEASELS!"