Robert Rubin

December Surprise? From Rubin to Pelosi, Wall Street & DC Dems Push Post-Election Austerity

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 05.31.2012

Read More: Simpson/Bowles, Robert Rubin, Jamie Dimon, Democratic Party, Austerity Economics, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Durbin, Politics News

"Take back your party," Pelosi recently advised traditional Republicans. "This is not the Grand Old Party that we know." Take back your party: That's sound advice -- for everyone in Washington.

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You Can't Trust the Wise Men of Finance

Robert Lenzner | Posted 04.09.2012

Read More: Robert Rubin, Financial Crisis, Timothy Geithner, Ben Bernanke, Housing Bubble, Business News

It's said that no Wall Street leader, no economist, no legislative committee, no regulator, could predict the perfect storm of all investment assets collapsing at the same time in 2008. I beg to differ.

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Paul Volcker: Debt 'Strangles' Us

HuffingtonPost.com | Bonnie Kavoussi | Posted 03.15.2012

Read More: Robert Rubin Deficit Reduction, Robert Rubin, Video, The Atlantic Economy Summit, Robert Rubin Debt, Robert Rubin Debt Reduction, Paul Volcker Debt Reduction, Paul Volcker Federal Reserve, Robert Rubin Deficit, Paul Volcker Deficit, Paul Volcker, Paul Volcker Deficit Reduction, Paul Volcker Debt, Business News

WASHINGTON -- Some of the country's most high-profile economists say the U.S. government needs to reach a long-term deficit reduction agreement soon i...

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From Wall St. To Washington: Famous Moments In Revolving Door History

Posted 01.11.2012

Read More: Bill Clinton, Treasury Department, Financial Reform, George W. Bush, Wall Street Reform, Bill Daley, Peter Orszag, Mark Patterson, Jack Lew, Barack Obama, Robert Rubin, Washington Wall Street, Wall Street, Wall Street Regulation, Rahm Emanuel, Henry Paulson, Robert Steel, Financial Regulation, Business News

Want to get to Washington? Try going through Wall Street. As a look at any recent presidential administration will show, people move between the two w...

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How the "Smartest" Guys in the Room Screwed Up the World... and Why the 99% Movement Will K eep Challenging Them in 2012

Miles Mogulescu | Posted 02.22.2012

Read More: Lloyd Blankfein, Robert Rubin, Hank Paulson, Ows, Occupy Wall Street, Larry Summers, Jamie Dimon, Alan Greenspan, Occupy Movement, Politics News

They're considered the "Smartest Guys in the Room" (yeah, they're mostly guys). They're the financial "wizards" like Robert Rubin, Hank Paulson, Lloy...

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Obama's Populism and the Ghost of Teddy Roosevelt

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 02.05.2012

Read More: Robert Rubin, Citigroup, Wall Street Prosecutions, Teddy Roosevelt, Larry Summers, Peter Oszag, Barack Obama, Bank Criminality, Politics News

This morning Barack Obama channeled one of American history's truly transformative figures by visiting the tiny Kansas town where Teddy Roosevelt gave his "New Nationalism" speech over a century ago.

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The Greatest Hoax in the History of Money: The Fed, The Banks, and All Those Lies

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 01.31.2012

Read More: Lloyd Blankfein, Robert Rubin, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Brian Moynihan, Bank of America, Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, Jamie Dimon, Alan Greenspan, Business News

You can believe in the free market, or you can believe in today's Wall Street. But you can't do both.

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Suskind's Confidence Men Raises Questions About Obama's Credibility

Dan Froomkin | Posted 01.31.2012

Read More: Robert Rubin, Confidence Men, Ron Suskind, Tim Geithner, Larry Summers, Bill Daley, Peter Orszag, Jack Lew, Gene Sperling, Barack Obama, White House Economic Team, Politics News

The higher Barack Obama soars with his populist rhetoric, the more he calls attention to the enormous gap between the promise of hope and change that he campaigned on in 2008 and the actions he has taken as president -- especially regarding the economy.

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Wishful Thinking for a Hillary Clinton Presidency Is Based On Faulty Premises

Asher Smith | Posted 01.23.2012

Read More: Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, Ron Suskind, Patrick Caddell, Larry Summers, Hillary Clinton, Doug Schoen, Mark Penn, Barack Obama, Politics News

Much of the pining for Hillary Clinton seems to be premised on mis-targeted liberal nostalgia for a version of Bill Clinton's presidency that never happened.

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California Refuses to Accept Obama's Banking Sellout

Robert Scheer | Posted 01.09.2012

Read More: Robert Scheer, Government, Law, Greed, California, Clinton, Economy, Banks, Sec, Obama, Robert Rubin, Wall Street, Citigroup, Politics News

Forget relying on the federal government to hold the Wall Street swindlers accountable. Indeed, the Obama administration has been involved in negotiating a deal with state attorneys general to settle their complaints with the banks for a pittance of compensation for the victims.

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Too Big to Jail

Robert Scheer | Posted 01.02.2012

Read More: Department of Homeland Security, Robert Scheer, Government, Citi, Barack Obama, Bailout, Money, Clinton, Economy, Lawrence Summers, Obama, Robert Rubin, Campaign, Citigroup, Business News

Why has Robert Rubin, the onetime treasury secretary who went on to become Citigroup chairman during the time of the corporation's financial shenanigans, never been held accountable for this and other deep damage done to the U.S. economy on his watch?

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Hackers Release Data On Ex-Treasury Secretary

The Huffington Post | Gerald Smith | Posted 12.25.2011

Read More: Cybersecurity, Robert Rubin, CabinCr3w Robert Rubin, Video, Robert Rubin Hack, cabincr3w, Robert Rubin Hacked, Hackers, Technology News

Hackers have posted what they claim is the personal information of former Goldman Sachs executive Robert Rubin and his family. On the file-sharing ...

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Behind The Bipartisan 'Austerity Class' That Rules Washington

The Nation | Ari Berman | Posted 12.20.2011

In September the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), a bipartisan deficit-hawk group based at the New America Foundation, held a high-p...

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Why Is the Obama Administration Enabling Retirement Rip-offs?

Jane White | Posted 12.12.2011

Read More: Robert Rubin, Obama Administration, Get Money Out, Dylan Ratigan, Annuity, 401k, Phyllis Borzi, Politics News

Rather than requiring employers to make 401(k) plans as generous as pensions, the Obama Administration appears to be duping older workers into thinking they are ready and simply need a product that will stretch their puny nest egg over a lifetime.

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Killing Us Softly

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 11.13.2011

Read More: Robert Rubin, Medicare Retirement Age, Alice Rivlin, Alan Simpson, Austerity Economics, Go Big Letter, Erskine Bowles, Laura Tyson, Deficit Commission, Politics News

We're seeing the demonization of the victim everywhere. It's in the public hatred for underwater homeowners and now reaches to the highest halls of power in both parties, where we told that helping struggling homeowners would be "rewarding the undeseverving."

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Progressive Despair: Austerity Top Priority As Economy Sputters, Americans Suffer

HuffingtonPost.com | Dan Froomkin | Posted 10.03.2011

Read More: Deficit, Robert Rubin, Debt Ceiling, Spending Cuts, Deficit Spending, Economy, Spending, Debt Default, Debt Deal, Government Spending, Deficit Hawks, Deficit Reduction, Deficit Obsession, Peter Peterson, Obama Debt Ceiling, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- This week's big debt deal has left progressives despairing over a disconnect between Washington and the rest of the country that they sa...

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Citigroup Turns Profit For Sixth Consecutive Quarter

AP | PALLAVI GOGOI | Posted 09.14.2011

Read More: Vikram Pandit, Robert Rubin, 2008 Financial Crisis, Citigroup Bailout, Great Recession, Too Big to Fail, Citibank, Bank Bailout, Citigroup, Business News

NEW YORK — Citigroup Inc. has long boasted of its international scope. It has a presence in 140 countries, more than any other U.S. bank. Now, ...

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Historical Context Missing From Debt Ceiling Reporting

Chris Weigant | Posted 09.13.2011

Read More: Journalists, President, President Obama, Boehner, John Boehner, Obama, Media, Shutdown, Geithner, Gingrich, 1996, 1995, Clinton, Treasury, Speaker, President Clinton, Bill Clinton, Impeach, House, Politicians, Cuts, Budget, Msm, Government Shutdown, Congress, Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama, Mainstream Media, Debt Ceiling, Robert Rubin, Deadline, Chris Weigant, Tim Geithner, Rubin, Medicare, Veto, Politics News

Back in 1995 and 1996, a government shutdown actually happened -- twice. The debt ceiling was not raised, but the country did not default. President Clinton actively used his veto pen, as the Republicans sent him bills that they knew he would not sign.

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Bloomberg Businessweek (Accidentally?) Makes It Clear That Warren Critics Are Primarily Animated By Sexism

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 09.06.2011

Read More: Eat the Press, Financial Crisis, Robert Rubin, Elizabeth Warren, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Consumer Financial Protection Agency, Sexism, Media News

I'm going to generously assume that the weird, critical, slam-book-style bubbles that dot the cover of the July 11-17 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek,...

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Bill Clinton's Legacy of Denial

Robert Scheer | Posted 08.21.2011

Read More: Newsweek, Glass-Steagall Act, Robert Rubin, Commodity Futures Modernization Act, Economy, Citigroup, Bill Clinton, Politics News

Bill Clinton's Newsweek cover story shows that the man has long been convinced that there is no problem or contradiction of his that cannot be simply plastered over with blather. Sadly, he may be right.

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Machiavelli, Third World America and Our National Crisis

Michael Likosky | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Robert Rubin, Infrastructure, National Infrastructure Bank, Third World America, Finaancial Crisis, Public-Private-Partnerships, Alan Greenspan, Arianna Huffington, Barack Obama, Housing Crisis, Machiavelli, Politics News

When something goes horribly wrong, it's always useful to look to the Classics to understand what's actually happened and how to move forward. Is our ...

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Fannie's Scandalized, Freddie's Dead -- and the Next Financial Meltdown May Have Already Started

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Robert Rubin, Yves Smith, Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, Deregulation, Privatization, Daniel Mudd, Fannie Mae, Alan Greenspan, Fannie and Freddie, Freddie Mac, Center for American Progress, Business News

Here's an idea: Let's give hundreds of billions of dollars in government-backed guarantees to private banks so they make a fortune writing mortgages without any risk to themselves. Hey, what could go wrong?

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Why the Financial Crisis Could Not Have Been Prevented

Robert Lenzner | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Larry Summers, Robert Rubin, Tim Geithner Treasury Secretary, Alan Greenspan, Business News

Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, did not believe in reining in the animal spirits on Wall Street. He chose to ignore pleading from wise titans to turn off the spigot of easy money.

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New Year's Slideshow: Choose the Year's Most Absurd Comment From a "Financial Wizard"

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lloyd Blankfein, Mortgage Bankers Association, Robert Rubin, Slidepollajax, Financial Crisis, Peter Orszag, Jamie Dimon, Business News

"I know it's become part of the narrative that people knew what was going to happen at any minute. We never knew what was happening at any minute." That's Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein. Now he tells us.

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Time to Dismiss the CFTC Chairman and His Commissioners

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 05.25.2011

The Dodd-Frank Act gave the CFTC until January 2011 to set limits to curb excessive speculation in the energy markets. Lo and behold, Chairman Gensler told lawmakers the CFTC wouldn't meet the deadline "because it doesn't yet have sufficient data."

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