obama hypocrisy watch [update]

Good piece, AGI. I think it’s fair to say: the honeymoon is over. I’ve found all this “outrage” about AIG a bit hard to take. What does Obama and his followers do when the shit hits the fan?

Distract and blame others. This is not leadership; it’s amatuer hour. Who would have thunk it???

News flash: Campaigning is “not” governing.

Here we go again bringing all the big wigs up to be questioned as if no one knew what was going on. I don’t blame AIG I blame congress the people that are supposed to be taking care of us. They keep passing bill after bill and don’t know what the hell is in these bills maybe if they read it before they pass it we wouldn’t be in this mess today.What a joke this administration is.

These guys do realize that when they appear on television it is video taped, right? Just checking!

LOL!

They make GW look like he’s top of Mensa.

Snark alert:

Thank God we’ve brought change to Washington!!!!

If Only the Obama admiinistration had spent more time on AIG instead of distracting us with a private citizen and talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

I wish the honeymoon was over: CNN is delightely reporting that people in California have camped out all night to score tickets to see BO. I hope they want to see him so they can boo him in person…but I am not holding my breath! Amateur hour indeed.

For years, you guys have unfairly targeted President Bush. In fact, it was that extremist portrayal by the left and guys here at no quarter and other dems that lead people to elect this incompetent boob to the WH.

BARACK Obama and New York senator Charles Schumer, leading the charge to recoup $US165million ($250million) in bonuses paid to employees of AIG, received nearly $US150,000 in campaign donations from the bailed-out US insurance giant.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25209062-5013948,00.html

Amid AIG Furor, Dodd Tries to Undo Bonus Protections in the ‘Dodd Amendment’ Rules

While the Senate was constructing the $787 billion stimulus last month, Dodd added an executive-compensation restriction to the bill. The provision, now called “the Dodd Amendment” by the Obama Administration provides an “exception for contractually obligated bonuses agreed on before Feb. 11, 2009” — which exempts the very AIG bonuses Dodd and others are now seeking to tax.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/finance/dodd-cracks-aig—time/

In an interview with CNN, Dodd denied inserting that exemption at the 11th hour, and insisted he doesn’t know how it got there.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/17/aig.bonuses.congress/

……………

I have heard of ghost voting, but never of ghost writing, as Dodd now claims he doesn’t know how ‘WHO’ inserted that in that there Bail Out Bill. Don’t they have cameras?

insanity at it’s best….in America, incompetence is what is rewarded, not success.

Do you think some of the people who voted for him are getting as sick as I am of his perpetual campaign?

He’s doing town hall mtgs today and Leno. Go back to the WH and do some GD work, you fraud!!

Dodd, Biden and BO have been working for these crooks for a long time…

Nice article, A-Girl.

I would love to believe the honeymoon is over but I don’t see the MSM reporting what was stated at the top of this article, namely that our beloved Sec. of the Crookery, Timmy boy, was in on the AIG planning from the start.

Convenient how the little details get left out amidst all the huffing and puffing.

His job is to appear “elegant” and sell whatever comes across the teleprompter to the American Sheeple. Anybody who gave him more credit than that is going to be disappointed. He is a “global governance” pimp disguised as some kind of new age – hopey changey – flower child guru.

Oh, lookie…so it’s okay to take money from them back then but now they are evil. Funny how politics work.

Obama Received a $101,332 Bonus from AIG
March 17, 3:01 PM

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are – Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama.

The A.I.G. Financial Products affiliate of A.I.G. gave out $136,928, the most of any AIG affiliate, in the 2008 cycle. I would note that A.I.G.’s financial products division is the unit that wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps and “misjudged” the risk.

The Washington Post reports a “mob effect” at A.I.G financial products division:

A tidal wave of public outrage over bonus payments swamped American International Group yesterday. Hired guards stood watch outside the suburban Connecticut offices of AIG Financial Products, the division whose exotic derivatives brought the insurance giant to the brink of collapse last year. Inside, death threats and angry letters flooded e-mail inboxes. Irate callers lit up the phone lines. Senior managers submitted their resignations. Some employees didn’t show up at all.

With the anger and rage that is being exhibited against A.I.G., perhaps the bonuses Obama received from A.I.G. explain Obama’s A.I.G crocodile tears.

Now that the Wall street Journal has revealed that A.I.G. paid bonuses of $1 million or more to 73 employees, it’s time to ask if recipients of A.I.G. “bonuses,” including President Obama, will give what now ought to be taxpayer money back?

http://www.examiner.com/x-268-Right-Side-Politics-Examiner~y2009m3d17-Obama-Received-a-101332-Bonus-from-AIG

I beg to differ. It was us Dems getting screwed by our own party that led to this.

There were competent Dems running for office. It seems our own party didn’t want that.

BTW where were the Republicans when it came to supporting McCain? I watched your convention. Seems they were a little thin on the ground.

Prose:

For years, you guys have unfairly targeted President Bush. In fact, it was that extremist portrayal by the left and guys here at no quarter and other dems that lead people to elect this incompetent boob to the WH.

For starters, Bush was not going to be President again, no matter what, so this statement is a straw man blame game. Saying that criticism of Bush, regardless of the source or fairness of it, had anything to do with Obama getting elected is just dumb.

It was Bush policies and his general idiocy that virtually guaranteed a Democrat would be the next President. With no incumbent VP running, the White House was likely to swing to the other party anyway.

To make a statement that No Quarter in any way assured the election of Obama is the height of ignorance. I dare say there were few voices in this election that were as strident as NQ in opposiing BO’s election. The readership and writers of NQ, being largely disaffected Dems who supported Hillary Clinton for President, did all we could to rally voters to oppose Obama.

As John McCain said in a debate, Obama wasn’t running against Bush.

Bush deserved most of the criticism he got. Defending Bush in any forum of present or former Democrats, Independent voters, or any group outside of Neo-Cons, is simply trolling.

In other words, fuck off you nitwit.

He is a “global governance” pimp disguised as some kind of new – age hopey changey – flower child guru.

That statement is a thing of beauty. Bravo.

s/b

Gibbs: Because we always speak forcefully to play on weak minds for the TV viewers and do the opposite in reality. This is no different Haven’t you been paying attention to Obama and his advisers over these past 2 years?

You know, like when he gaves those speeches to troops or about troops. Like his made up story about an Uncle freeing Auschwitz and returning to his attic where he remained after leaving military service.

He told that story to bring home the point that he wants to take care and service the medical needs of our troops.

But, you are learning that we are going to force them to buy private insurance to pay for their medical care so we don’t have to honor their service and take care of them as he campaigned on.

See, we’re consistent.

Say one thing, do the opposite. Maybe now you have learned what the Obama administration is all about. And you’ll know when he makes a promise, expect the opposite.

Thank you Jake for asking this question.

…ps, just love those two top recipients of contributions

You want Obama to do some work? Are you insane? You would think he’s the President or something and the country is in trouble.

Oh wait….

Good update by Susan.
Thanks

Steve said:

“To make a statement that No Quarter in any way assured the election of Obama is the height of ignorance. I dare say there were few voices in this election that were as strident as NQ in opposiing BO’s election. The readership and writers of NQ, being largely disaffected Dems who supported Hillary Clinton for President, did all we could to rally voters to oppose Obama.”

In the words of the infamous Rush Limbaugh: Ditto.

BTW, I am one of those disaffected Dems and it’s all I can do around certain friends and family to not say: I told you so.

As for Prose’s comment:

“For years, you guys have unfairly targeted President Bush. In fact, it was that extremist portrayal by the left and guys here at no quarter and other dems that lead people to elect this incompetent boob to the WH.”

Unfairly targeted? Please. GW may be a nice guy in person, but he was one awful POTUS. Add Dick Cheney to the mix and we had the “axis of arrogance.” If anything, the election of 2008 proved that the American public was dumping the Republican spin.

Unfortunately, we ended up with the Democratic Party’s weak sister. This is what happens when you put frontmen into the WH and the guy’s behind the scenes [who couldn't run for dogcatcher] try to govern.

The result is disastrous whether it’s a Dem or a Republican.

Facts for lyin’ Tweety, who is just regurgitating the WH line:

The Treasury and Federal Reserve officials said they had known about the bonus program as far back as last fall.

The program has provoked public protests from a handful of critics and at least one Democratic lawmaker in Congress — Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, a member of the House Committee on Government Oversight, who demanded without success in December that A.I.G. provide information about the bonuses

Mr. Cummings said he had been communicating regularly with A.I.G.’s chief executive, Edward M. Liddy, about the bonuses ever since December. Mr. Cummings said he was particularly concerned that the bonuses were supposed to be paid by March 15, adding that he assumed Treasury officials had the same worries.

“I assumed that they were well aware of it and would take appropriate action” before the March 15 deadline, Mr. Cummings said. “In light of the biggest quarterly loss in history, you would think that A.I.G. and Mr. Liddy would have been able to convince folks who were supposed to be getting these retention payments, based at least in part on performance, that they might want to voluntarily not take all or part of them.”

Treasury and Fed officials said they knew that A.I.G. paid $55 million in bonuses in December.

But administration officials said that the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, did not personally become aware until last week that an even bigger round of payments was due on March 15.

Administration officials said Mr. Geithner learned of the deadline early last week, when the Federal Reserve Bank of New York alerted him that the bonus payments were coming due.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/business/17bailout.html

So, what’s a new President to do, when he finds himself in hot water, and completely in over his head, facing dropping poll numbers, and a growing number of outraged Americans?

Appear on Jay Leno, of course.

I think that will be a BIG mistake as the American people won’t find that FUNNY nor Presidential. No point in pouring salt into a wound, he needs to remember the election is OVER and its time to WorK!

PS: when I voted for McCain in November, it wasn’t because I had a Republican epiphany. It was because I sensed John McCain was his own man, the stuff of leadership. And if the Republican Party had supported him whole heartedly, we wouldn’t have Obama to contend with.

So heal thyself before laying on the blame.

agree with you 10,000% candymarl.
I was very annoyed with how the repubs played McCain and Palin. Hell, a lot of us dems and indies and ex-dems crossed to vote for McCain to avoid this twit. The repubs in the meanwhile decided to f around. If blame must be given
(and that’s okay by me) it’s the dem party for destroying itself and the repub party for destroying McCain and Palin.

I don’t understand. Geithner learned last week??? HUH???? The NYTimes has already reported — back on November 25, 2008 — that Geithner was in charge of the entire deal and he sure as hell DID know about the executive compensation. Unless he’s just such a tool that he didn’t care and thought it was alright. Or he’s such a dummy that it never occurred to him to fold severe restrictions on executive bonuses into the original deal.

Exactly, Susan. They knew about the bonuses last fall. They knew they had a March 15 deadline for more bonuses. But Geithner didn’t know until last week. It’s the old RICE RIDDLE coming home to roost again:

WHO COULD HAVE ANTICIPATED?!

Jesse nails it: “PATHETIC.”

http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2009/03/obama-administration-financial-teams.html

This bailout started back in September.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/business/28melt.html?_r=1&bl&ex=1222833600&en=78e47e85adbe5725&ei=5087

LOL! Limbaugh just referred to Obama as TOTUS, Telepromoter of the United States. OMG!

AIG paid $57 billion in retention bonuses to dismissed employees?!

You’ve gotta be kidding me!

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/03/aig-retention-bonuses-paid-to-former-employees/

Speaking of TOTUS, Dowd today wites that he even needed the teleprompter for his scripted “outrage” over the bonuses.

MOST PUMAs voted for McCain after the nomination was stolen from Hillary by Obama and the DNC, WITH alot of help from the Republicans I might add, who crossed over to vote in OUR primaries to “stop Hillary” (well you got what you wanted are you happy?) and THEN many Republicans didn’t think McCain was conservative enough, so pouted and stayed home and didn’t vote. NOT thinking thru the fact that if Mccain wasn’t conservative enough, what the hell did you like the most liberal Senator would do?

Let us not forget the media’s role in all this. They were bound and determined to put Obama in office. The Repubs understood this and waited for Obama to screw up. The Tea Parties in over 40 cities are showing the Democrats just how angry people are about Obama’s agenda. In two years we will get a Republican Congress and Obama will quietly fade into the woodwork.

It looks like the first official cover-up is underway. When did Obambi (in other words, his administration) know about the bonuses? I love that one weasel-worded phrase “the full extent of”. Always the lawyers looking for obfuscation. Hopefully it won’t work. The American people are slowly but surely waking up to the fact that its business as usual with Obambi.

How about this?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/18/teleprompter-gone-bad-obama-thanks-irish-pm-repeats-speech/

woman voter — Will Obama or Dodd return the campaign money they received from AIG? The parade of angry Americans have left Obama in the dust and he is running to catch up. Obama is acting like the angriest American of all as he parties on. Oh the hypocrisy — its an epidemic in Washington.

yes any many of them do not live here in the USA a huge chunk of that went to workers in the UK…

Now thats change we cn believe in. Great hope to tax them on that!

Why is the WH spokesman stating about what he READ in the paper….when he SEES Obama daily?

Anyway, Jim Rogers says “Let AIG go bankrupt, not America”

http://www.cnbc.com/id/29476319/site/14081545

Pouring money into this failing company is the real probelm. If a bankruptcy court wants AIG to break those bonus contracts then it will have the proper legal basis for doing so.

The rest of this can only end badly….a cornered Obama….ugh. That is when he is at his worst.

So who do you think he will flip the bird at tonight when blaming them on Leno? And while Obama explains some vague solution/scheme/stall tactic, just what joke at Republican’s expense will he float this time?

Obama the predictable.

politicalidentitycrisis — I think the Teleprompter gaff with the PM of Ireland was calculated so that Obama could have something to make a joke about when he goes on the Tonight Show.

Even Bush could manage ‘outrage’ without a teleprompter.

You can’t make this stuff up…….

“Obama laughed and returned to the podium to offer what might have been Cowen’s remarks. In doing so, President Obama thanked President Obama for inviting everyone over.”

Obama Thanks Himself, Irish PM Repeats Speech in Teleprompter Meltdown
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen reads word for word a speech that Obama had just read from a teleprompter, while the president apparently thanked himself for the invitation.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/18/teleprompter-gone-bad-obama-thanks-irish-pm-repeats-speech/

President Obama thanked President Obama for inviting everyone over

We might just as well had a legitimate actor play the role of President… at least they would be personable to our allies. Personally, it might be fun to hear as an example… Samuel Jackson tell Ahmadinejad where to go using the m-f word as many times as he could fit it in the sentence.

Market analyst Karl Denninger is absolutely on fire over this AIG issue. Please note the graphics towards the end of this article:

http://market-ticker.denninger.net/archives/877-Had-Enough-FRAUD-America.html

I am just sick over everything that is happening to our country,. This AIG Mess, Pelosi saying people who raid illegal alieans are “UnAmerican” the bill being passed that could be the start of the Obama youth Army and what doesn’t anyone see this? WHY are people trying to stop any of this?

Obama didn’t even know that he sat in a hate whitey/hate America church for 20 years let alone remember what happened 5 months ago.

Just like the Wright, Ayers, Rezko, etc., he’s either bold face lying or he exhibits an incompetence never seen before in DC.

RUSH LIMBAUGH personally approved the AIG bonuses.

And, he helped the Grinch steal Christmas.

He was also behind the Watergate break-in, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of Prince Ferdinand, the Lindbergh kidnapping, the crash of the Hindenburg, and was an un-named co-conspirator in the theft of the North Pole by Crabby Appleton (for Tom Terrific fans).

This is ALL his fault.

Na, na, na, na, boo, boo!

why doesn’t anyone see this? Why AREN”T people,? (I shouldn’t type when I’m so angry sorry)

As a conservative not a republican I could not deal with his and Bush’s amnesty B.S

seems like Obama is trying to pin this on Dodd. And we all know that 0bama will not accept any blame for what he is done. He will throw any and all Dems under the BUS to save his ass. 0bama is in high gear to put out his “side of the story” and the operative word is “story”.

You’re gettin’ ready to blow? Well I’m a mushroom-cloud-layin’ m-f-er, m-f-er! Every time my fingers touch brain I’m “SUPERFLY T.N.T,” I’m the “GUNS OF NAVARONE.”

I know a lot of NQ readers are not huge Limbaugh fans, but today Rush had a list of questions he wanted to ask TOTUS.

A sample:

Did you have to fill out the 64 page questionnaire presented to other WH personnel?

What is your relationship with the first lady?

Are you dating anyone – (PC or Mac)?

Exactly, wouldn’t that be more fun at least… and on top of it all, Samuel L. would be able to remember all the lines without the use of a teleprompter. Plus, I like Samuel L.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t-EfdceTs60/Sb5URQ2zzAI/AAAAAAAAHas/FCFogzpScqc/s1600-h/ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzAIG.jpg
……………
I would believe he was angry if he returned all the money ASAP or at the very hint that they needed/wanted a Bail Out!

Teachers, police and support services are getting pink slips and they let these big million dollar bonuses go through. It reminds me of the tech bubble CRASH (the other time our IRAs took a hit) when the executives gave themselves 20 and 40 million severance packages right before the companies went broke. Congress didn’t do anything then, and I would be surprised if they will do something now.

The only thing that will motivate them is TERM LIMITS. The ‘Country Congress Club’ must end and the government must serve ‘We The People’ not the ‘Elite’ and well connected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czb4jn5y94g

Now this is the way to handle the AIG execs…

You just have to love this one.Could not get any more appropriate nor funny.

And lets not forget he had time to fill out his brackets for March Madness.

If blame must be given
(and that’s okay by me) it’s the dem party for destroying itself and the repub party for destroying McCain and Palin.

And for giving us GWB in the first place!

VOMEN VOTER, God Bless you. Time limit should be mandatory. Don’t let any public servant to stay in a job until they retire. As long the stupid constituence will vote for them why they should care? After 2 terms, they will work for their own interes to be elected again and again. they don’t care if they will be carry from the WH to the Eternal House. Get read of them. What Kennedy did for MA, nothing. Bunch of hypocrits, all of them.

Are Obama and Dodd going to give all the money they got from AIG back too?…I thought not

We give him way too much credit… and always have. That is becoming sadly apparent.

Histrionics??? Is that what it’s called? I can’t believe how Obama is songing and dancing over AIG, one of his larger campaign financers! It is totally bizarre, like watching a TV show, which I suppose it is. It just gets weirder by the minute watching these guys stamp their feet while it is total hypocrisy right in our faces. Why don’t people comprehend this? He signs a couple of bills and reverses some actions that he never had anything to do with to appease the masses I suppose and now Jay Leno? Yeah, a star is born or something. Entertain us so we don’t notice, keep our blinders on? The AIG buck stops with him? Invoking Alexander Hamilton as similar to Tim Geithner? GIVE ME A BREAK!! I’m sick of BO acting out like he’s Abraham Lincoln when he’s a free market, pro Wall Street hack. Noam Chomsky was right when he said Summers and Geithner in charge of the Treasury is like putting the Taliban in charge of the war on terror. And so it goes.

Susan…

I LOVE your descriptive phraseology in accurately depicting Chirs Matthews’ brain geography!!!

A true CLASSIC Susan….should frame this description of the Greatest Leg Thriller for Obama….

PROSE

Why don’t you face the facts?

George Dubbya Bush was INCOMPETENT, stupid and criminally inclined…as witnessed by the WORLD OUTRAGE OVER HIS TREASONOUS WAR IN IRAQ THAT COST AND IS STILL COSTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

BUSH SHOULD BE IMPEACHED WITH CHENEY.

Now for OBAMA: BARACK IS INCOMPETENT, STUPID, AMATEURISH and he is committing yet another TREASONOUS act by flying 17,000 troops to Afganistan to protect Bush Family-and-Soros interest pipelines. The taxpayter is footing the bill, too!

Bush failed to regulate the Markets. He encouraged greediness and destroyed the American brand for decades!
Obummer is failing to regulate the bailed-out Punks like AIG.

OBAMA IS JUST THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN OF INCOMPETENCY. THE HEAD ON THAT COIN IS DUBBYA BUSH–MORON #1. BARRACK’S FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS….

NO KIDDING

No Kidding…

I believe you that Baracks will fade into the woodwork.

But I don’t believe for a moment that the taxpayers can be bamboozled again by yet another REPUBLICAN INCOMPETENT MACHO-MAD AND DUMB TO THE CORE ADMINISTRATION…

ONE BUSH. TWO BUSHES. ONE AND ONLY OBUMMER.

INDPENENDENT THE WAY TO GO WITH THE LIKES OF BUSH AND OBAMA DUMMIES RUNNING THE SHOW! enough!!!

I would forgive the incompetency and stupidity and UTTER CLUELESSNESS OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION only on one condition:

IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY AND CONFISCATE THEIR OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS/SAUDI INVESTMENTS AND RETURN TO TAXPAYER.

trixta

If George Dubbya Bush was the devil (he still is with his billions in safe offshore accts stolen from Taxpayers’ pockets with Dickie C)…then Baracks Obummer is the bloody Anti-Christ!

BUSH-OBAMA: THE TWO SIDES OF A CLUELESS COIN!

Steve

May I humbly join you in your condemnation of PROSE’S UTTER DISJOINTED THOUGHT PROCESS…

Bush was the birth-mother of the Obama mess…

don’t know if you’re old enough. But if you remember an old 70s movie called “ROSEMARY’S BABY” WHERE Mia Farrow gave birth to the devil’s offspring…Well, I believe these were TWINS that Rosemary gave birth to: BUSH and BARACK!

That’s not the bail out I know

Karma:

I love it: “Even Bush could manage outrage without a Telemprompter”!!!!! God, how these two resemble twins……

Karma

I read somewhere (washingPost?) that Obama dared to JOKE with reporters when he coughed during his AIG speech : “I’M CHOKING WITH ANGER”—what a cheap shot at all those hurt by the stupidity first of the Bush Administration and now of his stooge Gaithner “I’ll pay my taxes only before confirmed”!

That photo of TOTUS at this link has him “sporting” that smug arrogant expression that he used so much during the primaries—ugh!

We should place bets to see how much higher his chin will go upwards, basically showing his arrogance and his “above-it-allness/I’m so smartness” during his failure at handling any national crisis. Any bets?

Ooops! Wrong link referred to. . see below! Sorry!

That photo of TOTUS at this link has him “sporting” that smug arrogant expression that he used so much during the primaries—ugh!

We should place bets to see how much higher his chin will go upwards, basically showing his arrogance and his “above-it-allness/I’m so smartness” during his failure at handling any national crisis. Any bets?

Breaking News–Dodd admits putting amendment in!

Will Hillary??

I am learning that when the ‘faux rage’ and finger pointing is going on, there is something else one might need to know…I saw this on the Hot Air blog.
I am still upset about the Fannie and Freddie business……so this really is not a surprise:

“Hey, guess who else has an executive retention bonus plan?
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/03/18/hey-guess-who-else-has-an-executive-retention-bonus-plan/“

I sure hope they ALL do, especially Mr. Dodd, the ‘Ghost’ wrote it into the Bail Out…

“I would like to thank, ME, MYself and I…I especially because I see him everyday in the mornin”!
Thanks for the laugh, I sure can use it.

[...] The bad guys are in Washington. They are lying, covering up, and creating distractions (see my post obama hypocrisy watch). They are either the most corrupt or the most stupid people, [...]