Obama needs to drop-kick Robert Rubin from his campaign immediately

[brentspeak]

News yesterday that Obama was tapping Rubin as an economic advisor, especially in reaction to the global financial meltdown.

Good grief, why not just tap Alan Greenspan while you're at it? Rubin played a huge role in creating the financial mess in the first place: as Secretary of Treasury, he pushed Bill Clinton to sign off on Phil Gramm's repeal of Glass-Steagall (plus all the other little goodies Gramm snuck into the bill, such as the Enron loophole). Forgetting the fact (for the moment) that Rubin was also one of the greed-meisters who advocated moving America's manufacturing sector overseas to China, having Rubin on board makes criticizing McCain much more difficult: how can you credibly point out that your opponent was for financial-sector deregulation when you've got one of the architects of financial-sector deregulation sharing the campaign stage with you?

:banghead:

[Ian David]

1. What about Robert Reich? n/t

[writes3000]

5. Reich was just on Race To The White House. I thought he did great.

I admit I don't know much about his history.

[SuperTrouper]

14. Reich is fantastic. He will fit nicely in an Obama Administration

[David Dunham]

2. Rubin is still generally very highly respected

[AZ Criminal JD]

27. Only by the CEOs who have profited.

[liberalmuse]

3. During the meltdown on Monday...

I heard some guy on CNN in the background yelling, 'ROB RUBIN! ROB RUBIN! ROB RUBIN!' Now I know why.

BTW, I feel the need to add that Obama is doing quite well on the economy (okay, BRILLIANT!)

[sandnsea]

4. He's had Rubin on for a while

And yet he still managed to give a superb economic speech yesterday. As long as he uses Rubin just for a different point of view, to cover all bases, then I think we'll be okay.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

28. Wall street likes Rubin, he has credibility with them. At this moment

a stock market crash is a real possibility. Obama is touting Rubin, mainly for this reason, I think. He's trying to calm things down.

Robert Reich is outstanding in all respects. He's on NPR occasionally and he is always on the spot. Reich is very good at explaining middle-class woes within the context of the overall economy.

[sandnsea]

31. Robert Reich is A++++++++

I don't know that working people have a better advocate than him. He also wrote several terrific pieces on Iraq and Bush foreign policy, I saw them published in British papers. He certainly represents the kind of policies I'd like to see. But I also understand the need for the Rubin types, because they do have a different economic view.

[trumad]

6. Uhhh probably because the economy un der Clinton was terrific.

[liberalmuse]

16. Greenspan was a god...

under Clinton. I wonder why? Hmmmmm.....

[democrat2thecore]

20. So many of us (Democrats) fail to see the short term gain under Clinton

...that set-up the long-term misery. Read Naomi Wolf.

The economic policies of Clinton and Bush 43 have buried this country.

[trumad]

30. Oh horse fucking shit.....

[jonnyblitz]

7. oh, this is a surprise!1

snicker.

[democrat2thecore]

8. Agreed! We need Reichian economics - not Rubinism -nt

[RichardRay]

9. Because firing truly compentent people who've made mistakes

is a great way to end up with a talented staff with absolutely no experience.

Experience is what keeps smart people from making mistakes, unfortunately, the way you get experience is by making mistakes.

[democrat2thecore]

12. The Rubin World View is not a mistake - it's his very **philosophy **-nt

[brentspeak]

17. That's like Dick Jones in "Robocop" saying that...

...ED-209's machine-gunning of a guy into little bits-and-pieces was simply "a glitch".

No one who makes the kind of catastrophic "mistakes" Rubin made should ever be considered "competent".

[Median Democrat]

10. Wrong - A Picture Destroys Your Thesis - Clinton > Bush

Household median income. Compare Clinton to Bush. To suggest that Clinton/Rubin did not know how to manage an economy is just ignorant:

<>

[democrat2thecore]

18. Short-term gain and long-term misery

Rubin is from the school of neo-liberal economics. He supported trade policies and banking policies (on and on) that has helped push this nation to the brink. He's in the wrong party - if the Democrats stand for change and for the working/middle class - Rubin should not be in the picture. He's there for his "name" and experience. It's now all going to come back and bite him in the ass - and well it should.

Obama should be listening to Robert Reich - not Rubin.

edit: spell

[choie]

23. yeah, that's great

except for the rising cost of living. Higher incomes don't mean a hell of a lot when you can't afford the cost of rent, gas or food...Clinton was just a repug in sheep's clothing.

[Median Democrat]

24. Okay, I Will Assume That You Did Not Read The Graph

Take a look at the reference to real household median income. Real means adjusted for inflation.

[EV_Ares]

11. I agree, might be OK to have Rubin around in some capacity but we need new blood, new ideas, that

is what change is all about. Rubin is not change.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Please.....Obama has many Financial Advisors......

He doesn't rely on just one. He makes his own policy based on input. Rubin's input is just about as good as anyone else.

Just like Obama doesn't depend on just one state to win an election....
Or just a few fundraisers to raise money.

[still_one]

22. Absolutely Frenchie. Obama listens to ALL perspectives

Buffet, Volker, Rubin and a lot more

[Hamlette]

15. Rubin is my husband's hero

I admit to not knowing too much about this and am not even sure I trust my husband but he has a different take on this stuff. He was Banking commissioner of our state (NOT in the pocket of banks by any stretch) and credits Rubin for the booming economy under Clinton.

Reich hates Rubin. Or so he said on TV a few days ago.

I'm neutral because I don't know and when I ask my husband? He tells me. And within 5 minutes my eyes glaze over. I'm not interested enough to know.

I say hire the whole Clinton economic team.

But, like I said, don't the hell listen to me.

[sandnsea]

32. They play on a different field

The way they view unemployment is a classic example. What's good for banking isn't always good for people at a human level. Globalization has been terrific for a lot of very wealthy people, not so good for people at the bottom. No, buying cheap crap from Wal-Mart does not mean you have a higher quality of living. People like Rubin and your husband look at money from a pure financial perspective, and we need people like that. Reich looks at how those policies directly affects workers on the human level. Seems to me anyway. I will say Clinton did seem to put some of the best of the best into Cabinet positions.

[Mojambo]

19. I'm no fan of Rubin's either, but generally I support Obama's desire for a wide array of advisors.

[blondeatlast]

21. Must be hell living your life perpetually concerned. I feel sorry for you. nt

[FrenchieCat]

25. Almost comical......

can you imagine what a concern expression on OP poster's face must look like! :rofl:

[terrya]

26. He also had a hand in helping balancing the budget during Clinton's Presidency.

An issue President Obama will not, unfortunately, be inheriting....

[PolNewf]

29. He does deserve credit for that.

As a social lib\fiscal cons I appreciate that.

[choie]

33. jeezus h.

So, anybody who disagrees with something Obama does or a choice that he makes is now deemed a concern troll? What the hell gives here?