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The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission: Meaningful or Milquetoast? by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 11, 2010
Every once in a long while a commission can change America. The 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings destroyed Senator Joe McCarthy by revealing his out-right viciousness and insincerity through the new media of television. The Watergate hearings helped to bring down a president. And the Pecora hearings in 1933 uncovered Wall Street scam after scam that enriched the bankers who crashed the financial system. read more »Bernanke: Time's Man of the Year by Robert Borosage , OurFuture.org | December 16, 2009
Time Magazine's naming Ben Bernanke "Man of the Year" is a little bit like celebrating an arsonist for his heroics in putting out a fire that he set. Bernanke has done creative and bold work in staving off a fianancial free fall. But he would also be on any list of the 10 people most responsible for creating the free fall. read more »Bernanke: 'The Definition Of Moral Hazard' by Isaiah J. Poole, OurFuture.org | December 3, 2009
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke employed his characteristic smoothness and conciliatory nature as he navigated the questioning at today's confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, helped by the largely gentle questioning by Democrats on the committee. Ironically, the most pointed progressive critique of Bernanke's stewardship of the Fed did not come from any of the Democrats but from the far right. read more »Sanders Puts Hold on Bernanke Nomination by Robert Borosage , OurFuture.org | December 2, 2009
Senator Bernie Sanders has announced he will put a hold on the Bernanke nomination. Sanders wants the Finance Committee to hold serious hearings probing Bernanke's actions leading up to the financial collapse, and the emergency measures he took, committing literally trillions to bolster private financial institutions without a vote of Congress. read more »Before You Appoint Ben, Audit Ben by Robert Borosage , OurFuture.org | December 2, 2009
In this video, Robert Borosage lists the questions that members of the Senate must get answers from Ben Bernanke on if he is to earn re-appointment to chair the Federal Reserve. A related action campaign emailed to Campaign for America's Future supporters calls on them to tell their senators: "Before You Appoint Ben, Audit Ben." read more »Bernanke Breaks the Law. His Own. by Eric Lotke, OurFuture.org | November 30, 2009
Thursday December 3 is the date of both the President’s Jobs Summit and the reconfirmation hearing of Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke. We should seize the opportunity to examine the statute that creates the Federal Reserve: read more »Obama’s Jobs Summit and Bernanke’s Reappointment: Connect The Dots by Eric Lotke, OurFuture.org | November 30, 2009
How ironic that President Obama’s jobs summit should be scheduled on the same date (Thursday, December 3) that the Senate Banking Committee has scheduled the reconfirmation hearing of Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke. read more »The Independence of the Fed by Dave Johnson, OurFuture.org | November 27, 2009
Reps. Ron Paul and Alan Grayson are trying to get the Federal Reserve audited. Last week the House Financial Services Committee passed an amendment to their financial regulatory reform bill that would mandate an audit. read more »In The Fed We Trust? Will The Senate Reward The Architect Of The Wall Street Bailout? by Robert Borosage , OurFuture.org | November 25, 2009
Will the Senate vote another term for Ben Bernanke as head of the Federal Reserve? Should it? read more »Watchdogs And Lapdogs On Financial Reform by Isaiah J. Poole, OurFuture.org | November 20, 2009
There was a major victory for accountability this week in the financial reform fight, but there was also a demonstration that when it comes to protecting the profits of bankers at the expense of ordinary people, no institution does it better than the Party of No. read more »
The Latest
Senators: Run Consumer Head by Us, Politico | July 23, 2010
The three Senate Republicans who broke with their party to support President Barack Obama’s Wall Street reform plan asked Obama Thursday not to make a recess appointment for the director of a controversial consumer protection agency. more »
Curbing Wall Street: The Next Stage, netrootsnation.org | July 22, 2010
The financial reform bill was but a first step. It created a consumer financial protection bureau, but left the big banks more concentrated than ever, with the financial casino open for gambling. The bankers are getting million dollar bonuses, but foreclosures continue at record levels, small businesses can't get loans, payday lenders are still gouging workers. more »
The 2010 Elections: Channeling the Power of Jobs, Populism and the Angry Voter, netrootsnation.org | July 22, 2010
The rising tide of populist anger in the face of Wall Street bailouts and continued high unemployment threatens to take an ugly reactionary turn unless it is channeled to more progressive policies of job growth. This panel will address current public attitudes and ideas for steering opinion and action more progressively.
Senate Democrats’ Plan to Aid Small Businesses Hits G.O.P. Resistance, The New York Times | July 22, 2010
Perhaps the last best hope of Democrats to pass legislation aimed at creating jobs before the November elections seemed to be crumbling in the Senate on Wednesday as Republicans signaled that they would block a bill to expand government lending programs and grant an array of tax breaks to small businesses. more »
Battle Brews Over Director for New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , Los Angeles Times | July 22, 2010
President Obama reversed decades of lax oversight of the financial industry Wednesday by signing a landmark overhaul of regulations, but he still faces a major task — appointing a director for the powerful new agency charged with protecting consumers from unscrupulous deals. more »
Fight Over Consumer Agency Looms as Overhaul Is Signed , The Wall Street Journal | July 22, 2010
President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed into law the most sweeping financial overhaul since the Depression, putting the country on a course toward a more muscular regulatory framework. more »
10 Ways New Wall Street Reform Law Will Help You , Huffington Post | July 22, 2010
Today, President Obama signed into law the Restoring American Financial Stability Act - the most important regulatory overhaul of our nation's financial system since the reforms that led to 60 years of sustained growth after the Great Depression. more »
Goldman Settles Its Battle With SEC , The Wall Street Journal | July 16, 2010
In one of the largest penalties in Wall Street history, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. agreed to pay $550 million to settle civil charges that it duped clients by selling mortgage securities that were secretly designed by a hedge-fund firm to cash in on the housing market's collapse. more »
Public Unfamiliar with Wall Street Bill, Reuters | July 16, 2010
A big majority of Americans are unfamiliar with the sweeping overhaul of financial rules that was headed to final approval in Congress on Thursday, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs online poll. more »
Zombie K Street Project: The GOP Turns To Lobbyists To Draft Policy Agenda, tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com | July 9, 2010
John Boehner twisted himself into a pretzel this week when he told the Washington Post he had "no idea" whether Republicans would once again attempt to privatize Social Security if they retake the House in November. He couldn't just say "no" -- he followed up with the explanation that he couldn't say because he didn't want to prejudge the outcome of the GOP's voter survey. more »
