Franken takes on Obama

[Jesus Malverde]

Source: The Hill

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) on Sunday called on supporters to reject one of President Obama's nominees to the Treasury Department.

Franken criticized nominee Antonio Weiss in no uncertain terms, arguing Obama had nominated the wrong person for the job of Treasury undersecretary for domestic finance.

He argued Weiss would not put the middle class first, and that he was too close to Wall Street.

"Join me in asking the President to withdraw Antonio Weiss’s nomination," Franken wrote in an email to supporters on Sunday, with a link to the petition. "We need a nominee who will put the middle class first."


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/228141-franken-touts-petition-denouncing-obama-treasury-nominee

[sakabatou]

1. Too many Wall Street insiders

[project_bluebook]

11. Yes but the DOW is above 18000!!!

I thought that was all that mattered?

[cheapdate]

2. Did he go on a scathing rant about president Obama?

No. He stated his objections firmly and urged reconsideration. I agree with his objections and I agree with how presented them.

I don't know much about Weiss, but from what I've heard (his close involvement with inversions) he's a poor choice.

[Cha]

26. Thank you, cheapdate.. yes, Sen Franken was respectful and didn't throw any cheap ignorant pot shots

Very Refreshing.

[sendero]

28. Almost every choice Obama has made....

... regarding his economic cabinet has been a bad choice. Unless you are a banker. It's not a coincidence.

[cheapdate]

30. Maybe so, I'm not an expert in economics.

Jason Furman, chairman of the president's Council on Economic Advisers, looks like a solid choice. I'm sure there are others. Obama appointed Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which didn't work out.

Obama has quite conventional views on business and banking. He always has. My personal views on business and banking tend toward a radical departure from the status quo. I would, for example, revoke the great majority of corporate charters and aggressively prosecute corporate executives for environmental crimes and other violations of public trust. But that's another matter. The president isn't a "radical".

On the face of it, I don't like the president's pick for Under Secretary of the Treasury. However, it's not always true that you can judge a person by the clients he represented professionally.

I really like many of the president's picks in other areas, including Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr. Steven Chu for Secretary of Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council president Frances Beineke for BP Horizon Oil Spill Commission, and Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elana Kagan.

[rhett o rick]

38. Elizabeth was appointed by the President to help SET UP the Consumer Financial Protection

Bureau, but yielded to Wall Street pressure and did not appoint her to head the Bureau.

Here is a list of appointments that are some Republicans and a few Democrats, but all Conservatives:

Tim Geitner, Lawrence Summers, Ben Bernanke, William M. Daley, Jeff Immelt, Dave Cote, Jeb Bush (consultant for education reforms), Robert Gates, Gen Stanley McChrystal, Jacob Lew, Jeremiah Norton, Gen Petraeus, John Brennen, Chuck Hegal, Michael Taylor, James Comey, James R. Clapper, Robert Gates, Leon Panette, Robert Mueller, Michele Leonhart (DEA), Lois Lerner (IRS), Arnie Duncan (education) , Rahm Emanuel, Penny Pritzker, Michael Froman as U.S. trade representative, Republican Senator Judd Gregg nominated to be Commerce Secretary, Kenneth Salazar (DINO) Dept of Interior, Tom Wheeler FCC, Police Chief Charles Ramsey (co-head commission to look into demilitarizing police)

[Autumn]

3. Good for him, Elizabeth and Bernie for opposing him.

He is a poor choice.

[BrotherIvan]

5. +1

I'd like to see a bolder Franken from now on. Unleash that scathing wit, please.

[Deny and Shred]

4. But Obama posed with Girl Scouts with a tiara

Surely, that sort of feel-good photo-op trumps any actual long-term detrimental decisions on personnel or policy.

Let those silly principled liberals shoot their wad on a nominee battle. Easily countered with a super-cute kitty pic and millions in campaign contributions to their rivals in the next primary.

[Enthusiast]

6. But I like kitty pictures.

[pocoloco]

8. Thank God he couldn't find a Tutu to fit!!

[Doctor_J]

13. and he's the greatest and most liberal president in history, and is dedicated to kicking

Last edited Sun Dec 28, 2014, 11:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Republican ass for the next two years

[mwrguy]

18. AMEN

[Big_Mike]

19. No, I don't think so.

I don't think he holds a candle to FDR, and I'd give Wilson a half a step on him.

[Doctor_J]

20. Sorry, I was piggybacking on 3WM's sarcastic subthread

I'll go fix it. He's probably going to kick more (D) ass than (R) ass for the remainder of his term

[JI7]

24. people can do both, just as agreeing with Franken here doesn't mean one agrees with him

on his support for ISrael over what happened in GAza.

[ellenrr]

27. yes

[Enthusiast]

7. Did you read those fucking comments? Horrible. It's an obvious swarm of paid sockpuppets.

[Maynar]

15. I stuck my nose in there

What a pong!

[MannyGoldstein]

9. Clearly, Franken can't handle having a black President

Regards,

TWM

[AgingAmerican]

10. Correct

It has nothing to do with the continuous unabated looting.

[Doctor_J]

12. And he's depressing the liberal vote for 2016, and probably needs to take a

civics class

[Jesus Malverde]

16. ..

[eggplant]

31. AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Results of your Jury Service

On Mon Dec 29, 2014, 08:58 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

Clearly, Franken can't handle having a black President
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=975399

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

This is a very stupid and despicable attack on a Democrat.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Mon Dec 29, 2014, 09:00 AM, and the Jury voted 1-6 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
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Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[MannyGoldstein]

37. Gulp.

thanks!

[rhett o rick]

39. LOL. If TWM isn't careful, he will get banned. And along with him goes the rest of his personalties.

By the way, was one of your other personalities "Inigo Montoya" or was that a different Manny?

[jwirr]

14. That my Senator. Thank you Al. I see Elizabeth Warren is also not in favor of Weiss.

[cascadiance]

36. Oregonians, let's call Senator Merkley to see if we can get him to join Warren and Franken on this..

I think we can! He's already been the first senator to stand up in favor of getting rid of marijuana prohibition laws. And he's worked a lot with Senator Warren on the Senate Banking committee who should help us join together to have the right regulatory people in place over the banks!

[Sunlei]

17. I don't like Weiss either. Mr. President- domestic finance should put "the people' first.

[green917]

22. Not to mention

The under secretary for domestic finance should have some experience with domestic finance. Weiss' entire career has been spent dealing with matters of international finance. He's a horrible choice for several reasons! Good on sens. Franken, Warren, and Sanders for opposing him!

[hedda_foil]

23. Put together his international financial experience. .

Put together his international financial experience with the raft of mega trade deals coming at us and the appointment may make some sort of sense.

[green917]

29. Sadly true!

You make a great, and scary, point.

[RiverLover]

34. Indeed. nt

[blkmusclmachine]

21. Bravo!

[pablo_marmol]

25. Thanks Al.

This bullsh*t needs to end!

[burfman]

32. And we all thought the '80's were going to be the Al Franken decade....

I'm glad you're trying Al, but why do I feel the regular guy is still going to get screwed......

[BlancheSplanchnik]

33. goddammit, people

Why can't we understand, it's possible to hold more , than one thought, more than one opinion, more than one opinion?

I am GLAD Al Franken is speaking up. I'm glad he's not going all ad hominem about it. I'm glad Bernie and Elizabeth also speak out.

I also support most of what the President has worked for, I keep in mind what he's tried to do but been blocked by PUKES and lying rw media, I'm awate I don't know everything about everything and....I love the tiara pics.

Also, kitties and puppies.

/Rant

[geardaddy]

35. Signed the petition.

Love Al. Glad he's my senator.