WTF is up with Alan Greenspan???

[cincinnati_liberal]

He comes out and says we have to return to 'pay-as-you-go', and we all know Bush's now-famous rhetoric about said policy. Then...THEN he says we should make Bush's tax cuts permanent even though it would add 1.8 trillion to the national deficit. He seemed cool during the Clinton admin, overseeing the longest sustained economic growth in American history(Reaganites hate that fact, and often deny it) but I'm starting to wonder. What is his agenda? Is he in someone's pocket? What the hell is going onwith this guy? He arguably is the most powerful man on the planet, even more so than any war mongering C-In-C since he harnesses the economic might of the American machine. Does anyone have any useful info or a straight opinion on this guy? I'm not sure what to think.

[LittleClarkie]

1. I used to think he was non-partisan and above it all

But he's been increasingly falling in line with Bush, near as I can tell. I dunno what's up with him, but I'd like to know too.

[Fovea]

2. He is not internally consistent within his own statements

I do not know what is wrong with him, but he has
not been talking one consistent policy
that makes sense.

It is like he has one stream of reality, and another stream from Bushworld.

I think he has been compromised.

[deacon]

6. he supported the bush tax cuts, he was wrong and part of the reason

why we ended up in enormous debt. He toed the line.

[deacon]

3. He is a member of their propaganda team

they have him in their back pocket-- he is part of the reason why we are in this enormous debt.

[Hard Attack]

4. Old Age is Setting In.

Let's face it, the guy has reached the point of..

Here is a Watch, Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[Enquiringkitty]

5. Come On! The F*cker's old. He wants to see SOMEONE get

screwed before he dies! At his age, he isn't getting any!

I saw him today saying to pass the Social Security change emmedietly... then he went to change his "Depends" and try and remember where he lives.

[w13rd0]

7. During the primaries...

...Howard Dean said that Greenspan needs to go. Of course, everyone reacted with shock, but the last several weeks have proven that once again, Howard "Headroom" Dean was seeing months into the future. Since calling for his ouster for losing objectivity and dropping the ball, the situation has only become worse.

[CWebster]

14. Yes

Dean has good instincts that put him ahead of the curve- but harm him politically due to the reactions of those not yet ready to face reality. Bernie Sanders, another Vermonter, has been opposing--vehemently opposing Greenspan for some time now--calling him out on his free market fantasies without the obligatory pretense of respectful deference usually exhibited by other politicians.

With Ayn Rand as his prophet, the market is the "common good". Period.

[charlie]

8. Did he say the tax cuts should be permanent?

Christ, what a fucktard.

Clinton had to forego some of his promised tax cuts and agree to make deficit reduction Job One to get that asshole's blessings.

He spent the latter half of nineties sending signals that he was clueless, but pensive -- "I dunno... irrational exuberance... I dunno... you guys be careful out there... I dunno" -- but did nothing 'til 2000 when he sharply jacked interest rates skyward.

Then Bush got into office.

Jerkwad was so enthused about the Chimp's massive tax cuts, he furiously backpedalled, axing rates to historic lows... reaping nothing better than a momentary holding pattern in a downward spiral.

Fuck him. Fuck him twice. He's proven he's a partisan whore, nothing more.

[tritsofme]

9. The worst of the tech bubble could have been averted if Greenspan

actually raised margin requirements instead of just complaining about "irrational exuberance"

I'd say good riddance when he leaves in a year, but I fear the person bush will appoint in his stead.

[GoBlue]

10. He's a fraud...

the properity of the nineties was deliberately stalled by Greenspan when he chose to slam on the brakes, rather than simply easing up on the accelerator, of the 'overheated' economy.

[rooboy]

11. He is (literally) a devotee of Ayn Rand...

and is committed to bringing down the government just like the neocons are.

[tsuki]

12. Flip-Flopper.

[CWebster]

13. He needs to be fired

The illusion can only be sustained for so long.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

15. He is, was, and always will be, a Republican Shill

Throughout the Clinton years he tried to throttle the economic boom by raising interest rates over and over again. He scolded Clinton mercilessly about budget deficits, then turned around during 2001 and said we needed a tax cut because of all these budget surpluses.

Greenspan was the chief architect of the plan to raise Social Security taxes in order to build a "trust fund" to pay benefits as the Baby Boom moved into retirement. Now that the Trust Fund is worth literally trillions of dollars, Greenspan advocates looting it.

He's a crook. Plain and simple.

[DivinBreuvage]

16. Alan Greenspan -- America's Hjalmar Schacht!

Obscure historical reference that will probably be lost on all of the Bush = Hitler people

[KaliTracy]

17. senile? but no one has caught on yet? or just in the back pocket of

someone....(more plausible scenerio....) he makes my head spin. For the life of me I cannot see how he can advocate these "personal" SS accounts when it means borrowing trillions of $$ to make it work....


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as an aside.... Hi there fellow Cincinnati Dems -- ...and to think, just 4 months ago, I thought I and my small circle of friends were the only ones! :hi: