Bankster Blog

Some will rob you with a six-gun;
And some with a fountain pen.

Ken Lewis on the Last Flight to Abu Dhabi?

What better way to celebrate the New York Attorney General’s suit charging Bank of America’s Ken Lewis with fraud than by listening to Billy Bragg’s new song on the big banks which he previewed at a benefit for Haiti in London this week. This is a very rough cut of "Last Flight to Abu Dhabi" from a fan, but you get the very amusing gist.

Groundhogs Day on Wall Street

On the day that Punxsutawney Phil emerged to predict a long hard winter, Americans picked up the newspaper to read that AIG, the bankrupt insurance giant, was going to pay out $100 million in bonuses to its failed financial products division. Kenneth Feinberg, President Obama’s pay czar, announced that these were “grandfathered” retention payments and that the unit had taken a $20 million dollar reduction in bonuses.

Like Bill Murray in the classic film Groundhog Day, we are being forced to live this day over again.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Luntz Backs the Big Lie

Republicans are on the defensive. As we enter the 2010 election cycle, Republicans are a bit worried that Americans might remember how their maniacal push to deregulate Wall Street resulted in the collapse of the global economy on their watch. They need a new message to appeal to hard-hit voters. To the rescue comes renowned Republican strategist and spinmeister Frank Luntz.

Golden Throne Awarded to Tim Ryan Spinmeister for U.S. Securities Industry

T. Timothy Ryan Jr.SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR SIFMA'S TURN PITCHFORKS INTO PLOUGHSHARES CAMPAIGN

The Center for Media and Democracy and BanksterUSA are pleased to present our Golden Throne Award to T. Timothy Ryan Jr., President and CEO of the Securities Industries and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). SIFMA is the leading behind-the-scenes lobby group representing big banks and investment firms, as well as broker-dealers and other peddlers of financial instruments, which Warren Buffett labeled "weapons of mass destruction." SIFMA lobbies Congress and financial regulators, and handles securities-related press for some of the biggest players in the financial crisis--Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and Fidelity Investments.

Fill Dodd's Dance Card

The Wall Street bankers who drove our economy off a cliff are lobbying as hard as ever against financial reform. The fight now moves to the Senate where Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd is in charge. Bank lobbyists think that Dodd will "dance with the special interests." Tell Dodd to make protecting Main Street his legacy -- not dancing with Wall Street!

Save Unemployment Insurance!

Save Unemployment Insurance!In March, the first one million Americans will lose their Unemployment Insurance unless Congress acts. Millions more will follow. The impact will be devastating on American families and communities as foreclosures driven by unemployment accelerate and as small businesses lose billions in revenue from paying customers. Tell Congress to save Unemployment Insurance now!