Bob Rubin upset with Democrats who are hostile to foreign ownership...

[madfloridian]

at least that is how I read this. Apparently we are not supposed to be hostile to that concept. And I am not very fond of the idea, so I guess he is talking about me.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/fab9e1f2-c4d0-11da-b7c1-0000779e2340.html

"Robert Rubin, the former Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton and most influential Democratic economic adviser, launched an initiative on Wednesday aimed at influencing the economic policy debate and charting a course “diametrically opposed to the current policy regime”."

Okay, that part is all right. Then the part about our being hostile, which is confusing to me, as he then goes on to merit pay for teachers and vouchers for summer school....which is a non sequitor in my mind.

"Although the board, which includes Wall Street executives and academics, is dominated by Democrats, Mr Rubin denied that the project was driven by purely partisan motivations.

The initiative defended open competition and trade at a time when some Democrats have become more hostile to the foreign ownership of US assets, but it called for a stronger government role in helping those affected by globalisation. Mr Altman said more inclusive economic growth could “blunt the political

Yes, I do find myself a little hostile to the idea of foreign countries owning our assets. And I don't see anything wrong with feeling that way.

I don't see how this part really fits, though. Why mention vouchers and teacher merit pay. And to be quite frank, if I read these paragraphs correctly...it sounds like they are on board with Bush and personal accounts for Social Security.

The Hamilton Project, which will be based at the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, will be run by Peter Orszag, an economist and senior fellow at Brookings. Policy papers unveiled yesterday proposed vouchers for summer schools and giving teachers tenure based on standards for effectiveness. “That is not consistent with certain orthodoxies we are familiar with. I think that’s a fairly controversial proposal. I wouldn’t say that’s a yawner,” said Mr Altman.

The white paper also called for entitlement reform but acknowledged the political constraints that helped stall Mr Bush’s drive to reform Social Security. “The principal problem is one of political choice and will and what is most needed is a bipartisan approach for deciding among the options,” it said.

Barack Obama, a Democrat senator from Illinois, welcomed the initiative as a way of transcending “tired ideologies”.

I was pretty much thought wrong for posting something yesterday about even the thought of privatizing, personal accounts, whatever they want to call it...and also for the issue of teacher merit pay. One person was very upset with teachers passsing a child along when they were not up to par, but they probably don't realize that many counties set that promotion policy for teachers. No choice is given at times.

So I took grief, but I was fair in what I posted. I don't like what Bob Rubin is putting forth here. There are two reasons. It sounds like we are going to be just like the other party in praising foreign ownership, in turning Social Security into personal accounts (which in turn will kill the program for those now in it because there won't be money coming in), and they are absolutely determined to make teachers have merit pay.

It that is what people want, if that is how it is going to go, then I am very concerned. I am concerned about Rubin's devotion to free trade above all, and I will quote two paragraphs from the 04 campaign.

This is from an article by William Greider
http://www.commondreams.org/scriptfiles/views03/1126-13.htm

The governor has shown flashes of the same bluntness in his prime-time campaigning. Last summer, he told a revealing story on himself--a conversation with Robert Rubin, the former Treasury Secretary and Wall Street's main money guy for Democrats. Rubin had warned that unless Dean stopped attacking NAFTA and the multinationals for the migration of US jobs, he couldn't raise contributions for him from the financial sector. As Dean told it, "I said, 'Bob, tell me what your solution is.' He said, 'I'll have to get back to you.' I haven't heard from him." What I like so much about the story is that powerful, influential Bob Rubin pokes Dean in the chest, and he pokes him back. Then Dean discloses the exchange to the Washington Post.

In the higher realms of politics, this is not done. But he is not one of them. And this is no longer the era for "triangulation" between the business-financial money patrons and the party's main constituencies. That new spirit, more than any single issue, is what has drawn together Dean's vibrant and growing base, buoying his candidacy with millions in small contributions. Dean is opening the possibility of transforming politics--shaking up the tired, timid old order, inviting plain-wrapper citizens back into an active role--and that's why so many people, myself included, are for him. Full disclosure: I am among the throngs who have been invited to contribute "forward-looking ideas" to his campaign (I was flattered to be asked and pleased to oblige, with no naïve expectations).

I hope the Governor still wants to transform politics.

I guess we have to wait and see. So you will have to just fuss at me all over again today. My gut instinct tells me we are heading the way of one-party more each day. I guess I will try to keep speaking fairly, even when accused of making stuff up as I was yesterday....and I posted only truth.

[MadMaddie]

1. I happen to agree with you...

My question to those that want foreign countries owning our assets is

What is Russia, China, Britain, Saudi Arabia and other large countries doing...are they allowing other countries to own their assets...?

Are they allowing the most critical infrastructure of their countries to be managed by foreign countries? Highly unlikely....



This is Bullshit...NAFTA is a mess...and is negatively impacting the USA...Dean is right to speak out against it...


Any Democrat that supports the Repug Social Security platform must go...it needs to be tweaked not gutted....

[madfloridian]

2. The terminology is purposely vague, I think.

They never come out and really say anything clearly, but just reading this I get the feeling we had just as well be on board...that Rubin is doing it for the Democrats.

Makes me uncomfortable.

[Lostnote06]

6. good question....Britain just

....broke up their military R&D budget into 2 seperate entities.....one with British government oversite, the other with Bush sr and his corporate cult of personality defense investment group-think lil bomb sniffing robots on tracks mounted with high tech weaponery.....thats a great question because with the placement of Powell as Sec of State it certainly signaled the militarization of our foreign policy and our track record certainly indicates that we will align ourselves with any thug/crackpot dictator....

[Cocoa]

3. Bob Rubin represents Wall Street

people like him should have as little influence over dem policy as possible.

[justice1]

4. Please!!! Citibank is always looking for ways to gouge us.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. Global economy is here, get used to it

Isolationist nonsenses are the last heave of the supposed liberal democracy that is too afraid to face the evils of global capitalism because it has been getting fat on it all these years. Lou Dobbs is a joke. Like many on these boards, he still thinks that capitalism should care about the nation state. It never has. Capital is transnational by nature. What allowed it to develop to the benefit of a few already powerful nation states was merely the last vestiges of feudalism asserting themselves. That's over now, and a damn good thing. The project that makes sense is not to stop outsourcing or foreign ownership, but to organize global labor in the same manner that allowed local (national) labor organization to raise standards of living internally. Any other objective is reactionary, backwards trash. Yes, it sucks to be outsourced. It also sucked to be forced into the dreary conditions of factory production when that was the mode of capitalist production that dominated. The response then was not to go back to feudal production, but to organize labor in the factories. Similarly, the response now is not to stop outsourcing (or the international flows of labor that are merely the other side of the international flows of capitalism) - that jet has well and truly flown - but to determine methods for responding to this new form of capitalist production.

[LSdemocrat]

7. Rubin's about as far-right economically as a Democrat can be

Accordingly, his views should be treated and viewed as such. I don't think anyone would consider Rubin to be anywhere close to the center of the Democratic Party economically, and as long as that is understood, I think we're fine overall.

[madfloridian]

9. Trouble is, he has the power to set policy..

With the Clintons' behind him. This is PPI/DLC policy to the core, with no appeal to the people at all. The Third Way furnished the National Security policy, and now I fear Rubin's plan will set the economic policy.

And Dean is told firmly to stay in his place and not set policy.

[LSdemocrat]

10. I think we overestimate the policy influence ot the DLC

Social Security and CAFTA are two great examples. The DLC supported CAFTA and was willing to talk on Social Security "reform", however due to Democratic solidarity both Bush initiatives were defeated. True the DLC has a knack at getting media coverage, but the tide is turning against the DLC's economic policies within the Democratic Party.

[madfloridian]

12. I hope you are right.

They sure got the security policy to the forefront. I hope you are right.

[madfloridian]

8. I think these two issues, added to womens' rights...are pushing limits.

It is as though we are being asked to stay on board, but no compromises are made with us.

The party is not against womens' rights, but they are not for them either.

The party went along with the Iraq War.

Many stayed on board with the tax cuts, and the bankruptcy bill, and they voted for CAFTA in spite of so much opposition to it.

And now the two things most precious to seniors...Social Security and Medicare are causing our Democrats to suddenly be open-minded to the worst bunch of Republicans in history.

And for some reason they are determined absolutely to force teachers into a merit pay concept...when the very individuality involved in schools and classrooms does not at all fit with that concept. And vouchers...our more corporate Democrats love them. They should love the public school system.

So I guess I am not open to very many new ideas in these fields.

[Elwood P Dowd]

11. Limbaugh & Gingrich cannot tell more lies about NAFTA than Repuke Rubin

The man is a big, fucking, walking LIE when it comes to fake free trade deals.

[madfloridian]

13. Rubin urged Dems not to include labor, human rights protections...

in CAFTA...I had forgotten that. From Sirota:

http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=6C591E17-F2AA-8D3F-8AD99C95A5B459C8

After paying lip service to various economic problems afflicting the country, Rubin and his former Treasury colleague Roger Altman quickly let it be known exactly what they are up to.
Here's the key excerpt:

"At a time when Democrats have become more aggressive in voicing concerns about the foreign ownership of US assets, Roger Altman, former deputy Treasury secretary under Mr Clinton, added that more inclusive economic growth could also 'blunt the political demands for protectionism'... said it was willing to take on entrenched Democratic interests, such as teaching unions. Policy papers unveiled on Wednesday proposed vouchers for summer schools..."

There it all is. First there's the dishonest name-calling aimed at those courageous Democrats who are challenging the free trade orthodoxy that is destroying the lives of millions of American and foreign workers. Then there is the promise of an ensuing attack on the labor movement - a reflexive move, of course, for a bunch of corporate executives. And finally, the nod to efforts to defund public education through "vouchers."

None of this is surprising, of course. As head of Citigroup, Rubin has a financial interest in the agenda he's pushing. And he's made no apologies for the brazenness with which he pushes his corporatism. Remember, it was Rubin during the debate over the Central American Free Trade Agreement who demanded that congressional Democrats back off their efforts to include labor, human rights and environmental protections in the pact. He and his pals are the same people who rammed trade deals like NAFTA, WTO and China PNTR down the throats of Americans, and then left government service for the high life of the corporate boardroom. There, they reaped the rich financial rewards of the very sell-out policies they used public office to push, while millions of Americans saw their jobs outsourced, their wages frozen and their benefits slashed.