Comments on: FDL Book Salon: The Thumpin’

By: Dumbwya

Dumbwya — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:51:13 +0000

Matt Stoller asks:

The NAFTA fight and Emanuel’s financial dealings are really interesting; how did a political operative make a quick $16 million in a few years in the investment banking world, and then return to politics? What does this kind of easy acquisition of power and wealth mean, and who is behind it?

Good fucking question. And I want to know why I can’t get ANY worthwhile biographical information on the web on Naftali Bendavid? What’s HIS background? Is there a connection beyond the obvious one of Illinois and Chicago politics?

Can you say “Mossad” and “money laundering”? Knew you could.

By: mui

mui — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:37:04 +0000

On the other hand it’s always good to see Matt Stoller, progressive hottie, at FDL. Good times, watching the rubber stamp video, good times.

By: mui

mui — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:31:22 +0000

Every time the pundits talk of Rahm Emmanuel I want to close my ears. For some reason, fiction lends itself to the “genius” story much better than hundreds of p-oed disenfranchised voters getting off their arses and making hundreds of thousands of phonecalls for progressive politicians like Lamont. But oh well, maybe we’ll get another round.
I’ll toss BenDavid’s book in the fan fiction heap along with odes to Sean Cassidy and the Brady Bunch.

By: Mark Schmitt

Mark Schmitt — Mon, 14 May 2007 04:29:26 +0000

Just FYI, I thought I would add the link to my own review of the book, published in the Washington Monthly. A slightly different perspective from Matt’s:

http://www2.washingtonmonthly......hmitt.html

By: boadicea

boadicea — Mon, 14 May 2007 02:23:26 +0000

Bob Schacht @ 139

boadicea @ 133

Sounds like the book is basically this stretched out another 250 or so pages…

Did Rahm write that? Sounds like his work.
I hope none of it is true.

Bob in HI

No, that was from Ben David’s article just after the election.

I remember reading it at the time and thinking “Okay, Okay, I get it, put a shine on the home town boy and all, but could you please stop acting like the Democratic majority and Speaker Pelosi sprang fully formed from Rahm Emanuel’s head?”

It’s particulary grating because we had something similar happen in Texas, with an able but not omnipotent consultant crowing about his work with a whole lot less to boast about.

By: JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin

JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin — Mon, 14 May 2007 01:00:22 +0000

RickinSF @ 138

Correct me if I am wrong, but, didn’t most of the candidates that Rahm E shovelled money at lose?
And didn’t most of Dean’s win?

Absolutely. Dean was the one who engineered the Dems’s win, Rahm is just hogging the spotlight. Most of Rahm’s candidates lost, and he was telling his candidates not to talk about the war until LIEberman lost in the primary.

By: CD

CD — Mon, 14 May 2007 00:58:46 +0000

CTuttle @ 115

Subway Serenade @ 109

If Hillary or Obama get the nomination, Wes Clark is their only logical choice. Neither of them can claim foreign policy credentials.

Waiting for Gore/Dean…

How about Edwards/Richardson….

It would be ok but Nothing would compare to a Edwards or Obama running with Clark as a VP.

By: Jane Hamsher

Jane Hamsher — Mon, 14 May 2007 00:05:54 +0000

Thanks for writing this on the fly and for being here today, Matt. We really appreciate it.

By: kirk murphy

kirk murphy — Mon, 14 May 2007 00:03:19 +0000

Hey pups -

Mea culpa.

Upthread I said NAFTA killed hundreds of thousands of US manufacuring jobs.

I was imprecise, and I apologize.

NAFTA killed thirty hundreds of thousands: three million.

One in six US manufacturing jobs.

Now the House Dems choose Rahm….

the Member who did more than anyone in the room

to destroy the livelihood and well-being of three million families

~~Working~~ Democratic families….

they choose him to win power for them.

I wonder what they’ll do with it….

By: Bob Schacht

Bob Schacht — Sun, 13 May 2007 23:50:58 +0000

boadicea @ 133

Sounds like the book is basically this stretched out another 250 or so pages…

Now that the votes have been counted, the story of how Emanuel helped end an era of Republican rule can be told.

He did it, in large measure, by remaking the Democratic Party in his own image.

Did Rahm write that? Sounds like his work.
I hope none of it is true.

Bob in HI