A $1.2 Trillion Slush Fund: My Boss Grilled the Vice Chair of the Fed Yesterday

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Wednesday January 14, 2009 · 11:14 AM PST

2009/01/14 · 11:14

I'm working for Congressman Alan Grayson as his senior policy advisor.

Congressman Alan Grayson needs your help to find $1.2 trillion of Federal Reserve money. Since September 1, 2008, the Federal Reserve balance sheet has expanded from $800 billion to $2 trillion, or $4000 for every man, woman, and child in America. Where did this money go? No one except Fed officials know.

Now, one of the neat things about being a Congressman on the Financial Services Committee is that you get to ask Fed officials questions. And yesterday, Donald Kohn, Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors testified before the House Financial Services Committee and refused to tell my boss where the Fed has put $1.2 trillion of Federal Reserve money. Watch this grilling.

Matt Stoller

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Monday September 29, 2008 · 4:17 PM PDT

2008/09/29 · 16:17

Despite their shit-eating grins, Democratic leaders nearly got rolled today, but a mixture of luck and bad faith from Republicans saved them. How do you know that the Wall Street types were trying to steal from us, other than the fact that they said that the refusal to hand over money was akin to a terrorist act?

Well, Treasury officials had a secret conference call with Wall Street executives. Unfortunately for them, some bloggers were on the call.

Matt Stoller

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Sunday September 21, 2008 · 9:27 AM PDT

2008/09/21 · 09:27

You can digg this here.

This email is from an anonymous lawmaker and it should give you a flavor for what's going on right now in Congress.

Paulsen and congressional Republicans, or the few that will actually vote for this (most will be unwilling to take responsibility for the consequences of their policies), have said that there can't be any "add ons," or addition provisions. Fuck that. I don't really want to trigger a world wide depression (that's not hyperbole, that's a distinct possibility), but I'm not voting for a blank check for $700 billion for those mother fuckers.

Matt Stoller

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Wednesday September 10, 2008 · 9:19 AM PDT

2008/09/10 · 09:19

So this morning I'm doing some research on Cindy McCain's theft of prescription drugs from a charity, and former McCain press aide Torie Clarke is involved. I head over to her wikipedia entry to check out her profile, and lo and behold, here's the book she wrote about political spin.

180px-Lipstick_on_a_pig

Incidentally, Torie Clarke and Mark Salter were probably engaged in a conspiracy to hide Cindy McCain's illegal activities, but that's another story.

I guess Clarke thinks Sarah Palin is a pig or something.

Clean Coal Explained

Matt Stoller

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Wednesday September 03, 2008 · 10:16 AM PDT

2008/09/03 · 10:16

This blog post is proudly powered by clean coal technology, and is cross-posted at OpenLeft for a secure energy future.

Ubiquitous at the conventions are the 'clean coal' girls, who are handing out buttons and t-shirts to convince people that clean coal is a necessary technology we have to use for a secure energy future. If you don't know what clean coal is, allow me to explain.

The process of scrubbing carbon out of coal starts with a free t-shirt, like this one.

Matt Stoller

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Tuesday August 05, 2008 · 10:37 AM PDT

2008/08/05 · 10:37

This is the first TV spot from netroots favorite and Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq author Darcy Burner. Now, Darcy ran in 2006 under the thumb of DC consultants, but this time, she's running a more authentic and progressive campaign. Comparing her bio spot this time, when she's strong enough to know how to run a campaign, with her bio spot from 2006 shows us everything that's wrong with hack cookie cutter media consultants. Here's this year's spot:

Here's the same spot, in 2006.

Matt Stoller

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Thursday July 24, 2008 · 9:43 AM PDT

2008/07/24 · 09:43

Please consider voting for this story on Digg.

For the last few months, we at OpenLeft have been posting Democratic Senate challenger positions on net neutrality. Since we started posting, we've been getting in statements and positions, from blogs like Cotton Mouth and the Political Base, from the candidates themselves, and from readers who took the time to ask and send in statements. I'm happy to report that every single Democratic challenger with more than $500k in cash on hand has announced their support for net neutrality. This is a milestone for the fight for internet freedom. I included statements reacting to this news from Senator Byron Dorgan, Speaker Pelosi, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, Google public policy director Alan Davidson, and Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu.

Matt Stoller

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Saturday June 28, 2008 · 11:38 AM PDT

2008/06/28 · 11:38

Obama's K Street Project, The Hill, March, 2007

Other K Street players working to build momentum for Obama are former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), a consultant for Alston & Bird; Broderick Johnson, president of Bryan Cave Strategies LLC; Mark Keam, the lead Democratic lobbyist at Verizon; Jimmy Williams, vice president of government affairs for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America; Thomas Walls, vice president of federal public affairs at McGuireWoods Consulting; and Francis Grab, senior manager at Washington Council Ernst & Young.

There are several articles today on Obama moving to the center.

Matt Stoller

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday May 05, 2008 · 10:56 AM PDT

2008/05/05 · 10:56

CONFIDENTIAL/URGENT POLITICAL PROPOSAL

Dear Sir

First we must solicit your confidence in this issue. This is by virtue as being utterly confidential and "top secret".

We are SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON, the wife of the former United States head of state, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, and also SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, friend and associate of current head of state PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH. We got your contact through business inquiries as we were searching for contacts of a citizen who can help save our and our family's political careers since our country has been frustrating us.

We are top officials of the United States Senate Government who are interested in importation of oil into our country with funds that are presently trapped in the FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND dedicated to improving transportation. We wish to send this money to overseas accounts in the MIDDLE EAST but cannot due to restrictions in Congress Transportation Equity Act requiring that this money must be spent to build roads, bridges and high speed trains.

Matt Stoller

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 24, 2008 · 8:45 AM PDT

2008/03/24 · 08:45

I grew up in Miami, a region dominated by Cuba politics, so I have some knowledge of how significant Joe Garcia's candidacy is in South Florida. It is a direct challenge to the pay-to-play foreign policy apparatus of the United States, one where sugar interests and right-wing politics determines that we should have a pointless embargo against the Cuban people. But today I want to announce that we have another significant nomination for the Blue Majority page: Leslie Byrne for Virginia's 11th district.

Republican Tom Davis is retiring this year, and the district is a good pickup opportunity. Jim Webb won the district 55%-44% in 2006, Tim Kaine won the district 56%-42% in 2005, while John Kerry lost it by 50-49% in 2004. It is turning sharply blue; Tom Davis's wife, Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, lost to Democrat Chap Petersen by 11 points in a race for state Senate.

Matt Stoller

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday March 20, 2008 · 9:27 AM PDT

2008/03/20 · 09:27

This piece is written by Laura A. Dickinson, Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law It is titled 'Regulating Private Military and Security Contractors'. I'm publishing this here because of the dust-up that occurred a few weeks ago surrounding Senator Obama's refusal to call for a defunding of private military contractors. I don't agree with Professor Dickinson, but this is a debate we as progressives need to have.

I am a law professor who has studied these issues for some time. An article I have published on the subject can be found here, my recent Senate testimony on contracting is here, and my forthcoming book, Outsourcing War and Peace (Yale Univ. Press) also addresses these questions.

Matt Stoller for Daily Kos

Community

Wednesday December 19, 2007 · 2:04 PM PST

2007/12/19 · 14:04

(From the diaries -- kos)

I'm really happy to announce the next endorsement on the Blue Majority page, Wyoming candidate Gary Trauner. Like several of Blue Majority's candidates, Trauner nearly won in 2006. He was up against super-wingnut Barbara Cubin, and lost by only .5%, 47.8% to 48.3%, with the balance going to the libertarian in the race. Cubin, instead of running for reelection, has chosen retirement.

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A $1.2 Trillion Slush Fund: My Boss Grilled the Vice Chair of the Fed Yesterday

Treasury Officials Admit Bill's CEO Compensation Measure and Restrictions on Paulson Were a Farce

An Anonymous Angry Member on the Bailout

McCain's Former Aide Writes Books - CHECK OUT PIC

Clean Coal Explained

See What Happens When You Get Rid of the Hack Consultants?

All Senate Democratic Challengers Support Net Neutrality

The Corroded Corruption at the Heart of Moving to the Center

CONFIDENTIAL/URGENT POLITICAL PROPOSAL

Blue Majority: Leslie Byrne for Congress (VA-11)

A Defense of Obama's Position on Private Military Contractors

Gary Trauner: Progressive Leadership from a Red State Democrat