Edsall Slams Greenspan

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Going after Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, these days is like shooting dead fish in a drained-out bathtub. But Thomas Edsall spanks the onetime Oracle something awful in HuffPo. The piece opens:

On June 10, 1999, at the height of his power, Alan Greenspan told members of Harvard’s graduating class how, in the future, they should assess their lives: “The true measure of a career is to be able to be content, even proud, that you succeeded through your own endeavors without leaving a trail of casualties in your wake.”

As Edsall goes on to detail, there’s now plenty of bloody mess in Greenspan’s wake. He notes that Greenspan had a hand in most of the major regulatory actions (or, put more accurately, non-actions) that led to the current collapse of capitalism as we (and he) know it. These days, the former acolyte of Ayn Rand is advocating the “temporary” nationalization” of “lemon banks” to “facilitate a swift and orderly restructuring.” From free-market laissez-faire to corporate socialism, what a long, strange trip it’s been. Too bad he took the rest of us on it.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate