Episode 29 – PoliTalk vs. AIG & Big Media

Is there anyone Glenn and Jeff don’t take on in what might be the most spirited episode of PoliTalk. The boys of PoliTalk dig deeper than the alluring media headlines about the AIG bonus, explaining exactly what happened, and the systemic issues that need to be addressed to avoid another AIG type problem. Then they turn their fire on some in the media, who have failed to live up to the high journalistic standards set by… Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart (yes, that’s right). They ask the interesting question of how Dick Cheney’s recent interview would go had Jon Stewart conducted the interview, and wonder why there isn’t more true investigative reporting anymore?  It’s refreshingly honest, informative and always entertaining. It’s PoliTalk — your weekly source for political news and current events.

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from Podcast.com and iTunes.

Episode 21 – Obama’s First 100, Bush’s Last One

What would you like to see President Obama do during his first 100 days in office? That is, if the inauguration will ever actually gets here (it seems like the lead up to this one will last forever).  Will you remember President Bush as a “single threaded” President, as Glenn  offers, or just a “total waste,” according to Jeff? If you had $600 million dollars, how would you spend it? Would you give it to something like cancer research or disabled veterans, or would you  spend it on notifying people about the switch to High Definition  television? We offer up our own unique PoliTalk solution to this problem. Is the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas politically motivated? Is the cease-fire between the conservative columnists and Barack Obama politically motivated? Listen to Episode 21 to get the answer to these questions, and our reviews of The Wrestler and Defiance — two must see movies. PoliTalk — where politics, policy and good conversation meet.

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from Podcast.com and iTunes.

Episode 20 – Starting the New Year with a Bang

Most people ease into the new year. At PoliTalk, we jump right into it. From the legality and ethics of the Burris Senate appointment, to the wisdom of the Richardson and Panetta nods to the morality of war in Gaza, there isn’t an issue that Glenn and Jeff aren’t afraid to tackle. But unlike the screaming theater that is pretty much every other political talk show, Glenn and Jeff offer up their brand of talk in a genuine, irreverent even humble manner. Rather than the next breed of political talk show, they’re more like the “Car Talk” of Politics.  Tune in and then spread the word. Welcome to the next generation of political talk: PoliTalk.

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from Podcast.com and iTunes.

Episode 18 – Shoe-a-cide Watch

An Iraqi reporter hurled a shoe at George Bush in a fit of frustration, while Jeff and Glenn hurl all they’ve got at the Washington Elite in the 18th Episode of PoliTalk. Unlike the Iraqi, however, the PoliTalk guys hit their mark this week: Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for his outlandish fraud; Caroline Kennedy for her lack of credentials (does it really matter); the “Big 3″ car companies for ponying up to the trough, and the politicians for filling it; Bernie Maddoff for his unbelievable, unscrupulous $50 billion ponzi scheme that hurt countless innocent people, and the makers of really bad television for leaving Glenn and Jeff off the political talk circuit for yet another week.  Get your real political analysis here at PoliTalk.

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from Podcast.com and iTunes.

Episode 17 – Survival of the Weakest

Elected officials again show profiles in political weakness by buckling to pressure to bailout the big 3 auto manufacturers. As if the lessons of the financial bailout weren’t disastrous enough (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me…). As if caught in a web of bizarre reverse Darwinism, only the weak shall survive. If you’re strong enough to run your business well, you only have to worry about banks freezing credit, the economy crippling your business and making ends meet. But if you fail spectacularly, I mean really, really badly, well, then you are rewarded. John Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch, is reportedly seeking at $10 million bonus this year.

The car makers, who have essentially run their dinosaur-of-a-business into the ground, are now seeking $35 billion in federal money to prop them up.  AIG… well, we know the story there. So the lesson to all you kids out there: don’t work too hard, take your private jets whenever possible, seek out-of-this-world compensation for something you really haven’t done, and if you fail, don’t worry, the federal government will be there to bail you out. But if you’re one of those who live lives of quiet desperation, who live a decent, unremarkable life, but maybe you’re on the brink of financial disaster — you get screwed. Welcome to the new world economy. We’re mad as hell, in a funny, intellectually, riotous, quirky, lovable kind of way. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll ask for more. Catch the latest episode of PoliTalk: where politics and policy meet real people.

Listen to the current installment of PoliTalk and get yourself informed, inspired, entertained and ready for the day… spread the word… tell two friends, and so on and so on…

You can get the PoliTalk Podcast from Podcast.com and iTunes.

Obama Economic Team Press Briefing

President-elect Barack Obama officially announces his economic team members:

• Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
• Lawrence Summers, Director of the National Economic Council
• Christina Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisors
• Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council
• Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

AIG Spends $86,000 for a Hunting Trip in England

Despite what AIG said to this very blog on October 9… and I quote:

A short time ago, our Chairman and CEO Ed Liddy said that he has ordered the immediate cancellation of all outside meetings, conferences, and recognition events across AIG, except those that are required by law or that are deemed absolutely critical to sustain our ongoing business needs.

AIG now finds itself justifying yet another extravagant expenditure. This time it is $86,000 for an executive hunting trip in England. Company spokesman Peter Tulupman responded Wednesday morning by saying,

This was an annual event for customers of the AIG property casualty insurance companies in the U.K. and Europe, and planned months before the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s loan to AIG.

According to the Associated Press:

AIG officials declined to say which AIG executives attended the trip, which reports have said racked up an $86,000 tab. News of the hunting trip surfaced just days after AIG received an additional $37.8 billion loan from the Federal Reserve, on top of a previous $85 billion emergency loan granted last month.

Apparently, this “outside meeting” is deemed absolutely critical to sustain their ongoing business needs.

Hey AIG… I want my $122.5 billion bailout back!!!!!

AIG Blows $440,000 for a Corporate Retreat After Bailout

According to FOX Business, after getting a financial bailout from US Taxpayers of $85 billion, insurance giant AIG spent $440,000 for a corporate retreat at the St. Regis Monarch Beach resort in Los Angeles, California. FOX Business goes on to say:

According to the receipt from the St. Regis, the eight-day company retreat was a lavish one – $139,000 was spent on hotel rooms, while even more money — $147,301 — was spent on banquets. Another $23,380 was spent on undisclosed spa treatments and another $6,939 was spent on golf. A full $9,980 was spent on room service and food and cocktails at the hotel lounge.

Fellow taxpayers… have you had enough yet?

Bailout Bill Signed Into Law

President Bush today signed the largest financial bailout bill in the history of the world. The financial bailout bill represents over $700 billion dollars that the US Treasury will have at its desposal to purchase bad debt from financial institutions with the goal of easing the ever tightening credit crunch that is currently spreading throught the world.

Financial Bailout Bill Passes House

In a vote of 263 for and 171 against, The US House of Representatives passed the updated Financial Bailout Bill that was passed yesterday by the US Senate. The Bill now moves to the President, where it is expected to be signed into law without delay.