Banking for the People: An Angry Democrat's Challenge to Wall Street

[marmar]

Edited to correct The Nation's misspelling of his last name



from The Nation:




Banking for the People: An Angry Democrat's Challenge to Wall Street

John Nichols
August 3, 2010


Michigan Democrat Virg Bernero is a progressive populist who earned national attention when he blew the minds of Fox News hosts with an unapologetic defense of American auto workers and their unions.

"Wouldn't you agree that UAW workers need to swallow some pay cuts, substantial ones?" the "fair and balanced" Fox talking head during a 2009 interview that was supposed to deal with the auto-industry bailout but turned into one of the rare televised debates between advocates for workers and advocates for Wall Street..

"Give me a break!" Bernero responded. "Wall Street got billions of dollars, no strings attached. They haven't suffered one iota. And all we can talk about is how much more blood can we squeeze out of the turnip? How much more we can get out of the working person? I'm telling you, Americans are sick and tired of it across this country -- the double-standard..."

Bernero, the mayor of the economically hard pressed auto town of Lansing, shifted the discussion to trade policy and suggested that Fox's cheerleaders for free trade had done far more damage to the economy than hard-working union members.

"What you're setting up and what you're contributing to is a race to the bottom," declared Bernero, the son of a UAW member, who was not invited to join the Fox's stable of Wall Street apologists, er, guests. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blog/142578/banking-people-angry-democrats-challenge-wall-street