I’ve found one of the saddest yet most common defenses of President Obama’s handling of his job to be the weird argument that it simply wasn’t possible for him to do a better job, or to do anything different from what he did. It always reminds me of the mantra of the misguided extreme optimist [...]

In contrast to the analysis by Goldman Sachs and Moody’s Anlaytics–which both concluded the immediate cuts pushed for by House Republicans would significantly reduce economic growth–Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke claimed they would do little harm. The backing of such an important official should be a real boost to Republican efforts to push for immediate [...]

Subbing for Rachel Maddow Tuesday night, Chris Hayes on the passage of Audit the Fed: CHRIS HAYES:  Something truly remarkable happened in Washington today.  The United States Senate passed something, by the way of a 96 to 0 vote — 96 in favor, 0 against.  Which means Democrats and Republicans voted together, for the same [...]

Today, starting at 11 pm, the House Financial Services Committee will begin hearings on the collapse of Lehman Brothers and its role in the financial crisis. The hearing will be broadcast live on C-SPAN 3. Expected to testify: a who’s who of the world of financial regulation. Former chief executive of Lehman Brothers, Dick Fuld, [...]

Public option, popular in swing districts: 60 votes. The loathed Ben Bernanke, popular with bankers: 50.

We get it.