Print Magazine

October 13, 2008 Issue

William Greider on the bailout, Alexander Cockburn on the end of neoliberalism, Calvin Trillin on the economy…

Cover art by: Cover design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels

Purchase Current Issue or Login to Download the PDF of this Issue Download the PDF of this Issue

Editorial

Obama’s Bailout Strategy

Framing the financial crisis as a verdict on free-market fantasies, Obama can win with a mandate to end the war and build a better economy from the bottom up.

Tom Hayden

The Communist Manifesto Turns 160

As Karl Marx's opus marks a big birthday, capitalism seems willing to mark the occasion by dropping dead.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Will Letterman and Saturday Night Live Help Defeat McCain?

If Letterman and Saturday Night Live continue to cast McCain as a liar, it could have a devastating impact.

Adam Howard

Defending Obama’s Foreign Policy

When Robert Dreyfuss attacks Obama's policies on Afghanistan, it's not helpful to the progressive cause.

Tom Hayden

Time for a Taxpayer Revolt

The bailout package isn't a compromise: it's an appalling transfer of wealth upward. Register your protest!

Medea Benjamin and Arun Gupta

America Needs a New New Deal

We should apply FDR's principles of relief, reform and reconstruction to our current financial crisis.

Katrina vanden Heuvel and Eric Schlosser

Ode to John McCain, Political Magician

With apologies to David Blaine, and none to John McCain, an ode to a political magician.

Evan Eisenberg

Crisis of a Gilded Age

Without an energized populace, expect nothing more humane than the rescue of a failing financial system.

Doug Henwood

Water the Roots

What do the people get from this bailout?

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson

Trust But Verify

Here's a short list of conditions for a credible rescue plan.

James K. Galbraith and William K. Black

Bridge Loan to Nowhere?

This is not only the most expensive way to solve the problem. It's also the most likely to fail.

Thomas Ferguson and Robert Johnson

Ending Casino Capitalism

This bailout doesn't have to cost $700 billion.

Robert Pollin

Bail Out Working Families

Don't waste our tax money; don't pay off the perps.

Thea M. Lee

King George & Comrade Paulson

We need to put restraints on Wall Street's dangerous habit of gambling with other people's money.

Ralph Nader

Reining in Risky Investors

Rather than cap CEO pay, link compensation to the systemic risk that permeates our financial system.

Nomi Prins

Goldman Sachs Socialism

Rescuing America from irresponsible Wall Street is worth at least what it costs to save the bloodied bankers.

William Greider

Bailout Nation

What kind of government intervention will we have? Whom will it benefit? Ten observers on the right way to settle Wall Street's toxic debts.

The Editors

Column

Bail out Taxpayers First

Fear-mongering pundits and pols question the patriotism of lawmakers and taxpayers who oppose the bailout. They've got it all wrong.

Robert Scheer

Deflation on the Horizon

If everyday life is hit by a deflationary wave, it will bring extreme hardship to millions.

Nicholas von Hoffman

Regional Banks Can Solve the Credit Crisis

Take a lesson from Andrew Jackson: Rely on regional banks, not Wall Street, to get money in the hands of people who need it.

Nicholas von Hoffman

Sarah Palin, Affirmative Action Babe

Affirmative action for potential leaders of the world's most powerful country: that's what the GOP stands for now.

Katha Pollitt

The End of the Casino Economy

Now is the moment to kick neoliberalism into the grave. We won't get another moment like this in our lifetimes.

Alexander Cockburn

John McCain Explains What He Meant by Saying That the Fundamentals of the Economy Are Strong

Calvin Trillin

Lipstick Traces

The Kiss of Death?

Steve Brodner

Letters

Exchange

Vets & Their Families Speak Out
East Orange, N.J.

Our Readers and Joshua Kors

Feature

Nepal’s Evolving Identity

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, newly elected Maoist Prime Minister of Nepal, provides insight into his country's political dilemmas.

Drew Haxby

Ohio Election Activists Fight GOP Dirty Tricks

A surge of first-time voters and dirty tricks by GOP operatives have mobilized citizen activists to prevent another stolen election in Ohio.

Harvey Wasserman and Bob Fitrakis

Main Street Marches on Wall Street

As economic turmoil continues over the proposed bailout plan, activists put pressure on Congress.

Lucas Mann

End of Iraq’s Awakening?

A new and growing Sunni resistance movement in Iraq could shatter the false sense of post-surge calm--and it might get Russian support.

Bob Dreyfuss

Bailout, Shmailout

Congresswoman Kang re-emerges on Capitol Hill in time to put her two cents in on the economic crisis. Paulson takes a knee, and Lacy Mills goes off the rez--way off.

Gary Phillips

Justice Delayed and Denied at Guantanámo

The Supreme Court's ruling in Boumediene v. Bush affirmed prisoners' right to habeas corpus, but the government is stalling; and such delays may keep detainees imprisoned in...

Aziz Huq

We Have the Bailout Money–We’re Spending It on War

If we don't reduce military spending now, the bankruptcy of the United States is inevitable. We don't have much time left.

Chalmers Johnson

Bailout: What’s Next?

The bailout crisis represents the Democrats' hesitant first step toward rediscovering their nerve and abandoned convictions. They are not there yet.

William Greider

Archive: Bearing Witness in Mississippi

As the eyes of the nation are focused on the University of Mississippi for the presidential debate, The Nation archive yields insights on key events in Mississippi during t...

Marissa Colón-Margolies and Erica Landau

Henry Paulson’s Shell Game

The emerging compromise on the bailout is better than Paulson's original proposal, but falls far short of what needs to be done. Congress and the next president will have a lot mor...

Joseph E. Stiglitz

Acts of Contrition

The road to recovery requires more than a bailout. Americans deserve apologies from Washington and Wall Street--and a new president capable of telling the truth and leading us forw...

William Greider