FebruaryFebruary 8, 2008 Getting at the Structural Problems The Democratic Frontrunners--Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama--have each presented plans for dealing with the subprime mortage crisis, healthcare, privatizing social security, and nuclear energy. Robert Kuttner responds to these proposals on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. JanuaryJanuary 28, 2008 $2 Trillion Loss in Equity? So What? Robert Kuttner responds to the projected $2 trillion loss in home equity as a result of declining home values on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight. January 23, 2008 Deregulation Gone Nuts Robert Kutter joined Democracy Now's Amy Goodman to discuss the causes and consequences of the "most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression." Money quote: "[T]his recession is different from all other recessions. This began and is continuing with a collapse in credit markets, and the collapse in credit markets is, in turn, the result of deregulation gone nuts." January 22, 2008 You Can't Fix What's Broken 
"[W]hat are we going to do about the failure to regulate?," ask CNN's Lou Dobbs, "what are we going to do about the massive debt that has been run up here?" Watch Robert Kutter's interviews with Lou Dobbs on CNN tonight, discussing the implications of the Fed's rate cut and what it doesn't mean for the economy. Courtesy of CrooksandLiars.com On Point with Tom Ashbrook Listen to Robert Kuttner discuss the credit crisis and the broader economic implications with Tom Ashbrook on WBUR's On Point, Wednesday, January 23, 2008 from 10-11 AM. January 14, 2008 Book TV: Conversation with Arianna Huffington In November, Robert Kuttner appeared at UCLA's James Bridge Theatre (part of Town Hall's ongoing author series Writers Bloc) to discuss his book, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s market policies. A video clip of the event is now available, courtesy of CrooksandLiars.com DecemberMonday, December 17, 2007 Reviewing The Squandering of the America This past weekend, both the New York Times and the Austin American-Statesman reviewed The Squandering of America. See the Reviews Page to read the articles in their entirety. Monday, December 10, 2007 Editing Greenspan's Economy Watch Robert Kuttner talk with MarketWatch's Jonathan Burton about the crisis in today's financial markets. No Lack of Scapegoats... The Squandering of America was reviewed in the San Francisco Chronicle this past weekend. Read the entire review here. Monday, December 3, 2007 The Book Tour Continues The Squandering of America Book Tour continues tomorrow at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Come see Robert Kuttner speak about his new book, and get your copy signed! See the Events Page for more information. NovemberMonday, November 26, 2007 Making the Case for Managed Capitalism... This week's BusinessWeek includes a one-page review of Robert Kuttner's new book, The Squandering of America: "This volume is unapologetically and proudly progressive. Still, it isn't yet another screed proclaiming the decline of the world, or at least of the country, during the Bush years. Instead, it's a deeply sober, highly analytical, historically informed look at economic, financial, and political trends over the past half-century. (Little wonder it's also something of a slog to wade through.) Kuttner is an intelligent voice for that wing of the Democratic Party eager to reject bipartisanship, middle-ground politics, open borders, and the Washington Consensus and embrace a populist agenda that is anti-Wall Street, anti-free trade, anti-deregulation, and pro-union." Read the entire review at BusinessWeek.com Friday, November 16, 2007 Closing the Wealth Gap in the U.S. The gap is growing between America's rich and poor. Robert Kuttner speaks with WNYC's Leonard Lopate about why the U.S. government must take a more active role in closing that gap. Thursday, November 15, 2007 Fixing the Mortgage Mess: Banking on a Bailout? NPR's Justice Talking Host Margot Adler is joined by Robert Kuttner and finance professor Joseph Mason in a discussion about the response of government to the subprime mortgage meltdown. Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Robert Kuttner on CSPAN's Washington Journal Robert Kuttner appeared on CSPAN's Washington Journal on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:30am, to discuss a variety of economic issues relating to his new book, "The Squandering of America." Topics covered include health care, the declining value of the U.S. dollar, the subprime loan market, the volatile stock market, and rising gas prices. Watch the Video (RealPlayer) Visit C-SPAN for more information. Monday, November 12, 2007 Robert Kuttner on NPR's Fresh Air with Terri Gross. Robert Kuttner spoke with NPR's Terri Gross about his new book, The Squandering of America. Listen to the Interview Fiscal Foolishness Robert Kuttner writes in today's LA Times: ...In the Alice-in-Wonderland world of financial deregulation, a Wall Street bank could turn the loan into a bond; a credit rating agency using obscure alchemy could bless the bond with a triple-A rating, and some consenting adult could be found to buy it. At each step, bankers, brokers and bond-raters could conveniently extract fees. The whole daisy chain was unregulated and opaque -- to investors, to regulators, even to the investment bankers who orchestrated it. Nobody really knew what these bonds were worth if they ever had to be sold. Now we are finding out. Read the Article Wednesday, November 7, 2007 Robert Kuttner at the Strand Bookstore in NYC Robert Kuttner will be speaking about his new book, The Squandering of America, at the Strand Bookstore in NYC on November 8, 2007 from 7:00-8:00pm. For more information, please visit Demos, or the Strand. Tuesday, November 6, 2007 The Squandering of America, Now In Bookstores To buy the book online, or view book excerpts, chapter summaries, and an exclusive Q&A with Robert Kuttner, please see the "Squandering of America" tab above. Advance Praise for Robert Kuttner's The Squandering of America: "If I could assign one book to all the presidential candidates it would be this one. Robert Kuttner, perhaps the most insightful economic commentator in the country, has done it again." -Barbara Ehrenreich "Bob Kuttner nailed it ten years ago in Everything for Sale: markets alone can produce wealth but alone they never produce justice or even a decent standard of living for all. Those are the work of democracy. Kuttner was a prophet; he saw what the growing divide between the rich and everyone else was doing to America's social contract-you know, the one that begins "We, the People"-and he called for a revival of the politics of fairness. In this new and wise book he walks among the wreckage strewn across the landscape by the fundamentalist ideology that took hold in Washington and says there is still hope of averting lasting economic calamity. But his message is clear: Hurry!" -Bill Moyers OctoberMonday, October 22, 2007 Robert Kuttner on NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook. Robert Kuttner talked with Tom Ashbrook to discuss the on-going crisis in financial markets. From NPR: Former Wall Street hotshot, now Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson is orchestrating a big banks "mega-fund" to help mop up the subprime mortgage mess -- and try to get some of that bad debt off the books and avoid a deeper credit crunch that could still stove in the U.S. economy. The stakes are high, but still critics are crying foul. Wall Street titans made vast fortunes playing fast and loose in the run-up, they say. So should Washington be saving their bacon now, when ordinary Americans at the other end of the meltdown are losing their homes? This hour, On Point: Main Street, millionaires, and moral hazard in the subprime mess. Friday, October 12, 2007 Robert Kuttner on Bill Moyers Journal Robert Kuttner appeared on Bill Moyers Journal to discuss the current financial climate and potential risks of a deregulated financial industry. Read the Transcript Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Read the Testimony |