Question of the Day | 10/16/2008 12:00 am

What does it say about America's international leadership that Britain's Gordon Brown bested the Paulson Plan?

Liz Smith | 10/17/2008 3:20 pm

Liz Smith on Gordon Brown: Unfit to Be Dogcatcher?

The moment Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair as Prime Minister, I have never read such painful verdicts on a leader. The British press piled on this guy. They indicated from the beginning that he wasn’t fit to be dogcatcher. Some people even wanted Tony back and he hadn’t exactly gone out in a blaze of glory. So it has been fabulous to see Mr. Brown reincarnated as Jesus jumping off the cross for his adroit handling of the world financial crisis. He was even saluted in France as being the savior of all Europe for his perspicacity. There is nothing like a comeback from nowhere, vindication must be sweet for Gordon Brown and his backers. I wonder how long this love fest will last? Never mind, I am content that somebody knows what to do. We surely didn’t know what to do here in the U.S.

Click here on this text to read my New York Post column.

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Thank God for England! Paulsen’s plan would have taken too long to work. Given the experience of Sweden with taking over the banks when they began to fail, this tactic is proven. Now we are all socialists.

By Elizabeth Bennett on 10/16/2008 12:13 am

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In a word . . . EMBARRASSING. But aren’t we getting to the point where so many mistakes have been made that another … and then another are not surprising. Not at all. We just look at the next morning’s newspaper and say: What’s next? Who is profiting? If I were to guess, I would say the “pay-a-pundits”, proliferating as we speak, are raking in the money. Think I am right? . . . while we again may be using the phrase not used in years, which is “counting our pennies”. A sad state of affairs to put it mildly.

By joan larsen on 10/16/2008 12:30 am

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I’m with you and CA Rose - this is really embarrassing - I still liked the idea of the bailout going to the taxpayers directly but oh well…

By Chips AHoey on 10/16/2008 9:31 am

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Hello, Joan. I’ve been writing and saying for years that America has lost it’s competitive edge. For eight years, our leaders have displayed an arrogance to our allies (the UK, France & Germany) to such a degree, no wonder that there is so much schadenfreude towards us. We have a lot of repairing to do—I think it’s called eating crow— before confidence in us is to be restored. The rest of the world is finally fed up with our using up 20% of the world’s resources, borrowing $$ to live high on the hog, and not taking care of our basic responsibilities regarding our health care and infrastructure while the rest of the world has decided to work around us and pass us by. Time for wake up call and some basic buckling down and getting back to the basics of what we do best; innovating and giving hope to the rest of the world. I’m not so much as embarrassed as I am just plain fed up with this attitude.

By Diana T on 10/16/2008 9:55 am

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Hi Diana . . . All right. I think of our country - Washington in particular - as looking like a tangled, knotted mammoth ball of heavy string. It would make the best of us want to turn away as the untangling process is long and lengthy, the knots of every size signifying problems between people, between parties and lobbyists, that will huddle together to protect their “individual interests”. How do get these people - these Congressmen and women to think of the greater interest? How do we prevent them from attaching the pork barrel projects so stealthily and secretly onto a bill that is bound to pass - the common practice that they love and keeps them in office. All the words said - last night, forever - are meaningless if Congress disagrees. And who do we have that actually can prove from his past successes that his step-by-step turn-around of say, the education process is pretty sure to work? Certainly, congressmen themselves are not up on the nitty-gritty of new beginnings. The tangled mess. And I am the positive thinker, but I think the persons who understand specific problems and can spell out what can be done are few and far between. And trying to get anything through Congress is not going to be a short fix. I am one that if I see a success story in Denmark with schools, I would try it. Why try to reinvent the wheel when it is proven. But we won’t do that. “Experts” will make bundles trying to come up with solutions — and then the arguments will start. Any single problem is going to take so much time to even to have agreement on the turn-around. Yes, it has long been time for wake-up calls on all the issues, but the words are just words, and the bugle remains silent. And I don’t think we even know what BAD TIMES are YET.

By joan larsen on 10/16/2008 12:22 pm

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By joan larsen on 10/16/2008 12:22 pm

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Joan, I pray you are wrong but fear you are right. You and Diana T. seem to have an understanding of our situation that so many of us find almost incomprehensible. Thanks for helping untangle the mess a little for my enlightment. It is so perplexing to see the people responsible for some of the financial problems having thousands of dollars retreats and hunting trips while so many have lost jobs, homes and retirement funds. They have no decency. If I were in their place I would try to fly “under the radar” and not appear as though I were rubbing “it” into the people’s faces but they don’t seem to care. I am really confused.

By Dab-a- do on 10/16/2008 1:54 pm

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Dab-a-do - hi, Frankly, there is so much “you rub my back, and I will rub your back” in Washington - or I will vote for your bill if you will vote for some private things I am doing for people in my state — secretly attaching it to the bottom of a much larger bill that has the likelihood of being passed (I think of it as a bauble) that no one pays attention to as they all do it for their states as they need to get re-elected — that it makes me actually sick. As they say, it is what goes on in the cloakroom or in private offices, that determines what happens. I have been on many boards, and most of the work is already done before the meetings - and this not crooked stuff in that sense of the word. None of us are prophets — but promises by candidates are just that. They can always say that Congress wouldn’t let my ideas through and all the other jargon we are so used to reading. Just knowing that with supposedly people with “smarts” are in Washington with all their experts running the government and they didn’t see disaster on every level in front of them long before this - as this took so much time to build to what it became, tells you. How do you untangle this — and not make bigger mistakes in the trying? Who would WANT to be president now — as blame goes to the top? It is a mess, big time — and our lives, yours and mine, will not be the same. And as for those that take the big vacations, they have socked away so much money that losing some - for they have also - is so meaningless that they still can do what they can do. They are at the top - even if the very very top has eroded away because millions, billions are still there to do whatever they want. I know someone in the custom yacht business - big time - and they are doing great right now — WHY? - because those that high up can still live pretty much like they always did. Do they care if they are seen? Why? They have the money and they are above it all. I feel so sorry for the big US, you and me — the regular people who will see bad things go worse for a long time. Prophet, no. Realistic - you bet!!

By joan larsen on 10/16/2008 4:57 pm

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What was the comment I heard on the BBC? Something like, ‘Once again Great Britain takes the lead to help rescue the colonies?’ They just won’t let us forget, and in this case why should they. CA

By C A Rose on 10/16/2008 12:58 am

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At last, America is up for change. Sold for a farthing, sixpence and a pocket full of shrapnel.

By Emcye Edwards on 10/16/2008 2:40 am

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That’s a good one, Emcye. Dicken’s Oliver pleading for a shilling while singing, where is love although in this case it’s money (maybe the same thing for some folks) Gordon Brown: whenever I hear him speak I want to shove some Chaucer or Tennyson at him –––that voice belongs on the stage; I love it. He’d be a great Richard the third. How do I feel about this–––going back to the question. I feel fine. I think this country, with everything that has taken place during the last eight years, needs a good white washing, and a hefty slice of humble pie. There’s almost something romantic about the Brits helping out–––the mother ship coming back home with tea and biscuits.

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 10/16/2008 9:25 am

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Well, we finally looked at our finances for college admissions. They’ve got a huge black eye and few broken ribs. I don’t think Paulsen is bailing us out. If this administration knew where to spend money, we would not be in crisis. Hurry up, January!

By S M on 10/16/2008 6:15 am