Ezra Klein

The folks over at the Center for American progress Action Center put together a nice video explaining the how the “election” process that unions have to go through makes it nearly impossible to form a union. Particularly important is that this election doesn’t look anything like what people think of when they hear the word […]

I mentioned yesterday that Chuck Schumer’s public plan compromise wasn’t a freelance effort: Max Baucus had deputized him to work through the options on the public plan. But he’s not the only Finance Committee member that received some homework from Baucus. In fact, Baucus has given every Democrat on the committee a different piece of […]

My new employers sure seem to spend a lot of time publishing columnists who are critical of climate science and then publishing op-eds and arguments that essentially trash the take of the original columns. The latest example comes in response to a frustrating effort by Robert Samuelson that took issue with the uncertainty in the […]

I’m on the record in my admiration for the Wyden-Bennett health reform plan. I think it’s better than what Barack Obama offered during the campaign and better than what we’re likely to get come the end of this process. I explain why here. But the Wyden-Bennett plan tends to be very popular among people who […]

On Meet the Press last weekend, David Gregory asked what “inducements” Arlen Specter had been given to switch parties. “None,” replied Specter. “None?” asked, incredulously. “None,” Specter replied. Gregory still didn’t believe him. “You won’t retain your seniority, as you move over, on, on key committees?” Oh. “That’s an entitlement,” said Specter. “I’ve earned the […]

A couple days ago, we were hearing leaks from “people familiar with the matter” who said that the stress test’s “preliminary findings have revealed that Citi, which has already been bailed out three times by the authorities, could need an extra $10bn or more if the economy worsens. BofA, which has had $45bn in government […]

Harold Meyerson’s Post column notes one of the more galling policy contrasts going today: The difference between the auto and banking bailouts. As Harold says, the auto bailout “gives the public a stake in the company in return for its loans…scraps the old management and board of directors, and downsizes the company to a point […]

“Libor” is the London InterBank Offered Rate. Effectively, it’s the interest rate at which banks in London borrow from each other. It’s an important number because the financial sector uses it to figure out how to price mortgages, loans, bonds, and much else. When it’s low, that’s a good thing: It means banks feel pretty […]

Tim Geithner is set to decree that if banks want to repay their TARP loans and slip out of the compensation caps and oversight rules that come with government backing, then they’ll have to also sacrifice the sweet, sweet lending arrangements the Feds have been giving them through the FDIC. In other words, you can’t […]