Cashing in on the crisis you created

post from Daily Kos on 20 July 2009 09:48:04 PM. © Daily Kos

The New York Times has a must-read, in-depth story about the revolving door of crappy mortgage lenders transforming themselves into crappy load advisers (on the taxpayer dime).

And predictably, the American homeowner is screwed coming...

By Mr. Soussana’s own account, his customers fared less happily. He specialized in the exotic mortgages that have proved most prone to sliding into foreclosure, leaving many now scrambling to save their homes.

... and going ...

Yet the dangers assailing Mr. Soussana’s clients have yielded fresh business for him: Late last year, he and his team — ensconced in the same office where they used to broker mortgages — began working for a loan modification company. For fees reaching $3,495, with most of the money collected upfront, they promised to negotiate with lenders to lower payments on the now-delinquent mortgages they and their counterparts had sprinkled liberally across Southern California.

"We just changed the script and changed the product we were selling," said Mr. Soussana, who ran the Los Angeles sales office of Federal Loan Modification Law Center. The new script: You got a raw deal, and "Now, we’re able to help you out because we understand your lender."

... by the same guy. And he's not the only one:

FedMod is but one example of how many of the same people who dispensed risky mortgages during the real estate bubble have reconstituted themselves into a new industry focused on selling loan modifications.

Good to see some people are doing just fine out of this meltdown, eh?

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/aztSTdFWYL4/-Cashing-in-on-the-cri
sis-you-created

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Sotomayor Vote Count (7/20 update) - 61-7

post from DemConWatch on 20 July 2009 09:43:05 PM. © DemConWatch

We'll be tracking the projected vote count for the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court. We will assume that all Democrats and virtual Democrats will be voting for confirmation, but will also assume that Senators Kennedy and Byrd will not be voting. We will not assume any GOP votes either way until the Senators announce their intentions. Let us know in the comments of any updates.

Latest update: July 20: Thune-No

YES - 61
NO -7

Unannounced/Not Voting - 32

    Akaka (D) McConnell (R)
Byrd (D)
    Baucus (D)
Bennett (R)
Kennedy (D)
    Bayh (D)
Bunning (R)
Alexander (R)
    Begich (D) Roberts (R)
Barrasso (R)
    Bennet (D)
Inhofe (R) Bond (R)
    Bingaman (D)
Brownback (R)      Boxer (D)
Thune (R)
Burr (R)
    Brown (D)
Chambliss (R)
    Burris (D)
Coburn (R)
    Cantwell (D)
Cochran (R)+
    Cardin (D)
Collins (R) +
    Carper (D)
Corker (R)
    Casey (D) Cornyn (R)
    Conrad (D)
Crapo (R)
    Dodd (D)
DeMint (R)
    Dorgan (D)
Ensign (R)
    Durbin (D)
Enzi (R) -
    Feingold (D)
Graham (R)
    Feinstein (D) Grassley (R) -
    Franken (D)
Gregg (R) +
    Gillibrand (D)
Hatch (R) +
    Hagan (D)
Hutchison (R)
    Harkin (D)
      Inouye (D)
Isakson (R)
    Johnson (D)
Johanns (R)
    Kaufman (D)
Kyl (R) -
    Kerry (D) McCain (R) -
    Klobuchar (D)
Murkowski (R)
    Kohl (D)
Risch (R)     Landrieu (D)
Sessions (R)-    Lautenberg (D)
Shelby (R)-    Leahy (D)       Levin (D)
Vitter (R)     Lincoln (D)
Voinovich (R)     McCaskill (D)
Wicker (R)
    Menendez (D)
      Merkley (D)
      Mikulski (D)
      Murray (D)
      Ben Nelson (D)
      Bill Nelson (D)
      Pryor (D)
      Reed (D)
      Reid (D)
      Rockfeller (D)
      Schumer (D)
      Shaheen (D)
      Specter (D)
      Stabenow (D)
      Tester (D)
      M. Udall (D)      T. Udall (D)
      Warner (D)
      Webb (D)
      Whitehouse (D)
      Wyden (D)
      Sanders (I)
      Lieberman (ID)
      Lugar (R)
      Martinez (R)
      Snowe (R)

+ Voted for Sotomayor when she was confirmed to New York's 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in 1998.
- Voteg against Stomayor in 1998

Read The Full Article:
http://www.Demconwatchblog.com/diary/2021/sotomayor-vote-count

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Spinning Torture: More Details on
Mitchell-Jessen-CIA-FBI Torture Imbroglio

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 20 July 2009 09:37:09 PM. © Docudharma - Front Page

Joby Warrick and Peter Finn have a new article in Sunday's Washington Post. The story summarizes some of the competing narratives offered by different participants in the interrogation of alleged Al Qaeda terrorist, Abu Zubaida. (AZ was later[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Docudharma/~3/8dJo4W8ANME/spinning-torture-more-de
tails-on-mitchelljessenciafbi-torture-imbroglio

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GOP Irrelevant - Dem's Committing Suicide

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 20 July 2009 09:36:10 PM. © Docudharma - Front Page

Why are people worried about Republican obstructionism in Congress? Why are they even worried about what hissy the GOP is throwing over the latest faux-issue of the week? There is one thing people of every political stripe should know by now[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Docudharma/~3/UYs05o55Jl0/gop-irrelevant-dems-comm
itting-suicide

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Obama Delays Report on Closing Guantanamo

post from TalkLeft on 20 July 2009 09:31:00 PM. © TalkLeft

President Obama asked his task force to provide a roadmap to closing Guantanamo by today. They didn't. The report has been delayed until the fall . Michael Isikoff reports:

The task force, set up on Obama's second day in office, was charged with preparing a report to the president by Tuesday, July 21, outlining a long-term detention plan for detainees captured in counterterrorism operations after Sept. 11. But continued debate within the task force over the legal basis for holding detainees who are not charged with any crimes—and where to house them once they are moved from Guantánamo—has forced the task force to postpone its report by a "few months," a senior administration official told NEWSWEEK.

The ACLU's response is here. Also being delayed: the task force report on interrogations of "high value detainees."

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/D3uvBMt6l98/326

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David Patersons Lt. Governor Appointment:
Politically Astute, Even if Constitutionally Iffy

post from Firedoglake on 20 July 2009 09:30:36 PM. © Firedoglake

Ed Koch has an Op Ed in today's NYTimes wherein he opines that through a series of gaps and ommissions in the NY State Constitution and in the NYS Public officers law, none of which confer upon the governor the right to appoint a Lt. Governor, that by[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/20/david-patersons-lt-governor-appointment-politic
ally-astute-even-if-constitutionally-iffy/

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Sotomayor Vote Count

post from DemConWatch on 20 July 2009 09:25:45 PM. © DemConWatch

We'll be tracking the projected vote count for the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court. We will assume that all Democrats and virtual Democrats will be voting for confirmation, but will also assume that Senators Kennedy and Byrd will not be voting. We will not assume any GOP votes either way until the Senators announce their intentions. Let us know in the comments of any updates.

Latest update: July 20: Thune-No

YES - 61
NO -7

Unannounced/Not Voting - 32

    Akaka (D) McConnell (R)
Byrd (D)
    Baucus (D)
Bennett (R)
Kennedy (D)
    Bayh (D)
Bunning (R)
Alexander (R)
    Begich (D) Roberts (R)
Barrasso (R)
    Bennet (D)
Inhofe (R) Bond (R)
    Bingaman (D)
Brownback (R)      Boxer (D)
Thune (R)
Burr (R)
    Brown (D)
Chambliss (R)
    Burris (D)
Coburn (R)
    Cantwell (D)
Cochran (R)
    Cardin (D)
Collins (R)
    Carper (D)
Corker (R)
    Casey (D) Cornyn (R)
    Conrad (D)
Crapo (R)
    Dodd (D)
DeMint (R)
    Dorgan (D)
Ensign (R)
    Durbin (D)
Enzi (R)
    Feingold (D)
Graham (R)
    Feinstein (D) Grassley (R)
    Franken (D)
Gregg (R)
    Gillibrand (D)
Hatch (R)
    Hagan (D)
Hutchison (R)
    Harkin (D)
      Inouye (D)
Isakson (R)
    Johnson (D)
Johanns (R)
    Kaufman (D)
Kyl (R)
    Kerry (D) McCain (R)
    Klobuchar (D)
Murkowski (R)
    Kohl (D)
Risch (R)     Landrieu (D)
Sessions (R)     Lautenberg (D)
Shelby (R)     Leahy (D)       Levin (D)
Vitter (R)     Lincoln (D)
Voinovich (R)     McCaskill (D)
Wicker (R)
    Menendez (D)
      Merkley (D)
      Mikulski (D)
      Murray (D)
      Ben Nelson (D)
      Bill Nelson (D)
      Pryor (D)
      Reed (D)
      Reid (D)
      Rockfeller (D)
      Schumer (D)
      Shaheen (D)
      Specter (D)
      Stabenow (D)
      Tester (D)
      M. Udall (D)      T. Udall (D)
      Warner (D)
      Webb (D)
      Whitehouse (D)
      Wyden (D)
      Sanders (I)
      Lieberman (ID)
      Lugar (R)
      Martinez (R)
      Snowe (R)

Read The Full Article:
http://www.Demconwatchblog.com/diary/2021/sotomayor-vote-count

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Rasmussen Poll: If 2012 Election Were Held Today,
President Obama TIES Mitt Romney At 45% And Defeats Sarah Palin By 6%

Polling Organization (Rasmussen Reports?) Led By Regular Fox News Guest (SURPRISE) Scott Rasmussen Finds Obama Would Have Hands Full Were 2012 Election To Be Held TodayAs “they” say — “Wish in one hand, defecate in the other and see which one fills up the fastest”. ...

This is only a comment summary. Visit http://guntotingliberal.com to view the lastest content complete with some of the most outrageous original photoshops in the political blogosphere!

Read The Full Article:
http://guntotingliberal.com/?p=6117

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Obama to Bloggers: Keep Pressure on Re: Health
Care

President Obama held an invitation-only telephone conference with bloggers today urging them to keep the pressure on Congress regarding his health care plan.

It is important just to keep the pressure on members of Congress because what happens is there is a default position of inertia here in Washington," the president said during an invitation-only conference call. "And pushing against that, making sure that people feel that the desperation that ordinary families are feeling all across the country, every single day, when they are worrying about whether they can pay their premiums or not... People have to feel that in a visceral way. And you guys can help deliver that better than just about anybody."

He even took questions: [More...]

Peppering the president with questions were some of the progressive community's most prominent netroots voices from Jonathan Singer of MyDD to John Amato of Crooks and Liars. As in interviews and public statements past, the president stressed that the White House had already made major steps toward achieving reform, including bringing key stakeholders in the private sector to the table. Repeating his statement on Monday criticizing the posture of some of his Republican opponents, Obama accused those who sought to delay the bill as trying to kill the prospects of reform and, by extension, his presidency.

Sounds like blogger history was made. While we've had teleconferences with Congress and candidates for President, I can't remember one being held by the sitting President. Congrats to those who were invited to be on it. So far I see McJoan at Daily Kos, John Amato at Crooks and Liars and Jonathan Singer of MyDD and DDay at Digby's.

Memo to President Obama: If you hold a blogger call on criminal justice issues, I hope you'll remember to include TalkLeft.