Community | November 28, 2011 | 26 comments

Obama to bail out Europe?

Image
MotherForTruth
Officially it never was called an "Emergency summit." But with the European currency only days from collapse according to many economists, it was clear that European leaders came to beg the American president for help.
A closed-door conversation today between US President Barack Obama and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso dealt with, among other things, the ongoing crisis that is spreading out of the Eurozone and into the United States.
And according to statements courtesy of Obama, the time of American intervention could be coming soon, and at a monumental cost to the American public.
The European debt crisis, says the president, is of “huge importance” to the United States, and the Obama administration is “ready to do our part” in keeping the economy overseas afloat.
As Obama attempts to postpone the impeding crumbling of the American economy — and his own administration — the president could propose a bailout to the countries of the European Union that could cost taxpayers upwards of trillions. Given that RT reported earlier today on the massive bailout extended from the Federal Reserve to the biggest banks in the country between 2008 and 2010, an offering of trillions couldn’t be out of the question.
What could be, however, are the details of the deal.
Three years after the Fed first helped out the big banks, only today was it revealed that nearly $8 trillion went to the “too big to fail” institutions to prevent just that — a massive failure. With a failure overseas impacting the worldwide economy, Obama’s comments today could imply that American funds will go to preventing a collapse of the dozen-plus countries tied to the Euro.
A collapse of the Euro could cause detrimental consequences for the American economy — an economy that has proved unstable as most evident in the unemployment rate that seems to have stayed dire since Obama entered office in 2009. In hopes of securing the presidency during the 2012 election, Obama could stand to benefit by investing in the Euro and keeping those countries tied to the currency afloat. With closed-door talks and secret deals bringing forth these talks, however, discrete deals between his administration and European officials could cause concern for American voters over the president’s alleged transparency.
Also in question is whether or not America — teetering between a rebound readmission of a recession — can afford to invest upwards of trillions into foreign nations.
Failure to compromise on the country’s deficit dilemma by the congressional supercommittee caused a Capitol Hill freakout last week, and is slated to trigger over a trillion automatic spending cuts come 2013. With the country currently up in arms over those cuts — and how to handle them — a bailout for the Eurozone could come as a nail in the coffin for the president’s campaign for reelection. On the other hand, should Obama extend money to the EU, the Euro could become stabilized and lend to a resurgence of the American dollar.
“Could” is the keyword here.
"The events in Europe obviously have an impact on our economy. It's created a headwind for much of the year … and continues to create that headwind," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Monday. While the administration has acknowledged the impact both domestically and abroad of the crumbling Euro, Obama’s comments this afternoon are only the first to suggest that an intervention by way of the American dollar could be on the way.
"This is something they need to solve and they have the capacity to solve, both financial capacity and political will," Carney adds of today’s summit.
Carney adds that "We do not in any way believe that additional resources are required from the United States and from American taxpayers.”
What, exactly, is the “part” the Obama is “ready to do” to resolve the crisis then?
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Politics,   US Politics,   2 more
  2. tags:
    Economy Obama USA EU 2 more
  3.     
    |

26 comments // Obama to bail out Europe?

  • Mark701
    • 0
      Mark701  
    • Obama is caught between a rock and a hard place on this issue. If he agrees to bail Europe out Americans will freak because the Fed has already put Americans on the hook for 3 trillion in secret loans to foreign banks. If he doesn't bail Europe and their economy collapses, the shock waves from that event could easily drive our fragile economy back into recession that he will subsequently be blamed for.

    • 6 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
  • COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
    • +2
      COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM  
    • Folks, this is merely the plot which the banks who have jointly raped the world is playing out, as they continue to force every country into fiscal "austerity", which is code for indentured financial servitude. They have raped and plundered the world, and are now demanding that the world pay extortionate rates of penalties for permitting themselves to be raped and plundered. It will not change until the nations seize all banking assets and repatriate their stolen money.

    • 6 months ago
  • lazloman
    • 0
      lazloman  
    • This all goes back to the cause of the economic crisis. Now we have to bail out Europe again? This is BS! From where does the money come? What if the bailout doesn't work? The article says Obama is toast if he bails out Europe. We're all toast if he does. Personally, I say let them fail and then bust them up into smaller chunks.

    • 6 months ago
  • Varex_Sythe
    • 0
      Varex_Sythe  
    • lazloman:

      Unless I'm mistaken, most of Europe, with a few exceptions like Greece, is in an economic shit hole because they invested heavily with our economy. And when our economy took a dive because our bankers and investors gambled with money instead of investing it, most of Europe's did as well.

      Now, should we bail them out? I'm not very partial to the idea, but I think we should have bailed them out before we gave banks and corporations bailouts without conditions.

    • 6 months ago
  • wolfess
    • 0
      wolfess  
    • Varex_Sythe:

      I agree -- Europe is having this trouble b/c of Goldphuq Sux, Citi, B of A and Chase and the crap they put out prior to the '08 implosion; those fucking banksters need to pony up for this possible European bailout. I don't think our money should be going to pay for this -- just wipe-out all these banksters 'cash reserves' and give it to Europe.
      Pwr 2 KB! Dismember the trolls and their vermadon!

    • 6 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • Varex_Sythe
    • 0
      Varex_Sythe  
    • MotherForTruth:

      Technically your bailout went to the banks and corporations which, I think I should point out, was entirely fucked up. Personally, I think that the government should have helped new people start up new businesses, from banks and/or credit unions to new automotive manufacturers. Let people who have an actual interest in not only providing a product and/or service lead the way for a change.

      However, regardless of whom the president was, it was not to be.

    • 6 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • Kelly_Balthrop
    • +2
      Kelly_Balthrop  
    • If he does, it will not help. He's just throwing bad money after worse money. Like a drowning man grabbing another drowning man to get a gasp of air.

    • 6 months ago
  • oldpol2
    • +4
      oldpol2  
    • Anyone here stil believe that President Obama is a Socialist? He is in bed with Wall street and the monied interests just the same as the Republicans.

    • 6 months ago
  • Kelly_Balthrop
    • +1
      Kelly_Balthrop  
    • oldpol2:

      In all fairness it was bush that started the bail out of the banks, and Bernanke who kept it going. Obama has not been as tough a fighter as I would have hoped, but this one isn't entirely his fault.

    • 6 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • MotherForTruth
  • Wyley_Wombat
  • nikonwilly
  • Kelly_Balthrop
  • MotherForTruth
  • kgMA
  • MotherForTruth
  • MotherForTruth
  • kgMA
    • 0
      kgMA  
    • MotherForTruth:

      MfT If your pushing for a Republican President over a Democratic President, here are a few names to dwell on, Roberts, Alito, Thomas, and Kennedy. Those responsible of "Corporations are People" and opening the door to fascism in America! Although Obama has been a disappointment, I'm not ready to turn over what remains of our freedom to those who are ready to sell it to the highest bidder. Giving up on Obama won't change squat! Try fixing the rest of Congress first!

    • 6 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • Dagum
    • 0
      Dagum  
    • He had better not if he wants a second term. Could you Imagine "yes vote for me. I bailed out the whole continent of Europe without reducing the deficit or balancing the budget at home." OWS and all the unemployed here. Where is the U.S. citizens bailout?

    • 6 months ago
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  
    • Dagum:

      He would more than likely get it anyway regardless. Remember, many have no other choice so he thinks he can do what he wants. Though I really don't see this if he doesn't want to alienate even more Americans. However, no one is challenging him in this election and the opposition is well, not really opposition.

    • 6 months ago
more from Community:

top videos