Soros-Rohatyn

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Mar 8 09:43:02 PST 1999


Carl Remick wrote:


>Reading the current LBO's review of the Soros book, I was reminded of
>the Soros-equivalent of a bygone era: our current ambassador to France,
>Felix Rohatyn. A decade ago and before, Rohatyn was forever inveighing
>against the evils of Capital in much -discussed op-eds, etc., while
>raking it in as managing director at Lazard Freres and Company.
>Rohatyn's best remembered, of course, as chairman of New York City's
>Municipal Assistance Corporation 1975-93 -- an episode where he was
>widely credited for masterminding a bailout of NYC's finances, when what
>he bailed out (need it be said?) was NYC bondholders.

What's sad is how liberals and leftists seize upon these soulful bankers as somehow legitimating a critique of orthodoxy, instead of flaming them as the blowhard hypocrites they are. As Michael Thomas said of Rohatyn about 10 years ago, he pounds the pulpit with one hand and endorses checks with the other. Just as Rohatyn made the city safe for its bondholders, Soros wants to make the world safe for high end speculators.

I'm warming up for the polemic conference I guess.

Doug



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