They Don’t Even Use the “Time with the Family” Excuse Anymore

/in /by

Apparently, the White House has decided it had one too many adults on its economic recovery board, so now Paul Volcker has been decided to step down.

I realize that “has been decided” is not proper grammar, but look at how Reuters refers to this decision:

The departure of Volcker as head of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board is among a series of changes that have been under review at the White House.

The decision to leave the PERAB was Volcker’s.

A series of changes has been under review at the White House. But this decision, the Volcker departure, was entirely Volcker’s.

I guess that means Volcker only ever reflected on this decision when he was at the White House, and he just stopped considering it when he was elsewhere?

Or perhaps this means the White House has been talking about how to get rid of Volcker for some time, but they only recently told him he could decide to step down or he could be decided to step down.

Whatever the grammar, I’m wondering why they got rid of Volcker and not the geniuses who invented HAMP. I’m also wondering whether the Administration has decided the Volcker rule, one of the biggest restrictions on big finance in the financial reform, is bad for recovery.

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    • liberaldem says:

      Since Obama never seemd to actually listen to Volcker, I agree that he was brought in as window dressing. Volcker probably became fed up with being used by Obama. Good for him; hopefully he’ll have something to say on the president’s lame economic policies.

  3. tsuki says:

    Volcker is to bright and engaging. What I have learned from this administration is that it must be Obama all the time, no diversions.

  4. PJEvans says:

    ‘Has been decided’ to step down sounds a lot like ‘has been volunteered’ to spend more time with his family.in every other field

    And they were busy ignoring all the recommendations made by economists with good track records, just like they’ve done with everything else in the last couple of years. If you aren’t from Haavaad or Chicago, you aren’t qualified, and even if you are, you still have to agree with the opinions of TPTB.

  5. bobschacht says:

    Thanks for this, EW. This is not a “change you can believe in.”

    Obama would do better to listen to Volcker– and Stiglitz, Galbraith, and Krugman.

    Obama seems like a baseball manager who, instead of turning to his relief pitcher with the *lowest* ERA picks the one with the *highest* ERA. “I know you got knocked out of the park on your last three relief opportunities, so I hold you responsible for learning what you did wrong and how to do better next time” seems to be his M.O.

    Bob in AZ