Client Note: Occupy the Courtroom?
Posted on
February 3, 2012 by
mweaver
A look at the President’s new mortgage fraud task force
By Tucker Warren, (202) 822-1205, twarren@hamiltonps.com
In his State of the Union address last week, President Obama announced the creation of the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group, a new task force intended to, in the Presidents words, “expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis.” The President hopes this aggressive new effort will demonstrate a commitment to holding bankers accountable that will rally voters angry about Wall Street excess. Questions remain however, about what the working group can ultimately accomplish that the array of commissions and task forces previously created to address the financial crisis would not have otherwise.
Why It Was Created
The motivation for creating the working group is probably as strongly rooted in the political dynamics of an election year as it is in law enforcement objectives. President Obama has faced growing criticism from the political left who find his efforts to rein in Wall Street woefully lacking. A recent HPS/YouGov…
Read More
Client Note: How the President Can Preach to the Choir
Posted on
January 23, 2012 by
mweaver
By Daniel Son, (202) 822-1205, dson@hamiltonps.com
The State of the Union address serves as a yearly kickoff for a new legislative session. It is the President’s opportunity, with the eyes of the nation and policymakers upon him, to lay out his New Year’s resolution: the priorities and goals that will mark his Administration’s efforts in the year to come.
2012 is a presidential election year and to gird his political goal of re-election, the President will need to line up popular support for his legislative agenda. The latest HPS/YouGov poll offers some insight into how the President could do both.
First, the crowd-pleasers:
- The President will find support on all sides if he calls for reducing the influence of money on politics and policy decisions. Two out of three Americans named this as an important policy goal – with 70% of the all-important Independents, 67% of Democrats and 51% of Republicans.
- There was no issue that got more support from Independents than cutting government spending. Three out of every four (75%)
…
Read More