	The Washington Note
	last updated: Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:27:58 GMT

2013-03-07T12:19:44-05:00 The Atlantic's 2nd Annual Economy Summit

President Bill Clinton's winning catchphrase "It's the economy, stupid!" still resonates in consequential political debates today -- with both sides of the political aisle and the many factions of economic policy interest groups slugging it out over what a healthy economy needs.

This year's "Economy Summit" organized by The Atlantic features a very diverse cast of perspectives and will focus on debt and strategies for sustainable economic growth. Some will focus on economic debates -- and others will focus on paralyzed leadership.

I'll post the entire program below -- but I should note that Washington Note readers are invited to attend -- or to watch online. If you want to be there in person, be sure to RSVP at the link below The entire conference will stream live here, which means you can watch it from as far as Tazmania or Sanaa if you have a good broadband connection.

One of the interesting issues that my collaborator and former "affinity credit card" entrepreneur Richard Vague are highlighting are the problems of a massive 'private sector debt' problem that continues to lurk in the US economic equation. For those interested, Vague and I outlined some of the problems here and spoke about this in a short YouTube clip as well as on WHYY's Radio Times, a popularly NPR-affiliated program in Philadelphia.

The line-up for this year has a lot of headliners -- in fact, they are all headliners -- but those who will make a lot of the sizzle are former Federal Reserve Governor Paul Volcker, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, anti-tax pledge activist and President of the Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist, Fix the Debt founder Maya MacGuineas, Financial Times Chief US Commentator Edward Luce, and National Journal Chief Correspondent Michael Hirsh.

The list continues with American Prospect Founding Editor Robert Kuttner, Naked Capitalism publisher Yves Smith, former FDIC chief Sheila Bair, former Federal Reserve Board Deputy Chair Alice Rivlin, Senator and former West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, Senator and former North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, Bloomberg political columnist Margaret Carlson, former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Financial Services Roundtable CEO and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, National Journal editorial director Ron Fournier, former George W. Bush National Economic Adviser Lawrence Lindsey and others.

Here follows the schedule:

The Atlantic's ECONOMY SUMMIT 2013
Debating America's Debt Challenges & Recovery Options
#AtlanticEcon

Wednesday, 13 March 2013
10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Capital Hilton, 16th & K Streets NW, Washington DC
RSVP here

For those outside of Washington or unable to attend, this event will stream live on line and can be watched over the internet HERE or just tune in to The Washington Note home page.

8:45 am
REGISTRATION & COFFEE

9:15 am
WELCOMING REMARKS

ELIZABETH BAKER KEFFER
President, AtlanticLIVE & QuartzLIVE

A Preview of the April 2013 "Money Issue" of The Atlantic

SCOTT HAVENS
President, The Atlantic

JAMES BENNET
Editor in Chief, The Atlantic

9:25 am
DEBATING AMERICA'S ADDICTION TO DEBT & DEBT DEBATES:
WHAT MATTERS AND WHAT MATTERS MORE?

CRAIG ALEXANDER
Chief Economist, TD Bank

MAYA MacGUINEAS
Founder, Fix the Debt
President, Coalition for a Responsible Federal Budget

PAUL McCULLEY
Former Managing Director, PIMCO
Chairman, Global Society of Fellows, Global Interdependence Center

YVES SMITH (aka Susan Webber)
Publisher, Naked Capitalism

ROBERT KUTTNER
Co-Founder and Editor, The American Prospect
Author, Debtors' Prison: The Politics of Austerity versus Possibility

moderator
EDWARD LUCE
Economics & Political Columnist, Financial Times
Author, Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent

10:25 am
A HEALTHY ECONOMY EQUALS FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY & SMART INVESTMENT

THE HON. GENE SPERLING
National Economic Advisor to President Obama

interviewer
JAMES BENNET
Editor in Chief, The Atlantic

10:45 am
GOOD DEBT, BAD DEBT, AND REAL OPTIONS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH
AMIDST THE POLITICS OF AUSTERITY

MONICA MEHTA
Author, The Entrepreneurial Instinct

STEVE KEEN
Professor of Economics & Finance, University of West Sydney
Publisher of Debunking Economics and Debtwatch

WILLIAM GREIDER
National Affairs Correspondent, The Nation

SHERLE R. SCHWENNINGER
Director, Economic Growth Program, New America Foundation

MICHAEL HUDSON
Research Professor of Economics, University of Missouri
Research Associate, Levy Institute, Bard College
President, Institute for the Study of Long Term Economic Trends

moderator
DEREK THOMPSON
Senior Editor, Business, The Atlantic

11:45 am
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION & INTERVIEW

THE HON. PAUL VOLCKER
Former Chairman, Federal Reserve Board

moderator
JAMES BENNET
Editor in Chief, The Atlantic

12:30 pm
KEYNOTE PRE-LUNCHEON INTERVIEW

THE HON. ALICE RIVLIN
Former Deputy Chairman, Federal Reserve Board

moderator
DEREK THOMPSON
Senior Editor, Business, The Atlantic

1:30 pm
THE GREAT RECESSION AND PROBLEMS UNRESOLVED

THE HON. SHEILA BAIR
Former Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Senior Advisor, Pew Charitable Trusts

interviewer
MICHAEL HIRSH
Chief Correspondent, National Journal

2:00 pm
HERE'S THE DEAL: HOW WASHINGTON CAN SOLVE THE DEFICIT AND SPUR GROWTH

DAVID LEONHARDT
Washington Bureau Chief, New York Times
Author of the new e-book, Here's the Deal

2:15 pm
CAN WASHINGTON SEE THE BIG PICTURE?
THE MAKINGS OF A VIBRANT US ECONOMY MAY BE HERE

THE HON. ROBERT RUBIN
Former Secretary of the Treasury
Co-Chairman, Council on Foreign Relations

DAVID WESSEL
Economics Editor & Columnist, Wall Street Journal
Author, Red Ink: Inside the High Stakes Politics of the Federal Budget

2:45 pm
A NO FILTERS VIEW OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY'S PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

THE HON. LAWRENCE LINDSEY
Former National Economic Advisor to President George W. Bush
Former Governor, Federal Reserve System
President & CEO, The Lindsey Group

interviewer
EDWARD LUCE
Chief US Correspondent, Financial Times
Author, Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent

3:15 pm
REALLY FIXING THE US ECONOMY: WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

THE HON. EDWARD G. RENDELL
Former Governor of Pennsylvania

interviewer
MARGARET CARLSON
Columnist, Bloomberg

3:45 pm
OUT OF THE CLOSET:
DEALING WITH AMERICA'S PRIVATE SECTOR DEBT CHALLENGE

RICHARD VAGUE
Former CEO, First USA Bank

STEVE CLEMONS
Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
Founder & Senior Fellow, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation

4:15 pm
DEBT DRAMAS HAPPEN EVERY DAY IN STATES: HOW GOVERNORS DEAL

THE HON. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV)
United States Senator
Former Governor, State of West Virginia

THE HON. JOHN HOEVEN (R-ND)
United States Senator
Former Governor, State of North Dakota

interviewer
STEVE CLEMONS
Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic

4:45 pm
POLICY & PROMISES: PONDERING LEADERSHIP AND A HEALTHIER ECONOMY

GROVER NORQUIST
President, Americans for Tax Reform
Author, Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives

interviewer
STEVE CLEMONS
Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
Editor at Large, Quartz

5:15 pm
DEBT & GROWTH IN AN AGE OF POLITICAL BANKRUPTCY

THE HON. TIM PAWLENTY
President & CEO, Financial Services Roundtable
Former Governor of Minnesota

interviewer
RON FOURNIER
Editorial Director, National Journal

5:45 pm
FESTIVE RECEPTION with Specialty Drinks:

"Sequester at the Beach" & "Debt Old Fashioned"

The Atlantic's Economy Summit can be watched live streaming here.

With special thanks to Supporting Underwriter, the Center for Audit Quality; Presenting Underwriter, TD Bank; and Knowledge Underwriter, The Governor's Woods Foundation for their generous support of this year's Economy Summit.

	The Real News Network
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:17:30 GMT

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:05:18 EST Yes Mr President, This Is Who We Are

Michael Ratner and Paul Jay analyze President Obama's defense of his drone and Guantanamo policies - a policy based on continuing US dominance in the Middle East; Obama's speech was interrupted by Code Pink's Medea Benjamin

	Asia Times Online
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 14:55:21 GMT

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT China's reform hands fail to clap

The young Chinese leadership is displaying a near-schizophrenic split that can be summed up by President Xi Jinping's gung-ho style and no-holds-barred defense of Mao Zedong and the seriousness with which Premier Li Keqiang, China's first "PhD prime minister", is pushing economic reforms. Irreconcilable contradictions persist between nurturing the marketplace and the Chinese Communist Party's power imperative.

	Oil Geopolitics
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:15:46 GMT

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:21:06 +0100 Oil Geopoltics Front Page

	The Race for Iran
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:48:10 GMT

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:23:56 +0000 Race for Iran Is Going to Tehran

With the impending publication of our Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have decided to move our blog to a new platform, www.GoingtoTehran.com. Race for Iran will remain active as a repository for our previous posts and comments, going all the way back [...]

With the impending publication of our Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have decided to move our blog to a new platform, www.GoingtoTehran.com. Race for Iran will remain active as a repository for our previous posts and comments, going all the way back to October 2009, but henceforth our new posts will be published on Going to Tehran. As you will see, it looks and operates very much like Race for Iran, so hopefully the transition will be non-stressful. We thank all who have read, engaged, and supported us on Race for Iran, and look forward to seeing you and new readers who might join us on Going to Tehran.

–Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

	Gush-Shalom
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:43:49 GMT

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:50:47 +0300 The State of Whom?

CAN A law be both ridiculous and dangerous?

It certainly can. Witness the ongoing initiative of our government to enact a law that would define the State of Israel as “The Nation-State of the Jewish People”.

	FinanzNachrichten.de: Aktuelle Nachrichten
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:24:46 GMT

2013-05-25T15:07:00Z Berliner SPD zieht mit Eva Högl in den Wahlkampf: 23 Jahre lang war Bundestags-Vize-Präsident Wolfgang ...

23 Jahre lang war Bundestags-Vize-Präsident Wolfgang Thierse auf Platz eins der Landesliste der Berliner SPD. Nun nimmt Eva Högl seine Spitzenposition ein. Ihr Wahlergebnis war allerdings schwach.M...

	Linkes Europa
	last updated: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:40:03 GMT

10.3.2010 12:25 Da geht mir der Hut hoch!

Was hier im Gewand von Wissenschaft daherkommt ist reine Ideologie. http://www.heritage.org/Index/ W�re sie auf die Vereinigten Staaten beschr�nkt, k�nnte dies der Rest der Welt verschmerzen. Das ist jedoch nicht der Fall. Und so besteht die �konomische Freiheit nicht in der Freiheit souver�ner Staaten, die ihren jeweiligen kulturellen Traditionen und spezifischen gesellschaftlichen Bedingungen gem��en Wirtschaftsmodelle zu entwickeln. Vielmehr werden sie durch die Dominanz des Dollarsystems und seine global wirkenden Institutionen gezwungen, das angels�chsische Modell der �freien Wirtschaft� zu �bernehmen, f�r das sich der Begriff �Washington Consensus� eingeb�rgert hat. Dieses Modell wurde nach 1945 zun�chst schleichend und nach dem Vertrag von Maastricht mit zunehmender Beschleunigung von der Europ�ischen Union �bernommen und ist seit 1. Dezember 2009 kodifiziertes Recht. Damit ist die EU p�pstlicher als der angels�chsische Papst.

	Sinn Féin
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:54:20 GMT

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:50:10 -0400 Crowe calls for investigation into immigration case in America

Sinn Féin spokesperson on foreign affairs, trade, and diaspora, Seán Crowe TD, has called on the Tánaiste and Minister for foreign affairs, Eamon Gilmore, to investigate the reports that a Donegal woman was turned over to U.S. immigration authorities by the Irish International Immigration Centre (IIIC) in Boston.

	Global Research
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:15:56 GMT

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:56:36 +0000 Rogue President Obama: Defending the Indefensible

Forked tongue rhetoric can’t disguise it. Throughout Obama’s tenure, he has governed lawlessly. He’s done so at home and abroad. He spurns rule of law principles and other democratic values. Nothing suggests change. Business as usual continues. War on humanity…

	Consortiumnews
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:06:15 GMT

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:58:40 +0000 Charting a New Course on Terrorism

President Obama offered a comprehensive review of U.S. counterterrorism policies since 9/11, while vowing to ratchet down the violence and acknowledging harm done to America’s principles and image. Still, many details of his plans remain fuzzy and follow-through far from certain, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar In his speech at the National Defense University on Thursday, President Obama made one of the most sensible, realistic, thorough and truthful statements about...

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:50:05 +0000 Obama Distorts ‘Just War’ Principles

In assessing the consequences of the decade-plus “war on terror,” President Obama sought to place his continued — albeit more targeted — use of violence within the context of just-war principles, stressing self-defense and proportionality, a point that religious ethicist Daniel C. Maguire disputes. By Daniel C. Maguire In his address on terrorism and America’s counterterrorism policy, President Barack Obama invoked the “just war” theory to justify the continued use of...

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:38:33 +0000 Israel’s Hand in Guatemala’s Genocide

Exclusive: The Guatemalan genocide of the 1980s does not just implicate President Ronald Reagan and his senior aides but the Israeli government which secretly supplied helicopters, guns and computers that were used to hunt down and exterminate Ixil Indians and other perceived enemies of the state, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry At the height of Guatemala’s mass slaughters in the 1980s, including genocide against the Ixil Indians, the Reagan administration worked with Israeli...

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:16:53 +0000 Syrian Rebels Balk at Peace Talks

Russia and the Obama administration have made some moves toward seeking a peace settlement in Syria, even as Russia bolsters its support for Bashar al-Assad’s embattled regime. But an obstacle has emerged as the deeply divided Syrian rebels balk at meeting with Assad’s representatives, ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar notes. By Paul R. Pillar Reasonable people can disagree on what to do about Syria, a problem with no good solutions, and particularly about what to do regarding aid to Syrian rebels....

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:42:50 +0000 Help Us Build Investigative ‘War Chest’

From Editor Robert Parry: I often hear the complaint that Consortiumnews is not devoting enough attention to some story of particular importance to that reader. And I must admit the criticism is often valid, but the explanation is mostly our lack of resources, not our lack of interest. I’m especially concerned that we are not doing more in areas relating to war or peace. Over the years, we have invested a great deal of effort to report on wars (or near-wars) in Central and South America,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:22:11 +0000 Stuck in a Job at the End of the World

Very little sympathy is felt for Air Force personnel assigned to fire nuclear missiles that could end all life on the planet. But their grim, boring and existentially absurd job has eroded staff morale so much that their collapsing competence has added to the world’s risk, explains John LaForge. By John LaForge Some of the Air Force’s self-styled nuclear “missileers” — sitting at launch controls in Minot, North Dakota — recently earned a “D” on their intercontinental ballistic missile firing...

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:21:46 +0000 What a Real Cover-up Looks Like

Exclusive: Republicans won’t let go of their conspiracy theory about some nefarious “cover-up” in “talking points” for Ambassador Susan Rice’s TV interviews on the Benghazi attack. But they should at least have better skills for detecting a real cover-up, since they’ve had direct experience, as Robert Parry documents. By Robert Parry There have been nine public hearings and countless hours of commentary about the so-called Benghazi “cover-up” – really just some bureaucratic back-and-forth about...

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:27:09 +0000 The Delicate Balance of Leaking

Without doubt, the U.S. government over-classifies national security information, hiding not just genuine secrets but policy debates and mistakes. This creates tensions for whistleblowers and journalists over what should be public. But there are legitimate concerns about leaking, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar Public discussion of the subpoena of telephone records of Associated Press reporters as part of a leak investigation has been impaired by widespread ignorance or...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:57:41 +0000 The Jackie Robinson Republicans

That Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey were Republicans when they shattered baseball’s color barrier in 1947 is only surprising if you consider the changed GOP – after its Southern Strategy and unsubtle appeals to racism, leading to demonizing the first black president. But there was this other principled GOP, says Independent Institute’s Jonathan Bean. By Jonathan Bean If history were written without bias, we would mark the beginning of the U.S. civil rights movement as 1947: the year Jackie...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:29:00 +0000 The Scandal of Lax Government

For decades now, it’s been fashionable to demonize government. After all, that’s what billions of dollars invested in right-wing think tanks and media outlets will buy you. There also are genuine abuses by bureaucrats. But lax government oversight can be a scandal, too, as Bill Moyers and Michael Winship note. By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship After a week that reminds us to be ever vigilant about the dangers of government overreaching its authority, whether by the long arm of the IRS or the...

	RIA Novosti
	last updated: Sat, 25 May 2013 15:11:25 GMT

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:50:00 +0400 Pirates Released Crew Members of German Ship After 1 Month

Four crew members captured by pirates off Equatorial Guinea’s coast have been released a month after their container vessel was attacked, a news report said on Saturday citing the management company.