The Great American Stickup | Robert Scheer

The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street

Extended Synopsis

In this eye-opening investigation, Robert Scheer exposes the hidden history behind the 2008 Wall Street crash and the subsequent global recession. Rather than focusing solely on the high-flying boardrooms of Wall Street, Scheer returns to the real crime scene: Washington, D.C. He meticulously details how decades of systematic deregulation dismantled a robust New Deal-era regulatory framework, creating an environment where financial catastrophe was not just possible, but inevitable.

Scheer argues that the roots of the financial disaster reach back to the free-market propaganda of the Reagan era and accelerated during the "Clinton Bubble"—a period defined by bipartisan deregulation. Influential figures including Robert Rubin, Alan Greenspan, and Lawrence Summers are examined for their roles in allowing Wall Street to draft legislation that eroded decades of effective financial oversight. Supported by whistleblower testimony, including the accounts of figures like Brooksley Born, this book provides an unsparing look at how political and corporate interests colluded to enrich themselves at the expense of Main Street. The Great American Stickup is a brilliant exposé of the financial crimes that reshaped modern America and a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of unchecked economic deregulation.

Reader Targeting

• Economics and political science students seeking critical perspectives on financial deregulation.
• Readers interested in the history of the 2008 financial crisis and the intersection of corporate lobbying and government policy.
• Advocates for economic justice and those critical of the "revolving door" between Wall Street and Washington.

Author Biography

Robert Scheer is a veteran journalist, political commentator, and editor renowned for his incisive critiques of corporate and political power. Having served as a longtime columnist for the Los Angeles Times and editor for The Nation, Scheer has dedicated his career to exposing institutional malfeasance. He is joined in this investigation by contributors Christopher Scheer and Joshua Scheer.

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