You sort of knew the Germans were going to be pissed. Every time something happens in Central or Eastern Europe all eyes get Teutonic twinkles and the likes of Angela Merkel start getting fruit baskets in the mail. What’s the problem this time? Cheap mortgages funded with the carry trade (we tried to borrow Canadian dollars but people only laughed), declining demand for the exports headed to the West, declining currencies. All in all, “a New Iron Curtain,” is said to be descending. Very dramatic. Probably not the reference to use on Germany, when coming from the East, you understand.
In a way you can almost think of an East Europe bailout as a proxy for mortgage and homeowner bailout plans in the United States. Unlike the United States, however, it doesn’t look like billions are going to be tossed at the problem in hopes the bubble might re-inflate. This isn’t because of any particular moral fiber on the part of Western Europe. Rather, developing a mandate there is about like herding cats… into a doberman infested bathtub.
EU Rejects a Rescue of Faltering East Europe [The Wall Street Journal]

Comments (43)

  1. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:38 PM

    First Bitches!
    SPODE

  2. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:39 PM

    Second Bitches!
    SPODE

  3. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:39 PM

    Third Bitches!
    SPODE

  4. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:40 PM

    Third Bitches!
    NOT SPODE

  5. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:40 PM

    Fifth Bitches!
    SPODE

  6. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:41 PM

    Sixth Bitches!
    SPODE

  7. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:42 PM

    Seventh Bitches!
    STEVIE COHEN

  8. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:42 PM

    Seventh Bitches!
    SPODE

  9. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:43 PM

    What are the first year bitches numbers?

  10. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:44 PM

    THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS, LIKE ANONYMOUS COMMENTING. CUT IT OUT, YOU FUCKTARDS.

  11. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:46 PM

    Am I an Idiot?
    SPODE

  12. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:46 PM

    ze germans?
    you mean, ze germans that were the first ones to break the euro inclusion policy about budget deficit size and then refused to pay the stipulated fines?

  13. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:47 PM

    #10 is mad.
    #10 needs a hug.

  14. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:47 PM

    70% of Austia’s GDP is lent to Eastern Europe. Can you say “cascading bank failure in the EU” ??

  15. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:48 PM

    link is wrong, bitches.

  16. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:49 PM

    SPODE @13- No, you’re misunderstood. Keep living the dream man!

  17. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:50 PM

    bad link

  18. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:51 PM

    @SPODE
    Trying to contain my laughter….

  19. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:54 PM

    Pretty sure the EU doesn’t care about Kittens either EP.

  20. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:55 PM

    New Europe paging Donald Rumsfeld!!!

  21. Posted by Equity Private | March 2, 2009 at 3:55 PM

    Thanks for catching the link error. Fixed! (Sorry).

  22. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:59 PM

    Der Heimat will take nubile lasses from the Pannonian Plains in satisfaction of those Euro-denominated mortgages…

  23. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 3:59 PM

    Dylan Ratigan is an asshole.

  24. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:01 PM

    Burn Mother F#cker, Burn…..

  25. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:02 PM

    The EU wasn’t exactly a loving family before this mess and the Iron Curtain threat is very weak coming from the weak. Hungary can go back to being the Austria’s retarded neighbor always looking over the fence at you.

  26. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:03 PM

    The EU wasn’t exactly a loving family before this mess and the Iron Curtain threat is very weak coming from the weak. Hungary can go back to being the Austria’s retarded neighbor always looking over the fence at you.

  27. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:05 PM

    So what?

  28. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:06 PM

    SPODE is winning at life so hard it’s kind of ridiculous.

  29. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:07 PM

    It’s die Heimat.

  30. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:22 PM

    To think Turkey wants to get into the EU! They would be better off joining a circus. They should start their own union; call it TU

  31. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:24 PM

    ron kirk – obama trade rep…yes, you guessed it – didn’t pay his taxes. can’t they nominate any taxpayers for these jobs?

  32. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:30 PM

    Are on the verge of events that will lead to a 3rd world war?

  33. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:32 PM

    I can’t wait until UBS releases the names of all 52,000 tax evaders. You know what they say about people who live in glass houses.

  34. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:36 PM

    @34 Demetri Martin says only those who live in glass houses should throw stones…if they are trapped.

  35. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:36 PM

    @34 Demetri Martin says only those who live in glass houses should throw stones…if they are trapped.

  36. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:39 PM

    @34- Or if they double post.

  37. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:46 PM

    @12. Funny, no? Ze germans have always been stuck up pricks.

  38. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 4:50 PM

    Damn, I hear I just missed Prince Citi on CNBC.

  39. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 5:12 PM

    Germans taking their revenge on the bitch states for stabbing them in the back on Iraq.
    Guess New Europe isn’t as strong as Old Europe after all.

  40. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 6:29 PM

    @24
    Kudos to you. Creditanstalt is where it all started last time around. One look where Austria has been lending and the sense of deja vu is overwhelming.
    Quite seriously, with the G-20 (way too many chefs) meeting coming up in April in London, I think we can all assume the anarchists and malcontents, not to mention a few million with legitimate complaints, will be out in the streets.
    Not to be alarmist, but I fully expect the European capitals to burn before this summer is out, if not before.

  41. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 7:53 PM

    @21
    Well that’s a first, the word in parenthesis.

  42. Posted by trojan | March 2, 2009 at 9:29 PM

    all the germans ever wanted was a little lebensraum to the east…

  43. Posted by guest | March 2, 2009 at 11:13 PM

    #12 yup it’s zee Germans for sure. The same dobermans that didn’t seem to complain too much while they were the recipients of the Marshall plan. Of course they know full well that “bailing out Eastern Europe” really means bailing out Austrian/German/Scandinavian banks. Merkel’s bluff will be called.

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