Picture 34.pngAccording to Chaz, something’s eating away at former Citigroup consigliere Bobby Rubin. Something that absolutely torments him. Tears him up inside. Prevents him from getting a solid 8 hours. Gives him indigestion. Moment’s pauses. Could it have something to do with the sticky economic situation he might’ve had a hand in getting us into? Sort of but not really. The problem, Gaspo reports, isn’t that simple. Rubes knows he didn’t do anything wrong. His conscience is clear, and when he strips naked and roles around in the pile of hundos Vikram delivers to his home office each week even though a delivery guy could do it, Bob doesn’t think, man, I fucked some shit up hardcore. What does get to him, though, is that he knows it’s what everyone is thinking. Wrongly, yes, but they’re still thinking it.

It’s that blame that Rubin can’t seem to shake; in fact it’s becoming more intense as the one year anniversary of the financial crisis’s most turbulent period approaches. And as the debate about Rubin’s culpability grows among the chattering classes, people who know Rubin say this debate is also growing inside his head. Rubin has been privately wrestling with his role as senior adviser to former Citi CEOs Sandy Weill and Chuck Prince when the risk taking began (and reached immense proportions), and falling back on the fact that he didn’t have “operating responsibilities,” meaning he had authority but no direct responsibility to manage those risk takers.
Even among his peers on Wall Street, who revered him for so long, there is a general belief that Rubin is fairly culpable for the Citigroup implosion that led to a massive government bailout. This general belief, even among people who consider themselves friends, is what keeps Rubin up at night, according to people who know him. “Bob feels pretty strongly that what happened at Citi wasn’t his fault,” says one associate. “He also knows that he faces an uphill battle changing people’s opinion about the matter.”

And then you’ve got your pissants at the Post to deal with.

It is his role at Citigroup during this time that has damaged Rubin’s legacy, possibly beyond repair. He has been ridiculed in the press. He found his picture prominently displayed with other board members on the front page of the New York Post under the headline “Bounce These Bozo Bankers,” which pointed out that Rubin made close to $110 million during his time at Citigroup, while shares fell from above $50 to below $5, wiping out billions of dollars of shareholder wealth in the process, as he became richer.

So, let’s work together on this one. What’s Rubes gotta do to clear his name? He hasn’t slept in weeks and CG’s offer to come over feed him some warm milk before bed is being seriously considered as a last resort (before suicide).

Comments (59)

  1. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:12 PM

    If I looked like that I wouldn’t be able to sleep either.
    BOOM!
    THE Guy Adami

  2. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:15 PM

    he looks so regal in that pic

  3. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:16 PM

    If Charlie’s going to feed Bob, who’s going to pump Charlie? This is like some fucked up LSAT question, without a determinable answer.

  4. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:17 PM

    he’ taking the fall for failed Clinton policies – give away public resources to the masses by letting FNM & FRE bleed money to people who can’t afford to pay it back, meanwhile Barney Frank pushes blame on everyone else…..
    Who will be Obama’s bitch?

  5. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:17 PM

    Bob Rubin is, from the neck up, reh-tahded.

  6. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:18 PM

    It’s simple. Take responsibility. American’s love a request for redemption.

  7. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:21 PM

    Barney Frank, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, and their cronies are dangerous. Failure to see that is dangerous. They will take us to the abyss. Who will save us from the fall?

  8. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:22 PM

    @7 STFU and get back to sucking your wingnuts.

  9. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:22 PM

    let him sleep with Hillary, that will rmeove all shame!

  10. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:22 PM

    this guy’s another narcisistic goldman douchebag who can’t hack being out of the limelight. shit, he looks like he’s been living in a cave. no fun being the smartest guy in the room in a cave, eh bill?

  11. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:25 PM

    Bobby,
    Charlie tells me you like to hit the 2-hole. I’ve got some new crotchless panties that Dickie F sent me from Paris. Meet me at the Soho Grand tonight for some redeye and corn.
    Erin

  12. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:28 PM

    He could diddle his assisant ala Corzine and try to die in a firey wreck coming back from the Jesey Shore

  13. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:28 PM

    What keeps this toolbox up at night? The 8ball + hooks that Jimmy Cayne’s supplying him with.

  14. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:29 PM

    The reason that he can’t sleep is because he fears Gasparino’s Bob Woodward-like investigative reporting skills will expose him. Nobody pulls the wool over Charlie the G’s eyes. Fuckin’ nobody…
    -Pfluger

  15. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:30 PM

    @11 p.s., bobby: i can make my redeye spit.

  16. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:33 PM

    I re read this posting twice because something was bothering me. Really bothering me; couldn’t sleep at night.
    And then it dawned on me — Rubin has adopted the “Sgt Schultz” defense. I SAW NOTHING. I KNOW NOTHING!!!
    If you look at that regal pix and squint, you can see that he will age and begin to look just like John Banner in the later years

  17. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:34 PM

    Please send him with Sandy Weill to the dustbin of financial history. Regardless of how much money they donate to charity they’ll still stay in the dustbin. After all, giving the shareholders’ money to charity is easy. Giving your own money is much harder.

  18. Posted by Bess Levin | August 20, 2009 at 2:34 PM

    @12 shut your filthy whore mouth.

  19. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:36 PM

    another goldy scumbag that used the govt job as a way to evade taxes and use public money to pay hid cronies…FUCKING SCUM!!

  20. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:38 PM

    He does not look regal. He looks like the kids who ran for Student Body President.

  21. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:38 PM

    man, oaktree are ballaz!

  22. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:38 PM

    @19 the evidence he evaded taxes is where exactly?

  23. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:40 PM

    @17: scoundrels ike him + weill end up at the same place: the board of the UJA.

  24. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:40 PM

    @22, you dumb mope, when u got from private sector to public u divest yourself of equity holding TAX FREE!! wake the fuck up

  25. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:41 PM

    @19: it’s in the NY Post

  26. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:42 PM

    @20 the regal comment was sarcasm, and you’re a douchenozzle.

  27. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:42 PM

    I went to Princeton. Suck my ballz.

  28. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:43 PM

    @23 jealous goy. jews rule.

  29. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:51 PM

    @ 28, damn straight!
    -Ivanka Trump

  30. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:53 PM

    ivanka, does your redeye spit?

  31. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:54 PM

    Bess, I love when you swear.

  32. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 2:57 PM

    @ 30- gushes.

  33. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:00 PM

    ivanka, how was the donald in the sack?

  34. Posted by Tax Chick | August 20, 2009 at 3:03 PM

    @15/32 – Really?! Is there really an appeal to banging a broad with diarrhea?! You honestly want shit on your sheets/ wall/ daddy’s car?! WTF?!

  35. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:03 PM

    he’s no gaspo. more like bernie. old jew, shrivelly dick, makes him look like he was never brissed.

  36. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:11 PM

    Old boy from the neighborhood
    Loves to swear and it’s understood.
    He’s there just to take good care of B.
    Like he’s curin’ some pa-stram-i.
    Charlie in charge of
    Rube’s days and his nights.
    Charlie in charge of
    Rube’s wrongs and his rights.

  37. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:15 PM

    @36 a new version of chaz in charge starring gaspo would. be. awesome.

  38. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:17 PM

    Are you now beginning to understand what Matt Taibbi is trying to say? Show me a former Goldman big who is happy he sold his soul to the Devil. Show me one. Yeah, that’s right bitches, the Devil with a capital D (not the N.J. Devils though).
    - The Devil
    P.S.: But for Wales?

  39. Posted by Anal_yst | August 20, 2009 at 3:17 PM

    @ Tax Chick
    I don’t think its the D they’re talkin about spittin, more of a creampie sorta thing, but wtf I could be wrong

  40. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:17 PM

    @34 Don’t knock it til you tried it…….

  41. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:19 PM

    @34 hey, tax chick: nobody said anything about a mud-squirting/gushing redeye. that’s not my cup of tea. maybe some of my coke whores were into that (with so much cheap blow being cut with diuretics . . .)

  42. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:19 PM

    @ 33, His chocolate star twinkles and twitches when my redeye spits.
    -I ;)

  43. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:21 PM

    @ 39 thanks for explaining to tax chick. i still haven’t heard back from bobby. you sound nice. let’s talk offline. xo/erin

  44. Posted by Tax Chick | August 20, 2009 at 3:26 PM

    @Anal – Thanks. I thought DB had hit a new all-time pervy low… which is impressive by DB standards.

  45. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:28 PM

    dont harvest my organs, bro

  46. Posted by Anal_yst | August 20, 2009 at 3:37 PM

    @tax chick
    Now did you know what I was talking about or did you hafta google it? Inquiring minds want to know…

  47. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:38 PM

    Tax Chick: HB or NHB?

  48. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 3:41 PM

    @Anal/@tax chick — I sense a flirty spark between you two, a little frisson. Nice. Do you swing? If so, you know where to find me tonight: Soho Grand. Best, Erin.

  49. Posted by Tax Chick | August 20, 2009 at 3:44 PM

    @Anal – no googling necessary. Got it before I finished reading your words.

  50. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 4:08 PM

    @24
    Obviously you don’t know the definition of tax evasion.

  51. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 4:14 PM

    Rubin is as thick skinned as they come. This story is bogus. Same can be said of Sandy and all the other perpetrators at Citi and Wall Street. Everything is a game where that who makes the most money wins. If you didn’t know that, what are you doing reading this?

  52. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 4:33 PM

    What can he do? Easy as pie though not reflected in 50+ posts above. He can give back the $50M to $100M he earned occupying space on park avenue. Other than that, there’s no way that the vice chairman of a company that blew through 1/2 a tril on his watch, and who considers himself a founding father of modern finance can justify his out of the loop bullshit tag line….

  53. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 4:45 PM

    @51: Bogus story you say? Do you know who the author is? Do you have any idea who it is you’re dealing with here??? You got more balls than sense, man. CG is as thin-skinned as they come. Better watch your ass…

  54. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 6:09 PM

    I will say this about Charlie, he’s right about being at ground zero of the convergence of media (journalism, blogging, tv) and deli meats.

  55. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 6:21 PM

    When you bend the elbow like Rubin, how can you have trouble sleeping?

  56. Posted by guest | August 20, 2009 at 6:58 PM

    Rubin – crying in his caviar? unlikely
    The Goldman crew are far too arrogant to even think someone could believe one of them

  57. Posted by guest | August 21, 2009 at 8:51 AM

    All I would like tosay is that everything I did at Citi I learned from Larry Summers. That included dozing off during meetings and wearing questionable dress and sitting in awkward poses.
    Citi.
    Let’s get it done.

  58. Posted by guest | November 10, 2009 at 12:42 PM

    Having reviewed Mr. Rubin’s behaviour at the Fed – suppressing any regulatory effort on behalf of the government(Brooksley Born) and his golden parachute into Citigroup, I’m amazed that this sleazy man has not faced corruption charges.

  59. Posted by guest | November 10, 2009 at 12:42 PM

    Having reviewed Mr. Rubin’s behaviour at the Fed – suppressing any regulatory effort on behalf of the government(Brooksley Born) and his golden parachute into Citigroup, I’m amazed that this sleazy man has not faced corruption charges.

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