Tweet
AIG ads probably won't be highlighting the $1.2 billion in executive bonuses they paid out with TARP funds
In what borders on performance art, AIG is launching a condescendingpublic relations campaign to thank American taxpayers for letting them extort bailout money from Congress.
From Politico:
American International Group is launching an ad campaign that will air during post-season football games, awards shows and morning news programs and thanks taxpayers for coming to the insurer’s rescue during the financial crisis.
The “Thank You America” campaign will highlight AIG’s recovery and the repayment of the federal government’s bailout, which at its peak in 2009 consisted of a $182.3 billion commitment from the Treasury and the Federal Reserve…
The campaign follows Treasury’s announcement earlier this month that it sold its final shares of AIG. The ads will highlight the calculation that the government made a $22.7 billion profit on the bailout.
Profit? So now the government is the capitalist? Now would be a good time to lecture China on the virtues of free markets.
And what is the message here from AIG?
“I needed money so I stole your car, robbed a liquor store, and now I am giving you your car back and I left a portion of the liquor store loot…”
“Thank you?”
“You’re welcome!”
7 Comments
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About FDL News Desk
Of course they will… a Dem wipeout in 2014 will make Obama’s job that much easier.
During the bowl game, I saw an AIG ad in which the company patted itself on the back for paying out billions of collars in Hurricane Sandy-related claims.
That, and JP Morgan Chase’s “Happy Holidays” ad.
Charming.
I don’t even watch TV and have seen numerous on line ads from Goldman Sachs, Citibank, JP Morgan, etc.
But then every time I see them it’s just like getting feces thrown at you all over again. These people obviously live in a different world than we do to even think these ads have a snowball’s chance in hell changing anyone’s opinion.
The ads will be wildly successful. Americans worship the wealthy and love to be acknowledged by them.
Of course the banks don’t need to thank us. They own us.
What makes these ads even more offensive is the audiobook I’ve been listening to: “All the Devils Are Here,” by Bethany McLean. She lays out in painful detail the greed, hubris, and macho stupidity on the part of the big financial-sector companies that led to the 2008 meltdown.
Slavery by definition when, “…the banks own us.”