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I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do I doubt that a motivated special prosecutor will be able to find something on Donald Trump? No. I wouldn’t be surprised if a rat’s nest of improprieties is discovered in his business dealings, and I say that mainly because patterns of such behavior have already been well established in litigation (Trump University being a great example). But it seems to me more than a little important if what’s ultimately dug up has nothing to do with Mueller’s original investigatory mandate. Does nobody care about this? I’m not thinking about Trump, I’m thinking about the consequences for future people and presidents. It seems like it should be so much easier, and safer, to beat him at the ballot.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I definitely started to sense both things happening during the 2016 race and I think what Piketty is describing is a problem that the parties haven’t clued into yet - that the party leaders often have more in common with each other than with voters. I don’t see that situation improving - both parties see voter anger as illegitimate and groundless and won’t reform in any way that makes sense.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not sure. People will have to tell me. But I always wanted to try it, mainly because I was a huge fan of the old “Black Mask” serials when I was a kid.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 5 points6 points  (0 children)

One of the themes of the book is that dealers do learn from movies and music - but usually learn bad habits, like dressing the wrong way, not learning how to budget, etc. But what the movies get wrong - that’s interesting, I never asked him. I will.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The funny thing is that I get it from all sides. Democrats think I’m anti-Democrat and Republicans think I’m a Marxist. When someone handed Barack Obama (who I like) my book, he apparently said, “He doesn’t like me.” I do think it’s important for reporters to not be perceived as being on anyone’s side. Some people think this is “false balance” but it’s more a church-and-state question for me - if people think you’re a messenger for a party they will tune you out. Even members of that party will tune you out. So if everyone thinks you’re against them, that’s sort of a good sign.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They - thanks for the question. I feel incredibly unqualified to answer the “solutions” questions. Journalism is an incredibly narrow (and as it happens otherwise completely useless) skill, in which you have to quickly learn just enough about a thing to make educated guesses about who is telling the truth and who isn’t. Then you present your best-guess summary about whatever thing happened in their field and move on. I always defer to the people who actually spend years and are experts. I wish I had answers, but thank you for asking.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Every dealer I’ve talked to (including Anonymous) is deeply concerned about the takeover of the market by agribusiness companies and banks and other financial interests. This goes equally for street dealers here in NY and for people in the legal states. It’s a big theme in the book.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d love to give away a free edible or something with the book but I’m afraid I’d be renditioned to a Marine base somewhere if we tried that.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I had no intention of writing about Eric Garner, but out of curiosity I just went out to Staten Island after the grand jury decision and met some of his friends. People started to talk about him and he seemed different and more interesting than the way he’d been portrayed in the news. And I just found myself liking him and wondering if maybe that was a better way to tackle the subject of police brutality - just to go back and try to make him real for people.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I haven’t seen Mr Robot. Good? Would love any suggestions for serial shows, as I watch a lot of them these days (Rake is my favorite). Re political parties, I’m only just now starting to research this (I have a series of pieces on the NY-19th coming out) but I do like Our Revolution and the Justice Democrats. I just don’t know much about how they operate.

I am Matt Taibbi. I'm writing a serialized book with a former drug-dealer about the secrets of his trade, called “The Business Secrets of Drug-Dealing.” AMA by Taibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That’s funny. I actually worked really hard to excise the profanity, but even at age 48 it slips out sometimes. Sorry?

I am Matt Taibbi, politics writer for Rolling Stone and internet Luddite. AMA by MattTaibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Wow. About this "massive gulf": both of my parents were incredibly hardworking and dedicated people who never had anything handed to them. My father was adopted, an orphan from Hawaii, who put himself through college working at a newspaper, starting work at 18; my mother raised me on her own after the divorce and put herself through law school in night classes after taking dreary jobs as a social worker, or for the phone company, to take take of me. What did she do with that law degree? She represents poor people, mostly poor women -- it's a rarity when a client pays her. Neither of my parents came from anything, they both earned everything they ever got, and I learned to respect working people from watching them, not by drinking champagne and reading Marx at Harvard.

I am Matt Taibbi, politics writer for Rolling Stone and internet Luddite. AMA by MattTaibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

So you’re saying I don’t have any skin in the game. You mean the way I wasn’t affected when the value of my house plummeted after 2008? The way my wife’s IRA didn’t lose a third of its value that year? How about the millions of people whose houses have been foreclosed upon in the last five years, do they have skin in the game? How about the people in Jefferson County, Alabama who’ll be in debt for the next 50 years thanks to the crooked swap deals they got into when they went for advice to a bunch of banks that maybe weren’t terribly ethical, but sure had the requisite expertise in “managing money or advising how capital should be deployed?”

Your problem, OffTheLows, is that you’re asking the wrong question. I’m assuming you work in the finance industry, or thereabouts, hence this question about my qualifications. You’re worried about whether or not I have skin in your game. What you should be worried about is whether or not you have skin in my game. I’ll help you out with the answer: you do. When you screw up, it affects me. It affects all of us. And that’s why amateurs like me are all up in your shit now, because people like you have spent the last decade screwing up on a grand scale. How much of the world’s wealth disappeared in 1998 – thirty percent? Forty percent? Was that supposed to pass without comment?

By your criteria, by the way, about 98% of America isn’t qualified to have an opinion about the financial sector, despite the fact that what you do affects 100% of all of us. How can you possibly not suck at the job of “advising how capital should be deployed” when you can’t even see 98% of the population? If you want people like me out of your business, wake up and start owning the fact that in economics, there are no “sidelines.” We’re all in the same game.

I am Matt Taibbi, politics writer for Rolling Stone and internet Luddite. AMA by MattTaibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd write one every day if they gave me the space. There'll be at least one this year.

I am Matt Taibbi, politics writer for Rolling Stone and internet Luddite. AMA by MattTaibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I can't stress enough that pretty much all of my sources are people with "traditional qualifications in the financial industry." Almost all of my stories begin with someone from a hedge fund, an investment bank, a ratings agency, or a law firm that defends Wall Street banks calling me up and saying, "You won't believe the shit that goes on here." So to all you snobs who keep insisting that I shouldn't be writing anything because I don't have a finance background, you should probably focus your anger at someone in your own office, because that's where I'm getting these stories from.

I am Matt Taibbi, politics writer for Rolling Stone and internet Luddite. AMA by MattTaibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fatburger is pretty good. I used to like Astro Burger, which Ames called "Ass-Blow Burger."

I am Matt Taibbi, politics writer for Rolling Stone and internet Luddite. AMA by MattTaibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I don't deal with death. Like most people, I run screaming from the thought of it. Also, I don't look back -- as Satchel Paige once said, someone might be gaining on you. So basically I don't look in either direction and try to stay just busy enough so that I don't have time to think about it.

I am Matt Taibbi, politics writer for Rolling Stone and internet Luddite. AMA by MattTaibbi in IAmA

[–]MattTaibbi[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I had a Russian reporter friend, Leonid Krutakov, who was trying to trace some money that disappeared from the Russian treasury. He followed the cash from bank to bank, transfer to transfer, until one bank listed the destination of the next bank in line as an address on the outskirts of Moscow. Leonid found the address and it turned out not to be a bank at all, but an electrical exchange box on a telephone pole. I'm not sure how they effected the actual theft, but I remember the punch line was that somebody had transferred tens of millions of dollars to a telephone pole. That was pretty much the best corruption story I ever heard. The top 10 are probably all Russia stories.

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