Chapter 1: The Grifter Archipelago; or, Why the Tea Party Doesn't Matter Summary and Analysis

Reporter Matt Taibbi of "The Rolling Stone" magazine, was at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 3, 2008, listening to the acceptance speech of Republican nominee for vice president, Sarah Palin. Taibbi was exhausted after the eighteen month-long campaign that was filled with anger and bitterness. No one knew that in two short weeks the American economy would implode. During the first half of the year, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns lost most of their value. Lehman would file bankruptcy in the next two weeks and set off a global economic crisis. A Ponzi scheme surrounding the American real estate market and investment fraud would later be identified as the culprits behind the economic collapse.

Matt looked at McCain's choice...