One of the things you learn as a college president is that if an undergraduate is wearing a tie and jacket on Thursday afternoon at three o’clock, there are two possibilities. One is that they’re looking for a job and have an interview; the other is that they are an asshole. This was the latter case.Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, giving his take on the Winklevoss twins. As dramatized in the film the “Social Network,” the well-heeled, well-connected twins once asked Summers—who was president of Harvard at the time—to intervene in their dispute with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. (via officialssay)
CHARLES FERGUSON (Inside Job writer/director) : Are you comfortable with the fact that several of your member companies have engaged in large-scale criminal activity? SCOTT TALBOTT (Chief lobbyist, Financial Services Roundtable): You’ll have to be specific.—
I’ve seen this documentary three or four times now, and every time, this exchange sticks with me for days.
Watched this movie for the first time while hovering over Quebec during the middle of a nine-hour flight. (OK, OK. Maybe it was Newfoundland — wasn’t really keeping track.) It’s sobering. Perhaps the most sobering part is something clear to people who have been watching the current administration but the film painstakingly makes clear — most of Obama’s financial appointees are the same people who the film says caused the current financial crisis. Especially Larry Summers. Which is funny because just before this I watched “The Social Network” and immensely appreciated the scene where Summers put the Winklevi in their place. Was so conflicted at the end of that flight.
I think we’ve had a very capable and good cabinet that has helped move the president’s agenda forward.Obama’s Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs • Emphasizing that there shouldn’t be major changes to the cabinet on the horizon, despite the departure of at least one major figure, top economic adviser Larry Summers (he’s stepping down). However, not all reports agree with that assessment. Among other things Gibbs said on “State of the Union”: Obama is likely to run in 2012, though he hasn’t made it official yet, and he offered hope that the GOP would work more with Democrats in the upcoming session, referring to the “cranky bipartisanship” that the successful lame-duck session wrought. source (via • follow)
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
