Post your preemptive Summers defense here.

[JackRiddler]

Why wait for the sophistry until after the fact? Somewhere, someone's preparing talking points to rationalize the nomination of Larry Summers. Why can't we?!

I think he's pretty much the lone human* on the planet with the experience required to run the Federal Reserve, don't you? Any other choice would be irresponsible.

===

* or whatever he is.

[NoOneMan]

1. Huh? Preemptive? That makes no sense

I don't know what I am supposed to think until I am told to during the nomination. Oh, whatever would I bluelink to now?

[hlthe2b]

3. a thought...

just preemptively bluelink to a certain user's account.....

[JackRiddler]

4. A pro's answer, foot soldier.

[ProSense]

6. Here:

White House denies Obama set on Summers for Fed chief

The White House is denying a report claiming that President Obama has made a decision to nominate Larry Summers as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage dismissed the story in the Japanese newspaper Nikkei that Obama could pick Summers as early as next week.

Amy Brundage ✔ @Brundage44

Fed watchers: the latest rumors this morning in the Japanese press aren't true - POTUS has not yet made a decision on Fed Chair.
7:49 AM - 13 Sep 2013

- more -

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/economy/322077-japanese-newspaper-obama-to-nominate-summers-for-fed

"A pro's answer, foot soldier."

The OP and the comments here remind me of knee-jerk obsession. I used to think people were on a high horse and being self-righteous. Now, I'm convinced some suffer from an inferiority complex.

[daleanime]

14. I'll make a $50 donation....

if Summers isn't nominated within 2 weeks. I can't afford it, but I would love to spent it.

[msanthrope]

112. You owe somebody money, looks like. nt

[Vanje]

116. YaaaYYYYYyyyYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!

Summer's withdrawal from the nomination makes me very happy today.

[daleanime]

124. Thank god it's pay day....

but it still stings.

[Ninga]

23. Correct, however do you think Summers is the best choice, the right choice, the only choice? Nt

[LondonReign2]

41. She won't venture an "opinion" before the fact, silly

[ProSense]

42. How did you come to that silly conclusion? n/t

[NoOneMan]

54. I have never witnessed you giving a personal opinion before Democratic leaders speak

I mean, you've spent every waking hour of your life posting here, so sure, I bet 1 or 2 slipped through. For the most part you rubber stamp everything your chosen leaders say, with convenient blue link arguments to authority muddled in red herrings.

Though, I'm sure its just me. Right?

[ProSense]

43. No, and

"Correct, however do you think Summers is the best choice, the right choice, the only choice?"

...I think President Obama would have a hard time getting him confirmed. I do not like Larry Summers.

[NoOneMan]

55. "I do not like Larry Summers"

A personal opinion!!! Congratulations!

[Vanje]

91. +1

Wow!

[grahamhgreen]

101. Yay!

[rhett o rick]

123. Silly question. If Obama nominates him, he is the choice.

:scarcasm:

[Vanje]

90. Do you have a staff

or a capable assistant to gather link citations for your posts?

You are VERY fast.

[ProSense]

115. .

[JackRiddler]

47. Amazing...

Turns out you suggested exactly the current answer!

Why would anyone ask, right?

Hey, he's only a name floated for consideration, right?

Not like that indicates anything.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

2. He's a sharp dresser and I'm told he's very punctual. nt

[riderinthestorm]

5. Obama likes him and I trust Obama. Don't need anything else

(how'd I do?)

[L0oniX]

11. You've been assimilated!

[avaistheone1]

7. Obama wanted someone with experience...

but that kind of experience?!!

[KG]

8. Because Obama!

[Vanje]

94. +1!

[woo me with science]

9. "Larry Summers Gets 'Full-Throated Defense' From Obama..."

Who needs any other reason?

Larry Summers Gets 'Full-Throated Defense' From Obama In Capitol Hill Meeting
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014553343#post1

[pkdu]

79. Unnamed Congressman...(aka fucking coward)...used to compare Britney/Bush endorsement ..

That's the best anti Obama poo you can fling at the wall?

Double Fail... And if you choose to respond please address both Fails.

[woo me with science]

84. My only response is that

your absurd avoidance of the actual point here, that Obama is obviously seriously considering this predatory cretin for this position, is par for the course for the Call to Stupid propaganda that now pollutes DU on a regular basis.

Shame on you and every apologist for the corporate looting and destruction of the lives of millions of Americans, and this nation.

[pkdu]

89. Your only response is that you refuse to address the previously flung poo ...got it

Duly noted.

[joeybee12]

10. The position really doesn't have much power; he's not Putin...nt

[JackRiddler]

31. Winner!

[joeybee12]

33. Woo-hoo!

[woo me with science]

57. ******DING DING DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!******

See post 56.

[treestar]

12. Why is this person so hated?

Why is he the sina qua non of - whatever?

Why can't he run the Federal Reserve, or whatever? Is he in jail?

Did he gas anyone?

Did he, God forbid, work for a bank?

[TheKentuckian]

21. He shouldn't run the FED because his economic positions are dangerous, counterproductive, and failed

No need for him to be Hitler or a comic book Super Villain to be stridently opposed to his nomination just understanding that he has been a real part of the problems our nation faces and that his "solutions" are more toxic garbage even if he is associated with Democratic circles. All that means is he is more dangerous than TeaPubliKlan hacks because sharp eyes will be on them and they could not borrow Obama's shine to make them more palatable.

A person can just be a bad fit for a position, even when they have the paper qualifications down pat. One is not as good as the other. You think Summers would be a benefit to regular, working class Americans? Why???

Never before have I heard the filters you suggest for this kind of positions. Not in prison? Check! Hasn't gassed anyone? Check!

This fella has a substantial track record and it causes opposition. Why on Earth would that be difficult to fathom? The "logic" also unravels at the speed of light when applied to someone you might oppose for a position. What is wrong with Jeb Bush being President. No gassing. Not in jail. Must be ALL GOOD. No reason to worry your beautiful mind any further.

Incredibly dense and simplistic argument.

[treestar]

25. What are the underlying facts for just the first of these conclusions?

Keep in mind, I'm not arguing for him. I usually have too much to do to supervise Presidential picks for these jobs.

But why is he "a real part of the problems our nation faces." That's too general or vague to educate anyone.

What solutions to what? Why are they toxic?

[deutsey]

28. You could give Harvard a call

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-18/larry-summers-s-billion-dollar-bad-bet-at-harvard.html

..."During the financial crisis, Harvard lost nearly $1 billion because of some unusual and ill-judged interest rate swaps that Summers implemented in the early 2000s during his troubled tenure as the university's president."...

..."Not only was Summers wrong in 2004 about where interest rates would be -- he was willing to bet a lot of other people's money that he knew better than everyone else. The damage at Harvard was bad enough. Imagine what that sort of thing could do to the U.S. economy."...

[AnotherMcIntosh]

102. Maybe Obama doesn't know that. If he only knew, ...

[lumpy]

82. I would like to know more about the man also. Think anyone will have the answer as to why he

is a problem in this country?

[deutsey]

26. +1

[quinnox]

13. I trust MY president!

And that is all I need to know.

[tritsofme]

15. Summers is a strong pick.

I would absolutely support his nomination.

[Logical]

93. LOL, sarcasm I hope! nt

[Vanje]

95. No

Its not sarcasm, I'm very much afraid.

[Logical]

96. Low expectations stops disappointment! I understand. n-t

[jakeXT]

16. He knows all the crooks /nt

[MrTriumph]

30. How about, "He pals around with all the crooks."?

Better?

[highmindedhavi]

17. from Wikipedia

Summers hailed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999, which lifted more than six decades of restrictions against banks offering commercial banking, insurance, and investment services (by repealing key provisions in the 1933 Glass–Steagall Act): "Today Congress voted to update the rules that have governed financial services since the Great Depression and replace them with a system for the 21st century," Summers said. "This historic legislation will better enable American companies to compete in the new economy." Many critics, including President Barack Obama, have suggested the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis was caused by the partial repeal of the 1933 Glass–Steagall Act. Indeed, as a member of President Clinton's Working Group on Financial Markets, Summers, along with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Arthur Levitt, Fed Chairman Greenspan, and Secretary Rubin, torpedoed an effort to regulate the derivatives that many blame for bringing the financial market down in Fall 2008.

[Jackpine Radical]

18. OK--

"You always hated Obama."

Remember everything he did for us!

[font color=blue]{Insert a bunch of Links to Nowhere here}[/font]

"Republican Congress"

"Pony"

[leftstreet]

19. Could have had McCain Palin!!

[PowerToThePeople]

20. 15 dimensional chess

Edit - "Bacause, Obama." was already taken

Ya, I plagiarized that one...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

22. aren't we up to 27 dimensions by now?

We mere mortals, stuck in our rut outside the bloatway, have no voice for a reason. If only we were smart enough, connected enough, and experienced in the ways of govmint, then, maybe, Obama and his henchmen would listen to us. Instead, they continue to follow Rahm's lead on how to deal with us outsiders.

[PowerToThePeople]

24. Speaking of him

(I had to google to understand your meaning, what I found was interesting)

http://gapersblock.com/mechanics/2013/09/13/bloomberg-already-has-a-mayoral-successor-rahm-emanuel/
................
Regardless of who wins the November 5th election, Bloomberg's true mayoral successor - in both style and substance - doesn't even live in New York. In fact, Bloomberg's political heir is a face quite familiar to Chicago and the rest of the United States...Rahm Emanuel.
.................

[QC]

27. Wall Street trusts him. Market confidence is incredibly important

in a time as risky as ours.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

[truebrit71]

32. ^ this one gets my vote..

[QC]

77. Thank you. n/t

[HangOnKids]

29. Michelle has beautiful arms!

You are a HATER if you don't agree.

[QC]

35. **NOBODY** can rock a sleeveless gown like Michelle!!!!!

Therefore, Larry Summers should be appointed to chair the Federal Reserve Board.

[BuelahWitch]

45. Yeah, but what about Larry Summer's arms?

Can he go sleeveless or not?

[JackRiddler]

34. Larry may become a casualty of the Syria push

[woo me with science]

36. Has Ron Paul opposed him?

Or Putin?

[JackRiddler]

48. Rand Paul absolutely will.

There you go, settled!

[Safetykitten]

37. He is a repugnant grotesque 1% imbecile/sociopathic slob. That's hard to get those in one guy!

[Populist_Prole]

39. I second that

I've been reading economist's and economic blogs for years and I remembered that I tensed up in anger and disgust every time I read a piece posted by this guy Larry Summers. His economic summed up every anti-prole talking point made by the 1%. I was thinking, who is this jerk? Fast forward to now where he's destined to be a right hand man an an ostensibly more populist administration.

We're f*cked.

[Octafish]

38. James K. Galbraith would be good.

The guy doesn't believe in Trickle-Down, though.

[Politicub]

40. Here to learn

I haven't been paying as much attention to this as I probably should have been.

In general I would like to see more diversity in leadership, but that's more of a knee jerk, uninformed reaction.

It seems Obama sees something in Summers, so I want to figure out what that is instead of leap to the negative pile on. It could be that Obama knows him well and trusts him. Is that alone enough to warrant his appointment? No. But it could be part of it.

[yuiyoshida]

44. Are we sure he did not really mean

[KamaAina]

46. He was president of Harvard, for crying out loud!

*-okay, he almost ran it into the ground, but he was president of Harvard.

[JoeyT]

49. It doesn't matter what kind of person he is, as long as he knows how to get things done.

The generic defense tossed out whenever we're supposed to accept someone we despise, from Rahm to Kissinger.

[JackRiddler]

53. Why doesn't that work for Karl Rove?

Never mind the difference between Obama and Bush - there are several.

But seriously, what's the difference between Rahm and Rove?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

63. Emanuel might take a punch slightly better than turd blossom. That's about it. nt

[JackRiddler]

65. There's only one way to find out. ;-)

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

66. .

.

[JackRiddler]

74. And of course science requires punching both.

Last edited Sun Sep 15, 2013, 02:18 AM - Edit history (1)

Only way to settle the matter.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

100. Well I wouldn't have it any other way. I respect the

scientific method.

[NuclearDem]

119. But officer, it was for SCIENCE!

[Poll_Blind]

50. LOL! Priceless.

PB

[truedelphi]

51. Only defense for anything at all

that is "needed," by some who are very loyal:[h2][font color=red]


"BECAUSE OBAMA!"

[/h2][/font color=red]

[BeyondGeography]

52. Has not been convicted of either murder OR manslaughter

[Benton D Struckcheon]

56. Sorry, but I have a real hard time getting worked up about this

The Fed is basically irrelevant, except in times of crisis. You'd never know it from the breathless coverage it gets and the way the markets gyrate on every utterance of some obscure Fed governor from somewhere in flyover country, but really, it's been irrelevant ever since FDR invented the FDIC. The FDIC does the job the Fed had been originally intended for: it backs up, via its insurance fund, the solvency of the banking system. The Fed was supposed to do that by being the "Federal reserve": the reserve banks could go to to get cash in the event of a run. Didn't work out so hot in the Depression, so basically FDR canned the whole idea.
Read Money: Whence it Came, Where it Went, by Galbraith. It has a highly entertaining and very informative short history of the Fed. After it raised interest rates and shitcanned the economy again in the late thirties, their independence was taken away and they couldn't do a thing without the permission of the Treasury. Eisenhower restored their independence, since rightwingers actually think monetary policy does something. It doesn't. Real Keynesians know this.
Summers, believe it or not, knows all of this, and has said that fiscal policy is effective and monetary policy isn't. He's right. He may be a dick, he's certainly guilty of all the accusations that get thrown at him, but parking him at the Fed would just render him mostly harmless.

[JackRiddler]

60. Your lecture on the Fed is beside the point.

As you admit, implicitly.

Summers doesn't need to be parked anywhere. If someone owes him something, or if there is some kind of hidden lobby for him that must be satisfied, then that is a serious problem beyond who gets to sit in the Fed Chair's fancy chair.

A government that keeps finding high-profile jobs for Summers, when literally thousands of faceless technocrats are qualified to do the same jobs, is sending a message. The message matters. He's like the freak flag of the power elite flying on the mast.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

68. That's a point.

I don't like him any more than you do. I just figured he'd be pretty harmless over there. But yeah, it does allow him to mouth off and be listened to when he does, which wouldn't be a good thing.

[1-Old-Man]

58. 9-Dimensional-Chess, and we're just not smart enough to understand.

[MannyGoldstein]

59. Larry Summers is the *only* man experienced enough

and smart enough to save us from the utter economic destruction caused by Larry "Toonces" Summers.

[JackRiddler]

61. Good one.

"The only thing that can kill Barnes is Barnes!"

[trumad]

64. Snarf...

Best post ever.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

67. .

.

[Douglas Carpenter]

62. Maybe, just maybe, Obama is smarter than some of you

I know it's hard for you to comprehend, but maybe he's better at this than you are at whatever you do for a living, and you just cannot deal with it.

Maybe some of you cannot deal with an African American man being good at his job.

Maybe.

--On edit--

I'm not apologizing for what I posted. I said clearly, "Maybe some of you cannot deal with an African American man being good at his job."

If you're not in that group, then my post wasn't directed at you. I never said that all criticism of Obama is racist which is what some of you have interpreted it to mean.

my special thanks to Yavin4 for such a fine essay that is applicable to all conceivable circumstances-- http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023636995

and of course to the lovely Miss Spears whose philosophy can now be found here on DU on a daily basis

[woo me with science]

69. "...that is applicable to all conceivable circumstances."

[nadinbrzezinski]

72. Look at 71, great minds think alike

I just staid out of actually linking to it

[joshcryer]

70. Way too easy: "Putting three Republicans in my Cabinet...is unprecedented."

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/feb/10/barack-obama/Three-Republicans-Cabinet-Most/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/us/politics/03gregg.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/3448362/Barack-Obama-to-appoint-Republicans-to-key-cabinet-roles.html

The head of his transition team said the President-elect wanted to make genuine efforts to reach out across the parties.

John Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, said Republicans and independents would be in Mr Obama's cabinet and lower-level jobs at "not just a token level".

The news came as Mr Obama revealed he had asked two leading Democrat and a Republican figures to meet delegates on his behalf at the G20 financial summit in Washington at the weekend.

Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State under Mr Clinton, and Jim Leach, a former Republican congressman, will represent him during the talks.

This is the guy who was supported. A Summers pick wouldn't surprise me in the least.

[nadinbrzezinski]

71. The President is more intelligent than you

(For real that was an OP)

[DirkGently]

73. The other contender is a Paulite Russian pole dancer without a conscience?

[JackRiddler]

75. Larry's going down thanks to Tester, it seems.

Front page of Wall Street Journal weekend edition: Jon Tester (D-Montana), who's on the banking committee, and who's fairly solid on issues of banksterism as well as the Bill of Rights, has announced he will oppose a Summers nomination, as two other Democratic senators have also done. Summers would be confirmable only with Republican votes. Perhaps this will dissuade Obama. Or maybe, in the spirit of reaching across the aisle, we can still get Larry forced on the nation. Again.

[JackRiddler]

88. By the way, not that it makes a diff.

Last edited Sun Sep 15, 2013, 11:05 AM - Edit history (1)

Summers or Summers-alt, the main signal of floating his name and allowing to stay floated for so long is that policy for the 1% will remain in place and Consistently Doing the Wrong Thing (because it's good for the 1%) is a qualification.

[DJ13]

76. Bill Clinton trusted him

who are we to question his taste in sleazeballs?

[Warpy]

78. He's a snappy dresser and uses big words without saying anything useful.

Plus, he has a penis, that's the main qualification right there.

[Incitatus]

80. Elizabeth Warren seems to care more about the people than the banks.

I must admit ignorance on Summers, so I won't comment on him.

[madrchsod]

81. ?

[fascisthunter]

83. it's all a ploy, maaaaaaan

we vichy cushion loungers invested say so... trust us. We wouldn't lie.

[Progressive dog]

85. I think the guy we elected President gets to choose who gets appointed,

and I certainly am not going to complain about something that hasn't happened. Hey, look on the bright side, the President is probably too busy starting wars and stuff like that to bother appointing anyone.
If Summers is appointed, it only takes 41 votes to stop the confirmation. It should be easy to convince the party of no to stop just one more Obama appointee.

[morningfog]

86. It is an elaborate long game plan to get the repubs to come out against Summers'

conservative policies. When Summers is caught in a scandal a year or so from now, and is forced to resign and his positions discredited, you will see. Obama will be vindicated, because he planned it all along.

[Marr]

87. I think it'll just be one of those issues the fan club doesn't engage on at all.

They'll just ignore it for a week or so, and then stamp all references to Summers as Old News™.

[Vanje]

92. You would'nt be against Summers....

if he was ______(name any x-president, R or D)______________'s choice?

You just hate him because of your Obama-hatred!




(How'd I do?)

[Aerows]

97. He's aware that math exists

His math may not usually add up, but he does know it exists!

[JackRiddler]

98. And he can do it better than the women!

Oh, wait, that's actually what he said, more or less,

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/18/national/18harvard.html?_r=0

but maybe not quite a talking point in his favor.

Just need to spin it away somehow... like he didn't really say it, the people who complained were secretly Republican, etc. etc.

[Aerows]

99. He meant that he could do it better than Republican women

because any woman that votes for a Republican is obviously lacking in brains.

How's that?

[Fumesucker]

103. Larry Summers is the only possible pick for the Fed Chairman because shut up, that's why

Nice premise for a thread, I actually LOLed a couple of times, we should do this more often.

[JackRiddler]

104. Nice work everybody!

Last edited Sun Sep 15, 2013, 05:52 PM - Edit history (1)

I mean it.

You were an infinitessimal part of a general revulsion against Summers that has now forced his self-withdrawal.

It's a minor victory - the banksters still rule, nothing will change. The same policies will be put forth no matter which anonymous technocrats sit in the key portfolios. That will be so until we put together a much bigger uprising than making fun of Summers. But it shows that infinitessimals can accumulate into a real effect.

This week, the power elite don't get to glorify a walking representation of their absolute contempt for the people.

Too bad the same response didn't hit Kissinger.

[Cali_Democrat]

106. Yup. DU did the heavy lifting on this one

[JackRiddler]

107. Shame on you for your lying lies.

Last edited Mon Sep 16, 2013, 12:37 PM - Edit history (1)

Anyone who can read knows I said nothing of the sort. Do you understand the meaning of "infinitessimal"?

Millions of people expressing their revulsion in many ways caused Summers to be too much of a liability. Not a single one outside the Senate was significant, and yet cumulatively it had an effect. So he was withdrawn, or "withdrew."

In fact, I anticipated some bullshit about how clever Obama was to float Summers and then watch him be burned so that the next nominee blah blah blah. So I posted something that's a lot closer to the real story: The administration floated the super-motherfucker world-destroying advocate of pollution in Africa who deregulated banking directly opening the way to the major 2000s financial frauds enriching himself and his class Summers, and millions of people said: Ugh! Disgusting! And caused him to be mocked the fuck out.

There's also some other bullshit currently about how Obama should get credit for not bombing Syria like he said he would last week. These denials of what really happened and OUR role in it as peoples of this earth is an attempt to disempower us. Millions of people said no to a new U.S. war in Syria, and we count. Public opinion turned against the intervention plan. The UK parliament voted it down. The international community protested. The House was going to vote it down. And finally the Russians stood up to it. And thankfully Obama backed down from the war plan - maybe McCain would not have, so we'll give him that.

[Safetykitten]

117. Excellent post.

[JackRiddler]

122. Thank you.

[Safetykitten]

111. You are correct. Good work to everyone here!

[great white snark]

113. Are you fucking serious?

[ProSense]

114. .

[JackRiddler]

121. Unlike you, yes.

In this case Mr. Pitt really got it right:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023673196

You totally win because of your use of the "ROFL" smiley, however. Such a winner are you!

[Bolo Boffin]

105. Darn. n/t

[JackRiddler]

108. So now it means nothing...

that this motherfucker's name was floated?

[Bolo Boffin]

109. Isn't it awful?

That in a thread you started to revel in Obama defenders moving the goalposts to justify Larry Summers being nominated, you'd have to move the goalposts yourself to keep hating on Obama about this?

At least you did it in response to me, Jack. Have yourself a wonderful day.

[JackRiddler]

110. I'm sorry, who are you?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023673196

[Bolo Boffin]

118. You don't remember me? How sad.

We'll always have DU2.

[JackRiddler]

120. As to the point of this thread, Mr. Pitt

in this case said it best:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023673196

As to whoever or whatever you are, I'm sure everything in one's experience is worth remembering but some people are better forgotten.