Shots In The Dark: Talk about Funny Money

Saturday, June 24, 2024

Talk about Funny Money

Anita Raghavan has a great tidbit in this morning's Wall Street Journal.

It's brief, so I'll quote:

Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers in his final commencement address offered praise for "a Bronx postman's son," a Harvard graduate "whose life was changed" by his education there. "This man," Mr. Summers said earlier this month, "is now to lead one of America's great financial firms."

Though he went unnamed in the speech, the description fits Lloyd C. Blankfein, the incoming chairman and chief executive of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. What also went unmentioned: Mr. Summers has been talking to Mr. Blankfein about a job.

The pair met in New York three months ago to discuss employment possibilities at Goldman, according to people familiar with the meeting. Aware of the job talks, a member of the university's governing board described the president's allusion to Mr. Blankfein in the commencement speech as "self-serving." A spokesman for Mr. Summers declined to comment.

So much to say about this, but a prior engagement beckons. Meantime, your thoughts?

¶ 7:49 AM

Comments:

Let's give Larry a break, please. As long as he did not use the person's name, and as long as the anecdote is true, so what if he is talking with the man's firm about a job? The story did serve the purpose -- showing that higher education, including at Harvard, can open the doors to social opportunity.

# posted by Anonymous : 8:43 AM

There are numerous stories that would illustrate exactly the same idea, so the fact that he chose this particular example seems self-serving. I wonder how Larry feels about such a suggestion from the WSJ.

# posted by Anonymous : 9:59 AM

I am reliably informed that the author of this piece is not Ms. Raghavan, but Zachary M. Seward, who is listed as a contributor.

And what about the tantalizing talk of a Summers book? Perhaps a tell-all?

# posted by Anonymous : 10:57 AM

Obviously self-serving, and anon #1 is either naive or a shill. What is wrong with this congruence is what is wrong with Summers: everything he does and says is self-serving.

# posted by Anonymous : 11:41 AM

Somehow I suspect that Larry is not operating under the misapprehension that a vague allusion to Lloyd Blankfein in a speech is likely to net him a better job at Goldman Sachs.

# posted by Anonymous : 7:57 PM

So Larry knows that flattery gets you nowhere, and just coincidentally pulled this example out from many, never, never thinking it would help his job aspirations or that anyone would be so callous and cynical to think so. He's too brilliant to have thought otherwise, right? One more week!

# posted by Anonymous : 10:21 PM

It was, you know, sort of timely. He didn't have to comb through too many examples in the last couple weeks to find this one.

# posted by Anonymous : 11:30 AM

The corporation had to be worried beforehand that Summers would do a lot more in his farewell address than toss in one "self-serving" allusion. Someone clearly took the trouble to call up the WSJ and complain a couple weeks later which may tell us as much about that person at this point as it does about Summers.

# posted by Anonymous : 3:01 PM

Summers be gone!

# posted by Anonymous : 12:20 AM

"Begone" I think you mean. He 'be gone" 6/30, Friday, midnight.

# posted by Anonymous : 12:59 AM

Any comments about the remarkable interview on ABC's "This Week" this morning?
Surely Stephanopoulos's most unprofessional moment. A Fox News guy could not have thrown more soft ball questions. Was this a set-up by mutual friend Gene Sperling?

http://abcnews.go.com/
ThisWeek/story?id=2115161&page;=1

# posted by Anonymous : 1:26 AM

As the subject of many items appearing here, I have so far resisted responding to anything written on this blog, though I have been reading it for some time. I feel I must, however, make a comment at this point, so offensive is the suggestion that I would pander to Goldman Sachs in order to get a job. Plato divides us into three categories: those driven by the mind, those driven by the heart and those driven by their lower natures (i.e., their desires). I think all would agree I fall clearly into the first category. Thus, when I speak, I speak, not with an intent to benefit myself, but with an intent to convey knowledge and understanding to those less blessed with same than I. Period. I would ask that you retract this outrageous assertion and apologize, perhaps by reprinting my entire speech word for word.

Larry Summers, President

# posted by Anonymous : 12:28 PM

Bravo! Bravo! Larry, that was exactly what needed to be said.

# posted by Anonymous : 1:36 PM

Toast to Larry!

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

(thanks, Walt)

# posted by Anonymous : 10:10 PM

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