The New York Times notes that the 'fat cats' of Wall Street don't seem to be all that frightened of the Big Bad Barack anymore:
President Obama didn’t exactly look thrilled as he stared at the Polycom speakerphone in front of him. “Well, I appreciate you guys calling in,” he began the meeting at the White House with Wall Street’s top brass on Monday.
He was, of course, referring to the three conspicuously absent attendees who were being piped in by telephone: Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs; John J. Mack, chairman of Morgan Stanley; and Richard D. Parsons, chairman of Citigroup.
Their excuse? “Inclement weather,” according to the White House. More precisely, fog delayed flights into Reagan National Airport. (In the “no good deed goes unpunished” category, the absent bankers were at least self-aware enough to try to fly commercial.)
That awkward moment on speakerphone in the White House, for better or worse, spoke volumes about how the balance of power between Wall Street and Washington has shifted again, back in Wall Street’s favor.
The author of the Times article tries to sell the idea that this shift is due to the return of bailout funds, but I'd suggest it has more to due with the fact that the titans of Wall Street have had a chance to take their measure of Obama... and they've found him wanting.
Let's face it, guys like Jamie Dimon, Richard Parsons and Lloyd Blankfein a championship-caliber nut cutters. Each has a finely tuned sense of other men's weaknesses. It's one of the reasons they're where they are. They've seen Obama refuse to back Tim Geithner's attempts at regulatory reform, and they've watched him allow congressional Democrats do the same for no reason other than protecting their own entirely parochial interests.
Yes, they've measured Barack Obama, and by blowing him off by way of "inclement weather", they've announced to the world what they've measured him as...
A bitch.
Ouch !
Well, be of good cheer. He's sure to make a splash (splat?) at Hopenhagen !
Anybody else reminded of that scene in the graveyard in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" when everybody was eyeing each other, not wanting to draw first, while the music the watch was playing got slower and slower ?
Posted by: Mike C. | December 15, 2009 at 08:04 PM
Huh. The angst against the One is amping up again here at Peasant Manor. Either you are back on the pain meds or another experiment is underway.
Posted by: Dan from Madison | December 15, 2009 at 08:06 PM
No meds or experiments... Just the joy of watching Obama catch fire and go down in flames.
Posted by: Dennis The Peasant | December 15, 2009 at 08:23 PM
Huh. Bing returns 401,000 results for "Obama is a pussy".
Target rich environment, looks like.
Posted by: Randy Rager | December 15, 2009 at 09:08 PM
"Just the joy of watching Obama catch fire and go down in flames."
Carbon fetishist!
Posted by: Progressive White Liberal | December 15, 2009 at 10:17 PM
Not just A bitch, Dennis. He's their bitch.
Posted by: JeffS | December 16, 2009 at 12:53 AM
Trouble is, Ahmadinejad, Putin, and other nasties have taken his measure in the same way.
Posted by: Person of Choler | December 16, 2009 at 07:54 AM
Look at the upside, Dennis. Obie still scares the shit out of the senior citizens waiting for their meds.
Posted by: richard mcenroe | December 17, 2009 at 10:43 PM