Petition assails Summers over deregulator role / Kuttner touts Bair as alternative

Click to the following direct link at "Open Left."

This petition cites Lawrence Summers' centrist policies and philosophies while in Bill Clinton's second term --as Treasury Secretary in the last year and a half of his presidency.

The petition at Open Left asks Barack Obama to refrain from appointing Summers for a second stint as Treasury Secretary.

The petition notes:

"In 1999, Summers was a proponent within the Clinton administration of the Gramm bill to deregulate the banking industry, and as such, bears responsibility for the current environment."

And it notes Summers' position on the free trade agreement, NAFTA:

"I think the decision to support NAFTA was a crucial one because it was really a watershed as to whether America was going to stand for larger markets, was going to stand for forward defense of our interests by trying to have a more integrated global economy [in] which countries were growing."

It closes by noting Summers' description of Africa as "under-polluted" and his statements on women's ability to study science.

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JUDICIOUS ALTERNATIVES TO LAWRENCE SUMMERS
Instead, Obama should select a more progressive figure. One figure is Timothy Geithner, suggested by Robert Kuttner, in "Meet the Next Treasury Secretary," in October's "American Prospect." Another figure he suggested is Sheila Bair, the chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Newsweek interviewed her in July, as the financing crisis grew, "Is Your Bank at Risk? A Q&A With FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair."
As the magazine summarized Kuttner, "The best person for the job will have establishment credentials and understand that the solution is re-regulation." Others that Kuttner recommends for the Treasury post include Jon Corzine, Daniel Tarullo or Roger Altman.

CORRECTION on: Clinton to Covention: don't nominate me

The New York "Daily News" and Raw Story report this morning that Senator Hillary Clinton (New York) will not submit the petition asking to be nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month. Clinton has been urging her 1,886 delegates to support presumptive nominee Senator Barack Obama (Illinois).

Democratic Party rules require candidates to submit petitions, asking to be place in nomination. Observers are seeing Clinton's move as an indication of party unity with Obama. However, some Clinton insiders fear that an actual vote count on the floor might embarrass Clinton, as many Clinton delegates have announced their allegiance to Obama.

The Convention will be held from August 25 to August 28. Clinton is scheduled to speak on August 26.

CORRECTION:It is an open question, once again, as to whether Clinton will allow her name to be placed in nomination. Reports in the last hour on an online webchat that Clinton had today, Thursday, August 7, reinstate the mystery as to whether she might allow this her name to be placed in nomination, particularly this Associated Press report, "Obama rejects talk of trouble from Clinton backers."

Neither this article, nor others posted in the last hour address the question of a petition-to-be-nominated. Additionally, there are words of concern in the AP story on Clinton's role in the convention:

"As is true in all conventions, we're still working out the mechanics, the coordination," Obama said. One such issue is whether there will be a convention roll call on Clinton's nomination, he said.

"I'm letting our respective teams work out details," he said. Asked if that meant he wouldn't object to her name being placed in nomination and a vote taken, Obama said: "I didn't say that. I said that they're working it out."

And from Clinton, from the August 7 webchat:

In the Web chat, one person asked Clinton directly: "Are you truly supporting Sen. Obama and encouraging your supporters to do the same or are you just saying what you have to?" Clinton insisted she was sincerely behind Obama.

Another questioner wanted to know if there was "any possibility" her name would be placed in nomination, arguing that doing so "would at least give your supporters a voice in the choice for the party's nominee." She was noncommittal.