Summers' deserved disqualification from Fed chair
It is profoundly fitting that Larry Summers was knocked out of the running for Fed Chair on the fifth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Summers is one of the grand architects of the deregulated financial system that led to the financial crash and – unlike others – he’s failed to acknowledge his errors. Surely repeated failure on a grand scale, combined by a refusal to acknowledge that failure, should disqualify individuals for promotion – including to the most powerful central bank position in the world.
Summers had other disqualifying baggage as well, including Wall Street conflict of interest issues and a history of evidencing disrespect for women.
Public Citizen helped lead the charge against Summers, generating thousands of petition signatures against his nomination at our website ForgetLarry.Org, uncovering and highlighting potential ethical conflicts due to his previous employment at Citigroup, and directly lobbying the Senate. We hope with Summers removed from consideration that the President will now appoint someone committed to regulating Wall Street and the Big Banks, and to prioritizing solutions to the nation’s deep, ongoing jobs crisis.