Finish his law degree? No, Brian Deese has G.M. to dismantle.
A few years ago, Brian Deese put his studies at Yale Law School on hold to volunteer for the presidential campaigns of Sen. Hillary Clinton LAW '73 and, after she dropped out of the race, then-Sen. Barack Obama. After the election, it might have seemed likely that Deese would return to the Law School, where he was once a member of the class of 2008, to receive his degree.
But it turned out President Obama had another assignment in store for Deese: He would be made responsible for the fate of the U.S. auto industry.
A special assistant to the...
I hear ya. Funny how a person, who's only education is rooted in political science, gets a crack at revamping the US auto industry without even having stepped foot in a car manufacturing plant. Worst yet, he probably leases his personal vehicles... Oh wait, he's the next generation of gov't sycophants lining up to get some scraps. Man what happened to a man is only worth as much as puts in???
Brian is one of the smartest people I met at YLS. It's not political payback...there were plenty of Ivy League campaign staffers...it's a well deserved nod to his talent.
Well, excuse me, if I'm a trifle skeptical. This obviously bright young man, has not worked a real job, started or run a business, made a payroll, studied business, worked in manufacturing, supported a family, or paid any significant taxes, and probably couldn't sort out a form any more deftly than our current Treasury Secretary. Of course, he has a business resume and body of experience which rivals that of President Obama.... only Obama has won three elections and worked for ACORN.
Call me crazy, but I wouldn't hire a candy striper for brain surgery, or Boy Scout for the Navy Seals. At least this Administration is consistant.
I've never owned a GM or Chrysler vehicle in my life. And now I'm more certain than ever that I never will. This is just plain insanity. Obamanation has certainly arrived and it's stillborn.
the immate running gm / i give gm one year and out
DN - Yes, this is political payback. This guy has never worked in the private sector nor has he run a business, and he does not even have a business degree. So what if he is "smart"? There are plenty of smart people who do not succeed. And, how are you defining "smart"? Just because he may have a high GPA does not translate into business savvy. Why would you not put in someone who has business experience and manufacturing experience? This is one of the dumbest things Obama has done (and there are plenty); however, what do you expect from someone who had no experience running a business yet was able to schmooz his way into the presidency.
Has the guy ever even held a job in business? Any business? Anywhere? EVER????
Right...just another "genius" appointed by the Genius of all genuiuses".
We are truly screwed.
Saying he was one of the brightest you met at Yale Law School isnt saying much....Bush was part of your party there after all. Let's face it....when you dont have the brains to become a doctor or engineer, you go to law school. Congress is overrun with lawyers, and if it were a business it would have vanished from the face of the earth over 100 years ago. This was so obviously a back scratch appointment that to deny it makes you look like a blazing idiot.
It doesn't matter how smart or talented he is. Intelligence and talent do not equate to the wisdom, knowledge and perspective that come from working in a complex industry (like the automotive industry), or ANY industry for that matter!
I will depart from the contention that he is a political hack who is potentially playing a part in a role beyond his experience and knowledge. I will not concede however that one should not only have have an intimate knowledge of the automotive industry but also the dynamics of the economic and financial forces. Granted I do not have a JD, but am a lowly economist who has studied such meaningless topics as micro and macro economics. Perhaps the learned and exceptional leadership we have should, if it must, choose a successful and retired automotive CEO or executive. A person perhaps that might be considered an up incoming Lee Iacocca by their peers. Companies that provide worthwhile employment are not built by wishes and hopes of starry eyed political appointees. Those who find it their cause to punish and marginalize successful and unsuccessful owners of capital in the name of the defenseless laborer will only find that eventually there will be nobody left to marginalize. Sorry but jobs and the goods that are produced as a result do not fall from the sky like manna from Heaven. They are built by innovators through competition. Let GM fail and get out of the way of the true Capitalists as they build from the wreckage.
Being smart and talented doesn't make you experienced or qualified.
It is most decidedly political payback. An inexperienced law student being put in prominent place on a national committee with serious global implications simply because he was a campaign lackey - there could hardly be a better example of political payback than this one.
He may be a sharp guy, he may know law pretty well for a 2L, but that does not make him qualified to be in this position.
This is shameful for our nation.
DN, please, you fascist. Who cares how smart you, or Obama, think he is. Experience is everything and he has none, especially in economics. This is just another example of the road to socialism that we're on.
It still makes zero logical sense. As DN pointed out, there were plenty of Ivy staffers. Therefore, it comes down to what info does he have or what did he do for this type of payback? The thought of a power position like this being plainly a nod to someones talent is a joke.
He may be smart but he has absolutely zer experience.
Seems that the Obama Administration is trying to wreck America. Unqualified, untrained, and inexperienced people handling the "revamping" of American Business, rewriting the rules of capitalism with the blessing of the President. No wonder the majority of Americans disagree. But, Congress and the President seem to ignore the PUBLIC, and the media backs those in power in Washington to the detriment of the rest of us. Will Obama next appoint Paris Hilton to head the Fed? Makes as much sense!!!!
Frankly, I don't care if Brian is the smartest 31-year-old in the country. It is an insult to the thousands of intelligent, experienced manufacturing leaders that are currently out of work in this country. Many of these folks are just as intelligent, and much further down the learning curve than Brian. And most understand, but are not responsible for, the current mess that we are in. If Brian truly has any say in the future of US manufacturing, the country is getting shortchanged in the interest of political favor. Let's hope that Brian is only a bit player, and that the NY Times has exaggerated his role.
When Chesley B. Sullenberger ditched the US Airway's plane to the Hudson river, saving all lives on board. It was his experience and expertise that make the difference, the same thing with Apollo 13, it was the excellent skills and expertise of astronauts and NASA personnel. In wars, there are commanders and generals who are well-trained and with long-list of experience. Maybe Mr. Obama spinned the wheel of fortune with several names on it including Brian Deese, and luckily he get the job.
This settles it. I'm taking the LSAT and applying to Yale Law School post haste. Then I'm going to jump on the next political band wagon and use my "expertise" to get appointed to plum job. I hear the benefits are good. Luckily, I won't have to worry about graduating or passing a state bar exam. I am not good at school or standardized testing, so this should work well for me. Wish me luck!
Do you think lawyer boy is a bit over his head? Obama could not find a qualified assistant to fill this role? How pathetic is this? He is all about having the kids run the candy store. What a joke.
Over the past eight years the White House and GM have been loaded with wise old men full of experience in every imaginable sector. The nation damn near fell apart and GM is finished. A group of teenagers could not have destroyed GM any more efficiently than its most recent management. Let's see how recommendations made by Deese play out in the coming years. It might just be possible that he knows what he's doing.
I'm 30 and very intelligent. I've been in my industry for 5 years and already hold a VP position in our company. We expanded from retail to retail AND manufacturing 8 months ago (gotta love vertical integration). 5 years of experience in this industry and I now find that I don't even know the right questions to ask the manufacturing personnel to guide decisions! After 5 years of related training and advancement I don't have all the experience and information to deal with a new branch of business (even as closely related as it is).
This Obama appointee has no experience at all. He doesn't know the business. He doesn't know bankruptcy. He doesn't know economics. He has access to smart economists - but with no experience he can't even know the right questions to ask to guide decisions.
What are his qualifications? Was there really no one better for this position? Hello?
It's obvious that Obama doesn't want anyone who he thinks may be smarter than him nor any one who is older than him so he can delude himself into thinking he is the 'leader'. He no doubt feels intimidated by people with real
leadership ability and valuable know how that only comes with experience.
From his age and resume, Brian Deese appears to be a 'professional student'.
m people who have real experience. Obama is America's way of proving that we're not a racist country. And the people don't seem to mind putting America in peril by putting an inexperienced politician from one of the most politically corrupt states in the U.S. God help us
that the U.S. doesn't sink to the level of East St. Louis, Il.
The media investigative reporters better get off
their butts, forget trying to malign Susan Boyle,
and find out just how Obama managed to 'come out of nowhere'
The clock is ticking on our American way of life.
I'm just happy that no one as negative as most of these posters was put in charge. Your negativity could bring any industry down.
Do you guys honestly think that Brian is the one deciding what the U.S. government should do with GM? You're crazy if you do. It's not like he sat sitting in front of a spreadsheet by himself for a couple of hours and decided to press a button to blow up GM. He's a smart person who advises. Don't you think someone with a vested interest in the automobile industry is going to have incentive to make GM work, even if whatever they're planning is invariably going to fail? I want someone smart who is unbiased advising on these issues, not someone who thinks they're qualified because they worked in the industry.
Good luck getting in to YLS, Joe (hey, you asked for it). But since it's practically impossible, luck won't be enough. The mere fact that Brian Deese was admitted to YLS demonstrates his incredible talent and intelligence.
Bush in fact is a person who got an MBA, so that rules out the business degree as giving viability to a person making decisions. I wouldn't say by any means that a law degree is sufficient preparation for such a job, but then again what is? No American under 70 has seen an economic recession of this magnitude, so none of us has practical experience. Who would you choose to handle the fate of the auto industry? Someone who has been intimately involved? The American auto industry has been dying by its own hands for years, it needs the transfusion of new blood from the outside in order to survive.
I'm not going to get involved in the question about whether or not Deese should have the position, however I believe that many of you are giving unwarranted criticisms of those with law degrees. YLS is one of the most prestigious schools in the world, and while of course not everyone coming out is a genius, the average person is very intelligent. So lets not needlessly attack those who are trying to serve our country.
This is the lad that when told it was against the laws of physics to build the car he ask for with a 500 mile range using LNG and electrical,said, I have the congress behind me and we can repeal this law. Try some engineering Yaley, you are going to need God for that one and I know you won't believe me, but the Pres. isn't Him.
Time to end this silly banter and call it like it is. Mr. Deese is a political appointee and a pawn. He's the latest example of an age-old strategy. Insert someone into a position of apparent power in order to avoid direct scrutiny of the real decision makers. This allows the veteran politicians to execute an agenda, while Mr. Deese takes credit or blame for their decisions. Mr. Deese is just intelligent enough to be taken seriously by the masses, and just young (a.k.a. naive) enough to believe that he is truly calling any shots. His only qualifications are that he is well-spoken and that he has the ego of a Yale student. Any talent beyond that would only get in the way. He is the perfect candidate for the job.
An old second mate told me a long time ago, "an expert is a man from out of town".
He's a pawn on the DC chessboard with Obama making his move to put the US economy in Checkmate!
The prose and tone of the first 25 comments or so look suspiciously similar.
Nice payback for political lapdogs.
What next, the winner of American Idol in charge of Citibank?