Another Wes alum in the Obama administration

It hasn't been confirmed yet, but it looks like Ron Bloom '77 is going to be the advisor to the Obama administration on the whole auto industry failure. Apparently he used to be an investment banker, but left to work for United Steelworkers.

His intention was not to write the great American novel or retire early. Rather, he went to work in Pittsburgh for the United Steelworkers, the nation’s largest manufacturing union.

With that move, Mr. Bloom, now expected to be President Obama’s pick for senior adviser to the Treasury Department on the auto industry crisis, did not exactly surprise his friends. In college, Mr. Bloom was outspokenly pro-union, and he had an aunt who was a leader of the teachers’ union and a great uncle who had been active in the bakers’ union.

...

Michelle Galanter Applebaum, who got to know Mr. Bloom in the 1990s when she was a managing director at Salomon Brothers, said he was different from other investment bankers because of his unusual interest in helping workers, unions and beleaguered industries.

“He felt he could play a meaningful role of fixing it from the inside,” said Ms. Galanter Applebaum, who is now managing director of Steel Market Intelligence. “He is a passionate, committed guy, totally idealistic.”

Sounds like a pretty cool dude. Read more about him at the NYTimes.

Lecture: Melanye Price on the 2008 Election

Gov Professor Melanye Price is giving a lecture about this year's election:

First Friday: Melanye Price- Election 2008: Race, Gender, Age & Media

The 2008 election has been a historic one for many reasons. There was both a female and African American candidate for a major political party for the first time in history, there is an opportunity to elect the oldest president ever, and the role of the internet and blogs plays a key role in the kinds of information the electorate has access to. Assistant Professor of Government Melanye Price leads an informal lecture about the role of race, gender age and media on the current election. (Please note: Professor Price recently gave this lecture at the Green Street Arts Center, it was such a success we invited her to kick off our First Friday Series.)

First Friday is a series sponsored by the Center for Community Partnerships and is dedicated to building community amongst those interested in service, activism and social change.

Date: Friday, October 3
Time: 4:15 pm
Place: Center for Community Partnerships, 167 High Street

Ted Kennedy Back In Business

Ted Kennedy returned to the Senate yesterday after for the first time since the brain surgery for his malignant tumor. He just showed up to vote on an important Medicare bill, but his standing ovation wouldn't stop for two minutes.

From the NYTimes:

Looking steady but flushed in his first visit to the Capitol since his cancer was discovered in late May, Mr. Kennedy was quickly surrounded by senators who could barely keep from overwhelming him despite cautions to keep their distance because his treatments have weakened his immune system.

Democrats were overjoyed and Republicans stood, smiled and applauded as well, though some looked uneasy as it dawned on them that once again Mr. Kennedy was about to hand them a stinging defeat on health care policy. The defeat was sealed once Mr. Kennedy delivered a clear “aye” in his familiar but recently absent baritone accompanied by twin thumbs-up.

“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be able to express my voice and my vote,” Mr. Kennedy told reporters as he left the Capitol to return to Massachusetts and resume his treatments.

Professor Out on a Lim

If you're a political junkie you might be interested in "Out on a Lim", Assistant Professor of Government Elvin Lim's aptly named blog on current American presidential politics. Link added to "Wes 2.0" sidebar.

Thanks to Bradley Spahn '11 for the tip.

Max Rose '08 Says U.S. Needs New Social Contract

Max Rose '08 was one of four finalists in a student essay contest on the New Deal, with his essay published in The Nation. Rose suggests that the Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal social is outdated, and the government needs to seriously reevaluate social priorities: A Modern Government.