Q&A With Hank Paulson: A Look Back At The Turmoil Of 2008

Ted

FYI: If Hollywood decides to produce a movie about a government official who finds himself mired in the middle of a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, Hank Paulson could easily be cast in the lead role. He’s tall, bespectacled, ruggedly handsome, and still has pretty much the same athletic physique he had when he started 50 years ago on the varsity football team at Dartmouth. (His nickname was “Hank the Hammer.”)

He is also the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of course was the Treasury secretary, under President George W. Bush, during the 2008 financial crisis.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.barrons.com/articles/hank-paulson-looks-backat-the-turmoil-of-2008-1536759000?mod=hp_highlight_2

Crash

Paulson doesn't sound like the ignoramus I took him to be, after reading that piece. Thanks. Informative. Ivy League-er, too.

Old_Joe

An excellent article, for sure.

Anna

I will always think of Paulson as the guy who took a low paying job in order to enjoy helping initiate the demise of Social Security and Medicare but ended up initiating efforts to save his own lucrative job along with that of his private buddies.

rforno

There was a movie. 'Too Big To Fail' was based on Sorkin's book by the same name ... I just finished re-watching it this evening. Paulson is the central character.

dstone42

Excellent article and reminder of that crucial period.

Especially note Paulson's two-pronged warning at the end: "it is important to begin to address a fiscal deficit that threatens our long-term economic security ...... income disparity, driven by automation and globalization, is increasing and threatens our democracy."

Crash

rforno said:

There was a movie. 'Too Big To Fail' was based on Sorkin's book by the same name ... I just finished re-watching it this evening. Paulson is the central character.

I watched a different one a couple of times, about the crisis, too. Is it true to actual events? James Cromwell as Hank Paulson.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1495980/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_36

Sven

There was a movie. 'Too Big To Fail' was based on Sorkin's book by the same name ... I just finished re-watching it this evening. Paulson is the central character.

Yes it is an informative movie. There was an interview of David Sokin with Ben Benenke, Tim Geithner, and Hank Paulson, and one can get broader perspectives LB's collapse and bailout of AIG. Question is what can the government do if the same crisis occur again, now that the safeguards installed after the crisis are being taken down one by one?