G.E. C.E.O. to Economic Advisory Panel

It sounds like he's thinking that he needs people on his Economic Advisory Panel.

On top of the fact that the panel will be assisting in making policy decisions. HUGE conflict of interest.

It would seem Warren Buffett disagrees with your opinion of GE.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26976416/

Personally I think Buffett has more credibility on the issue.

Anyone ever hear the old adage - keep your friends close but your enemies closer?

And my point is I think Warren Buffett is a better judge of this and he obviously disagrees.

Uh, well, Yeah!

If he thought Immelt was running GE into the gound why on earth would he invest so heavily in it? The purpose of inventing in a company is to get a good return on your investment. Buffett is obviously confident that his money is in good hands with Immelt at the helm. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to explain this to you. Surely you know it????

Have you been living under a rock?? The stock market crashed! The stock of a lot of very fine companies has tanked right along with the stock of not so fine companies. It's a fabulous opportunity to buy the stock of good companies at bargain basement prices! You are familiar with the concept of "buy low, sell high", right???

I really think you need to do some Investment 101 research.

I'll be sure to email Buffett with that news. Apparently he somehow missed it.

Note the date on this first link is 2005:

http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.ph...k=view&id=1393

http://www.ge.com/news/our_viewpoints/iran.html

And from '08:

You are obviously unaware that Halliburton has also done buisness with Iran. You know, Halliburton? The company the VP of your beloved GW Bush was CEO of?

No spin. Just pointing out your double standard.

You've blasted Obama for appointing Immelt to an advisory board because of his companies past dealings with Iran. Yet you apparently have no problem with Bush having appopinted Cheney as his Vice President despite a similiar "flaw" in his backgroud.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134836,00.html

You're evading the issue. You blasted Obama for appointing Immelt to an advisory board and yet you have always supported Bush full stop despite that he selected someone with a similar background to the far more sensitive position of Vice President. Whether Cheney is guilty of a double standard is irrelevant. What is relevant in this discussion is your double standard.

With Cheney's full knowledge and support. He was the CEO.

My, this a testy little thread! And we've gone from Warren Buffett to Dick Cheney...how did that happen, I wonder?

When did Warren Buffett become the last word on the subject of Jeffrey Immelt? Buffett's an incredibly wealthy man who got that way by making, for the most part, good business decisions. However, being that this is still America (at least for a little while longer), even us common folk get to voice opinions and ask questions. You know, that whole freedom of speech thing.

Not everyone is convinced that Immelt is a wise choice for the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. I've read good things about Obama's other picks, Bill Donaldson, and Martin Feldstein (who worked for, gasp, the Reagan Administration). But there is no denying that under Immelt GE's share price has dropped to 14 year lows in both types of markets (bull and bear). Presiding over the 75% decline in GE stock isn't exactly the kind of credential you'd think Obama would be impressed by.

Could it be something else? Maybe a little payback for services rendered? MSNBC is a subsidiary of GE. If you'll recall, during the campaign, MSNBC was more than just a little kind to candidate Obama. Olbermann and crew were outright Obama cheerleaders and proceeded to tear apart first Hillary Clinton, and later, John McCain.

Now MSNBC, and by extension, NBC and CNBC can continue to cheerlead for Obama and his policies; for example, the so-called Stimulus Bill.

Sound crazy? I don't know - if Immelt can't lead his own company out of an economic quagmire, how is he capable of getting the US out of one?

But not to worry... Warren Buffett likes GE and Jeff Immelt. That's all we need to know.

Interesting you choose to see disagreement as "testy".

As I have made clear it isn't about Cheney. It is about the criteria for criticism that has been used.

Apparently you are of the opinion that doesn't include me!

If Obama is only allowed to appointed CEOs of companies that aren't currently in a "economic quagmire", he's going to have a mighty short list to choose from.

Of course not! But I can just imagine the skewering he'd get from his critics if he didn't considering how much the economic recovery depends on the recovery of business. It's natural that the group would include a least a couple of business leaders. Last I heard, the CEOs of Xerox and Time Warner were also included.

I don't agree with anyone that has a current financial interest in any Company being on any Commission of anything.

You certainly have a right to that opinion.

Disagreements can be discussed politely. This has not been a polite discussion. To anyone reading your responses to ckblv, especially those highlighted above, it's clear that:

a) her opinion doesn't matter, because Warren Buffett has invested in GE and is obviously more "credible", "is a better judge" and "disagrees" with her. You continually hammer this fact by citing Buffett in 3 separate posts each time she attempts to express her opinion.

b) you have no patience nor respect for ckblv's opinion as evidenced by remarks such as "Have you been living under a rock?" and "I really think you need to do some Investment 101 research", among others.

So yes, "testy". But I was being polite. Rude and sarcastic is more like it.

I agree, the thread isn't about Cheney at all. Doing business with Iran is not the sole issue being discussed in regard to Immelt's appointment. Ckblv has stated her opinion on it twice already. But it's a nifty little diversion from the real issue which is whether appointing a man who has tanked his company and may have conflict of interest problems is a wise choice to be an economic advisor to Obama.


Wrong. I did not do to you what you did to ckblv. In no way did I try to "shut down" your opinion or belittle you for having a particular opinion.