March 18, 2013

"Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank plans to depart the Obama administration to become chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison..."

"... she told the department's staff Monday after being tapped for the new job."
... Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, said on Twitter that Blank is "a great pick" for the job. "Academic credentials, leadership experience & economic smarts."
Welcome to our new leader!

ADDED: The UW press release.

29 comments:

MadisonMan said...

I'm looking forward to her tenure. We'll see what happens. I agree that her credentials are impressive.

James Pawlak said...

Governor Walker has, of late, made some major errors as to Marriage and one of his appointments, the later being the Secretary of the Department of Corrections. I doubt me that some product of the Obama and Chicago style administration will be good for UW.

Strelnikov said...

Should substitute "Overlord" for "leader".

President-Mom-Jeans said...

Oh Goodie! Maybe they can shut down the campus for some more dear leader rallies.

The Obama Administration, the Academy, and the Media, one big revolving door of Lefty bullshit.

Enjoy the decline.

traditionalguy said...

Now you a blank slate to take over in the land of the blancs and learn how it works. Hopefully she will not get caught being diplomatic with Governor Walker to help the University, which was the former poor President lady's fatal mis-step.

Curious George said...

Will she pass the Regents' vote when they find out that she only looks like a lesbian?

edutcher said...

Good time to think about retirement.

Consider what blessings she might bestow.

Chip S. said...

Economists tend to make pretty good university administrators b/c they understand tradeoffs and budgeting better than most other academics.

Your optimism is warranted.

Synova said...

Walker sounds like he's fully willing to work with and support her. If she works with HIM will she get fired?

Amartel said...

Graduated U. Michigan with degree in econ. Ph.D. in econ from MIT. Was an econ prof at Northwestern. Then Director of the Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
Since then she has bounced back and forth between academia and government bureaucracy all her life. Impressive academic and bureaucratic credentials but no actual real-world commerce experience at all. Wikipedia is pretty light on accomplishments while in office. It says nothing. She was appointed to the position of (Acting) Commerce Secretary only after the prior Commerce Secretary was arrested for felony hit and run. Will Obama replace her with a Commerce Secretary at all? Why bother, really?

gadfly said...

An extremely liberal economist with a supposed religious bent, Becky Blank doesn't begin to understand that charity is concept involving volunteerism - not government-forced redistribution of wealth.

Worse, she says that gathering wealth through free markets is immoral.

So Althouse, your new boss should begin her new role as Chancellor by redistributing her glorious salary to the lesser-paid among her staff. Likewise, expect her to dismantle your 401K plan.

Unknown said...

Meet the new boss...

Chip S. said...

Another economist/university-chancellor is reported to have said back in the '60s that the main concerns of a university president are football for the alumni, parking for the faculty and sex for the undergraduates.

Other than the addition of LGBT sex to the list, the job description probably hasn't changed much.

Chuck said...

Could any Republican ever aspire to the Chancellorship at UW-Madison?

It's basically a closed shop, isn't it? Republicans need not apply. A prospective chancellor could be male or female; gay, lesbian or straight; black, white, Asian or hispanic. Indeed, a minority lesbian would be ideal; she'd have a leg up for appointment.

But the one exclusionary quality would be if the proposed candidate were a conservative Republican.

Methadras said...

Leftism ahoy.

chickelit said...

edutcher said...
Good time to think about retirement.

Consider what blessings she might bestow.


This whole revelation about the true meaning of "blessings" puts ol' Shilho's sign-off--"blessings take care"--in a whole new light, huh?

Chip Ahoy said...

she told the department's staff after being tapped for the position.

There's so much a mischievous person could do with that.

David said...

Perhaps she got tired of being named "acting" Secretary of Commerce, which Obama did twice without apparently the slightest hint that she might get the top job.

Her strongest academic interest has been "inequality," by which she means both inequality of opportunity and outcome. The two are quite different, and I hope to pick up one of her books to see what she says about the subject.

The bios and c.v. do not tell whether she can motivate, lead and say no. She's never held the top job in anything, despite her successes. Let's hope she's ready for the top job now.

gadfly said...

So Barack says to Valerie Jarrett:

"How do I get rid of 'Whats-Her-Name' who got put in charge of Commerce?"

edutcher said...

chickelit said...

Good time to think about retirement.

Consider what blessings she might bestow.


This whole revelation about the true meaning of "blessings" puts ol' Shilho's sign-off--"blessings take care"--in a whole new light, huh?


Some of us knew it all the time, compadre.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...

Great. Yet another woman in charge. What could go wrong?

sane_voter said...

Maybe she can hire some VPs of diversity. I hear that's sorely lacking at UW-M.

ampersand said...

... Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, said on Twitter that Fill in the Blank is "a great pick" for the job.

Anonymous said...

From government service to millions of dollars in compensation and the ability to further the liberal/progressive cause. She'll offer plenty of inspiration for bright young minds to pursue a non-productive life.

ken in tx said...

I don't know anything about this person or this situation, but it seems a lot like the science fiction meme, “I for one, welcome our new over-lords.”

pm317 said...

I wonder why Obama didn't make her permanent Sec of Dept of Commerce..(she was an acting Sec all this time).

Calypso Facto said...

she told the department's staff after being tapped for the position.

There's so much a mischievous person could do with that.


Yeah, I thought about and let it go too ...

It really appears that Madison has developed a "type".

virgil xenophon said...

Considering Amartel's coments @5:25, above, Walker's pick causes me to begin to doubt his sanity. What IS in the water in Wisc., anyway?

Art said...

Walker has nothing to say about the UW Madison chancellor. No one asked him and he does not appoint. He was making nice by saying what he thought of her from their drinking together at the White House.