Many of us ABers being in our early- to mid-30s, we're less amazed that another of our ilk has risen to a decisive government position. We are, after all, a generation on the rise. The surprising part about Brian Deese's story is that he's been instrumental in shaping the Obama administration's moves to save General Motors, and this is his first official tour of duty in Washington. What qualifies a guy who hasn't even finished his Yale Law degree to steer President's automotive task force around? From what's been said about Mr. Deese, his quick ability to boil down the often competing economic and political aspects of any given issue.
Deese piped up in favor of Fiat's rescue of Chrysler, pointing out with a memo that a fire sale of the ailing automaker would send unforseen ripples out into the economy as a whole. Speaking out in such an influential manner is definitely unusual considering Deese doesn't appear to be an auto enthusiast or business propeller-head with his nose buried in studies and reports about the car industry. A childhood spent in the Boston suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts under the parentage of a college professor an an engineer, Deese did his undergraduate time at Middlebury College in Vermont before heading to Washington to work for Nancy Birdsall on international aid. A turn with former Clinton policy wonk Gene Sperling before the move to Yale, Hillary Clinton's bid for nomination brought Deese back to DC. With friends in Washington, Deese found himself hooked into the Obama team, and from there he's been running busily around our nation's capital.
If General Motors can successfully navigate Chapter 11, we'll all get to see just how well Brian Deese has done digesting the thorny chestnut that is saving our domestic auto industry.
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