Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief of Goldman Sachs who has become a lightning rod for Wall Street critics, might seem an unlikely advocate for same-sex marriage. But his credentials — a public figure in a conservative industry — could make him a powerful voice for that cause.
This is a story from
February 2012, way back when
many Democratic politicians were still in the closet on the issue of gay marriage!
Behind the scenes, Mr. Blankfein has long been a supporter of same-sex marriage. Last year, he signed a letter urging state lawmakers to vote for a bill legalizing same-sex marriage and encouraged other chief executives to do the same. He also called lawmakers directly on the matter. The New York Legislature passed the law last summer.
Lloyd Blankfein is now the Human Rights Campaign's "corporate spokesman for same-sex marriage!"
And...
As Karl Rove taught us in 2004, same-sex marriage is an uncommonly useful tool to distract citizens from questions of economic justice or political responsibility.
Even when it costs Goldman Sachs
a pile of money, Blankfein keeps the faith with his gay brothers and sisters!
"There was some adverse reaction by someone," Blankfein told activists on Wednesday, according to the Financial Times, adding that a business partner that Blankfein kept anonymous "didn't want to continue a relationship that they had with us" after the CEO publicized Goldman's stance on gay marriage.
Meanwhile at this very moment Goldman Sachs
carries on the good fight all the way to the US Supreme Court!
Goldman Sachs is proud to be a signatory to the amicus brief filed by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) on behalf of Edith Schlain Windsor et al.
Hurrah!
But of course when it comes to eviscerating Social Security and Medicare, or relegating millions of Americans to permanent unemployment, Mr. Blankfein is on exactly the same wave-length as the Washington establishment, which uses gay marriage pro and contra as a mere distraction from the bread and butter issues that mean the difference between destitution and relative prosperity for almost all of us.