Jack Lew for Treasury: Reactions

On Thursday, President Barack Obama picked his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to replace Timothy Geitner as treasury secretary.

 Lew is a Forest Hills native. The reaction around the web was varied:

State Sen. Toby Stavisky, D-Forest Hills, said Lew represents the best of the borough.

“A graduate of Forest Hills High School, Secretary-designee Lew represents the best of Queens," Stavisky said in a statement. "With his extensive background in budget and finance, along with his exemplary record of public service, I know that Mr. Lew will join the likes of Alexander Hamilton and Henry Morgenthau Jr. as another great Treasury Secretary from New York.”

Not everyone was pleased. In an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Professor William Black of the University of Missouri called Lew a "failure of pretty epic proportions" on financial matters. Black faulted Lew for his position favoring bank deregulation in both the Clinton and Obama administrations.

Perhaps the most interesting reaction came from the link aggregator website Reddit.

User CavemanBob pointed out that Lew's signature on memoranda from the Office of Management and Budget was, shall we say, less than dignified. Check out his photo comparison at right.

Someone should teach Jack Lew cursive," CavemanBob wrote. "This abomination of a signature is about to grace every dollar bill."

After members of the media picked up on the signature story, several outlets, including the New York Daily News, reported that the president joked with Lew about it:

“I had never noticed Jack’s signature and when this was highlighted yesterday in the press I considered rescinding my offer to appoint him," Obama was quoted in the Daily News. "Jack assures me that he is gonna work to make at least one letter legible in order not to debase our currency should he be confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury."

How do you feel about Lew's new gig? Do you approve of our local boy made good? Let us know in the comments.