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Archive 1 | Archive 2 |
This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
I have one final request for this section, in which I propose expanding what is currently a single sentence describing his compensation at Citigroup to become a summary of Rubin's views of the industry tumult with which he was involved, noting when he left Citigroup, and simplifying the compensation information. As with other requests, I am open to changes and further discussion based on what I have proposed:
Existing text | Revised text with references | Reason for suggested change |
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Rubin received over $17 million in compensation from Citigroup and a further $33 million in stock options as of 2008 and total compensation of $126 million from Citigroup between 1999 and 2009. | In a December 2009 Newsweek article, Rubin described the extraordinary combination of circumstances that led to the global financial crisis, including market excesses, low interest rates, a massive increase in the use of complex derivatives, misguided AAA ratings, stagnant median real wages, abusive mortgage practices, and the over-leveraging of financial institutions, among many other factors.[1]
Rubin resigned from Citigroup in 2009,[2][3] writing at the time that his "great regret is that I and so many of us who have been involved in this industry for so long did not recognize the serious possibility of the extreme circumstances that the financial system faces today".[4] Rubin received total compensation of $126 million from Citigroup between 1999 and 2009.[5] |
The proposed language is intended to clarify Rubin's views of the 2008 crash, and I believe is an informative complement with the earlier material criticizing his actions. FWIW, the Newsweek material is not original to my draft: it was in the entry for a long time (go here and search "Newsweek"), and this is a pared-down version of that. Acknowledging that it is an op-ed and not a reported piece, WP:NEWSORG says "invited op-eds and letters to the editor from notable figures ... are reliable primary sources for statements attributed to that editor or author" and I think this fits the bill. The second paragraph identifies the year of his departure, which is not currently mentioned in the section. Finally, I suggest focusing on Mr. Rubin's overall compensation; the smaller figures make things a little confusing and it's the overall numbers that are most relevant. |
References
WSJ-Demos-180608
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Thanks for the consideration, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 18:08, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Hello again, this requested edit is about updating the introduction of the article. The content of this article has changed considerably over the past couple of years, but the introduction hasn't changed much, and I think it can be improved in several ways.
I'll use a modified version of the tabular presentation that Spencer had suggested, since I propose only minor changes to the first of the two existing paragraphs, while I have more substantial changes for the second. Here is my proposal for the first, with highlighting to show intended changes:
Existing text | Revised text |
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Robert Edward Rubin (born August 29, 1938) is an American retired banking executive, lawyer, and former government official. He served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during the Clinton administration. Before his government service, he spent 26 years at Goldman Sachs, eventually serving as a member of the board and co-chairman from 1990 to 1992. | Robert Edward Rubin (born August 29, 1938) is a retired American banking executive who served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during the Clinton administration. Before his government service, he spent 26 years at Goldman Sachs, serving as co-chairman from 1990 to 1992. |
This change removes the descriptor "lawyer"; Mr. Rubin's notability owes nothing to his law career, which was brief and early on. Next, it seems redundant to describe him as a "former government official" and then immediately state that he was Treasury secretary, so the first two sentences can be combined. Finally, being a member of the GS board is less noteworthy than being co-chair, and this also tightens things up a bit.
Meanwhile, I propose replacing the second paragraph with three paragraphs covering the same material while adding some important information currently in the article, but not in the introduction. Only one sentence is carried over, and the rest is new, so I didn't think highlighting was useful here:
Existing text | Revised text |
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During the Clinton administration, Rubin oversaw the loosening of financial industry underwriting guidelines which had been in place since the 1930s. His post-government role includes serving as director and senior counselor of Citigroup, where he performed advisory and representational roles for the firm. From November to December 2007, he served temporarily as chairman of Citigroup and resigned from the company on January 9, 2009. He received more than $126 million in cash and stock during his tenure at Citigroup, up through and including Citigroup's bailout by the U.S. Treasury. |
In 1993, he became Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and the first Director of the White House National Economic Council. His post-government roles include serving as director and senior counselor of Citigroup, where he performed advisory and representational roles for the firm. Rubin is credited as a major force behind Clinton-era economic prosperity, including the 1993 Deficit Reduction Act and Balanced Budget Act of 1997. However, critics of Rubin have since argued that the bank-friendly policies he supported contributed to the financial crisis of 2007–2008. As of 2022, Rubin is active in several organizations, including as a co-founder of The Hamilton Project, as co-chair emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, and as a senior counselor at Centerview Partners. |
Here there are more substantial changes. Most importantly, I propose removing entirely the "loosening of financial industry underwriting guidelines" sentence, which is both too oblique, and implies the former guidelines were good based on longevity alone. This subject is now addressed a bit further down in my draft, in chronological order, and with more specificity, e.g. "the bank-friendly policies he supported contributed to the financial crisis of 2007–2008".
My version also mentions two prominent roles he held in the White House prior to becoming a Cabinet secretary. Next is the mention of his role at Citigroup. I have left alone the language about what he did there, but propose removing the mention of his very short time as board chair, which places disproportionate emphasis on two months of a 50+ year career.
In the 1990s, Mr. Rubin was widely credited with playing a significant role in the Clinton-era economic expansion, which is more than worthy of mention in the introduction (it is discussed at some length in the article's Secretary of the Treasury section). This accomplishment is then balanced by mentioning criticism he received beginning in 2008, as noted above.
Lastly, I suggest removing the information about his compensation at Citi; his compensation is not at all unusual for top banking executives. In its place, I suggest a short paragraph listing three notable organizations (each the subject of an existing article) he has played key roles at in the years since.
Thanks in advance for the consideration, and I'm happy to discuss any specifics in the draft. Thanks, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 14:08, 12 August 2022 (UTC)
This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
This article has long contained a Criticism section, but I believe at this point in the article's development there are some good reasons to suggest its removal. First is redundancy: the subject matter it addresses, namely the controversies during his time at Citigroup involving Enron and the 2008 financial crisis, and even the details of his compensation, are all discussed in the Citigroup section. Second, I believe the Citigroup treatment of the subject matter is more even-handed and also contains more detail.
Finally, both WP:STRUCTURE and WP:CRITICISM generally discourage criticism sections as POV forks. The former says "Try to achieve a more neutral text by folding debates into the narrative, rather than isolating them into sections that ignore or fight against each other." The latter says, among other things: "The article should be divided into sections based on topics, timeline, or theme – not viewpoint. Negative criticism should be interwoven throughout the topical or thematic sections."
Spencer or Go4thProsper, you've both been fair-minded about my previous requests. Do either of you have thoughts on my reasoning here, or interest in removing the section? And if a side-by-side comparison of the material would be helpful, I'm happy to provide it. Cheers, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 18:36, 7 September 2022 (UTC)
Following the 2008 financial crisis, critics argued Rubin increased risk-taking at Citigroup, thereby exposing the bank to greater losses, and that economic policies he promoted as Treasury secretary exacerbated the situation. Rubin was one of several banking officials referred by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to the United States Department of Justice for investigation in 2010; however, the DOJ did not pursue any further investigation or actions against him.[1] According to The Wall Street Journal, Rubin has stated that "he wasn't alone in failing to foresee the severity of the crisis that would emerge".[2]
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This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Greetings, I have a new suggestion to make, which is expanding the Early career section to include more information about Mr. Rubin's roles on Wall Street, in New York politics, and national politics prior to joining the Clinton administration. The current section includes only the first paragraph; I propose adding one new clause to that, about his work at Goldman, and then two additional paragraphs. The first is about his involvement in the 1984 and 1992 Democratic presidential campaigns; the second is about his service with the NYSE, SEC, and advisory positions with high-profile elected officials. If another editor agrees this is an improvement, the following can directly replace the current section. Please note, the first two sources are already in use as named references, with the full citation for each being elsewhere in the existing article:
Early career
Rubin was an attorney at the firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York City from 1964 to 1966 before joining Goldman Sachs in 1966 as an associate in the risk arbitrage department. He later served as co-chief operating officer, and became co-senior partner and co-chairman in 1990.[1][2][3] Rubin served as New York finance chairman for the Walter Mondale presidential campaign in 1984[4] and headed the host committee for the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York.[5] He served on the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Market Oversight and Financial Services Advisory Committee, and advisory panels for New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and Mayor David Dinkins.[6] References
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As always, due to my financial COI regarding Mr. Rubin, I will not make any direct changes to this article myself. Please let me know if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. Thanks, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 12:42, 11 October 2022 (UTC)
This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
I have a handful of suggestions for the Other work section that I think will improve it overall. For this request I recommend some small changes to the first paragraph, rewriting the second paragraph to be more encyclopedic, and striking the third entirely. I'll use the table format that Spencer had previously suggested to make them easy to compare:
Existing text | Revised text with references | Reason for suggested change |
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In 2001, Rubin received an honorary doctoral degree from Harvard University, and on July 1, 2002, he became a member of Harvard Corporation, the executive governing board of Harvard University.[1] He served as a member of the Harvard Corporation board until June 2014 and continues to serve on its finance committee.[2][3][4] | On July 1, 2002, Rubin became a member of Harvard Corporation, the executive governing board of Harvard University.[5] He served as a member of the Harvard Corporation board until June 2014, and as of 2018, served on its finance committee.[6][3][4] | In the first place, I suggest removing the honorary doctorate; it's not exactly work, and arguably trivial compared to his other accomplishments. Additionally, no third-party reliable source confirms that Mr. Rubin still continues to serve on the Harvard finance committee. In fact, his bio at The Hamilton Project states that he only served on the committee until 2022. But since this is a primary source, I recommend using the "as of" construction to ensure accuracy. |
Rubin has written a memoir, In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington (ISBN 978-0-375-50585-0), co-written by Jacob Weisberg. It was a New York Times bestseller as well as one of Business Week's ten best business books of 2003.[7] | Rubin's memoir, In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington, co-written by Jacob Weisberg, was a New York Times bestseller as well as one of Business Week's ten best business books of 2003.[7] | I have changed the tense from present perfect to past. This suggestion removes the ISBN of Rubin's book from the prose of the article, as WP:BIBLIOGRAPHY suggests it should only be included when helpful. |
Rubin had been suggested as a possible appointee to a cabinet post for President Barack Obama. Rubin, alongside Austan Goolsbee and Paul Volcker, was one of Obama's economic advisers. | [delete] | This passage does not add much value, as the first sentence is purely speculation which did not come to pass. Additionally, a previous Cabinet secretary advising an incoming president of the same party is pretty routine, and was not a major focus. I recommend cutting this, as WP:NOTEVERYTHING verifiable necessarily belongs. |
References
citigroup
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Please let me know if you have any questions. As always, due to my conflict of interest I won't make any direct edits. Thanks in advance for your consideration. Best, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 21:00, 19 January 2023 (UTC)
On July 1, 2002, Rubin became a member of [[Harvard Corporation]], the executive governing board of [[Harvard University]].<ref>((cite news|url=http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.11/09-rubin.html|publisher=[[Harvard Gazette]]|date=2002-04-11|access-date=2008-02-02|title=Rubin '60 is newest Corporation member))</ref> He served as a member of the Harvard Corporation board until June 2014, and as of 2018, served on its finance committee.<ref>((cite news|url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/01/brevia|work=Harvard Magazine|date=January 2014|access-date=2015-05-26|title=Reischauer, Rubin leave Harvard Corporation, Rhodes Scholars, Nobelists))</ref><ref name="Wapo-Rubin-120702">((cite news |title=Robert Rubin |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/postlive/robert-rubin/2012/07/02/gJQAMmMADY_story.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=July 2, 2012 |access-date=August 19, 2020))</ref><ref name="WSJ-Demos-180608">((cite news |title=Robert Rubin's Legacy Up for Debate 10 Years After Citigroup Bailout |last1=Demos |first1=Telis |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/robert-rubins-legacy-up-for-debate-10-years-after-citigroup-bailout-1528462800 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=June 8, 2018 |access-date=August 18, 2020))</ref>
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This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Hello, I'm back again with a few suggestions for the final paragraph of the Other work section. The paragraph has six sentences, and my changes would affect four of them. The table format has worked well for recent requests, and I think is the clearest way to present these as well:
Existing text without references | Revised text with references | Reason for suggested change |
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As of 2020, Rubin is actively engaged as a founder of The Hamilton Project, an economic policy think tank that produces research and proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans. | As of 2023, Rubin is actively engaged as a founder of The Hamilton Project, an economic policy think tank that produces research and proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans.[1][2] | I've added a RS demonstrating that Rubin founded The Hamilton Project. The existing source stating his involvement as of 2020 is WP:PRIMARY, and I acknowledge that so is the new source; however, that section of Wikipedia policy states such sources are permissible "to make straightforward, descriptive statements of facts" and I believe that is the case here. |
He is co-chairman emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. | (no change) | This statement is accurate and supported by the Washington Post source that appears two sentences later. |
Rubin also serves as chairman of the board of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a community development support organization. | (remove) | This sentence is now redundant with the LISC section earlier in the article. |
He serves as a trustee of Mount Sinai Health System. | He serves as a trustee of Mount Sinai Health System and as co-chair of the advisory board of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.[3][4] | A mention of Mr. Rubin's board service with the PGP Foundation currently exists at the end of the paragraph, albeit without a citation. The Foundation is a notable organization, and Mr. Rubin's role there is a significant one, however the most trustworthy source for this information happens to be primary so that is the source I have provided. This too is "straightforward, descriptive" and so I believe permissible by policy. |
Additionally, Rubin serves as a senior counselor at Centerview Partners, an investment banking advisory firm based in New York City.[5] | (no change) | This is accurate and cited to a RS. |
And he has been member of the advisory board of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. | (remove) | Ungrammatical sentence fragment and redundant with the adjustment two sentences earlier. |
Please note that not all references below appear fully formed; these are named references repeated from elsewhere in the existing article.
References
Wapo-Rubin-120702
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).WSJ-Demos-180608
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).If the above sounds good, and you'd like to copy the code verbatim to replace, it can be found in the collapse box below.
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As of 2023, Rubin is actively engaged as a founder of [[The Hamilton Project]], an economic policy think tank that produces research and proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more [[Americans]].<ref name="Politico-Smith-070204">((cite news |title=Strategists Bank on Budget-Neutral Policies |last1=Smith |first1=Ben |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2007/04/strategists-bank-on-budget-neutral-policies-003407 |work=[[Politico]] |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=February 16, 2023))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=Robert E. Rubin |url=https://www.hamiltonproject.org/people/robert_e._rubin |website=The Hamilton Project |access-date=December 21, 2022))</ref> He is co-chairman emeritus of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]. He serves as a trustee of [[Mount Sinai Health System]] and as co-chair of the advisory board of the [[Peter G. Peterson Foundation]].<ref name="Wapo-Rubin-120702" /><ref name="PGPF-021623">((cite web |url=https://www.pgpf.org/about |title=About the Peter G. Peterson Foundation |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=Peter G. Peterson Foundation |publisher= |access-date=February 16, 2023 |quote=))</ref> Additionally, Rubin serves as a senior counselor at [[Centerview Partners]], an investment banking advisory firm based in New York City.<ref name="WSJ-Demos-180608" />
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Please let me know if you have any questions. As always, due to my conflict of interest I won't make any direct edits. Thanks in advance for your help. Spencer, if you have the opportunity to review this one, here is a courtesy notification. :) WWB Too (Talk · COI) 22:50, 16 February 2023 (UTC)
<ref name="Meyerson-WaPo">((cite news |title=Hamiltonian Democrats |last1=Meyerson |first1=Harold |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2006/04/19/hamiltonian-democrats/085f0020-57d8-4fdd-9d65-871343e0ff15/ |work=The Washington Post |date=April 19, 2006 |accessdate=February 20, 2023))</ref> |
This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
I've got one more suggestion for the Other work section, and it has three steps:
Here is the new paragraph I suggest adding:
Rubin was a member of the [[Africa Progress Panel]] (APP), a group of ten notable individuals who advocated for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.<ref name="Reuters-APP">((cite news |title=France "bad", Italy "useless" on aid goals - Geldof |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-54920020110215 |access-date=December 21, 2022 |work=Reuters |date=February 15, 2011 |language=en))</ref> Rubin also served on the Global Citizenship Commission, convened by former British Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]], which reexamined and proposed an update to the United Nations' 1948 [[Universal Declaration on Human Rights]].<ref name="WEF-Waldron-160422">((cite news |title=Why we all need to begin thinking like global citizens |last1=Waldron |first1=Jeremy |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/why-we-all-need-to-begin-thinking-like-global-citizens |work=[[World Economic Forum]] |date=April 22, 2016 |access-date=August 19, 2020))</ref><ref name="BelfastTelegraph-131001">((cite news |title=Malala to attend rights commission |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/malala-to-attend-rights-commission-29622320.html |work=[[Belfast Telegraph]] |date=October 1, 2013 |access-date=August 19, 2020))</ref> |
For reference, here's how I would expect it to look afterward:
References
citigroup
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).As always, due to my COI with the subject, I won't make any direct edits to the article. I welcome any uninvolved editor to review, but also adding a ping for @Spencer: in case you have an opportunity to review this. Thanks, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 17:47, 2 March 2023 (UTC)
This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Hello again, I'd like to make a suggestion for the newly-established Policy views section of the article. At present, the existing paragraphs largely discuss letters he has joined and speeches he has given; I think the reader's understanding of Mr. Rubin's policy perspectives would benefit from including a general overview of the stances that informed his time in government, plus a more recent action taken alongside other past Treasury secretaries.
Here is a rendered version of how it would look in the entry—just following the header, and preceding the paragraph about the 2014 climate change letter—and please note, the "empty" cite is a named ref already present in the current article:
Policy views
Rubin is an advocate for fiscal discipline and public investment, and worked to turn the federal budget deficit to a surplus while Treasury Secretary.[1] He has advocated against high budget deficits and has been credited with developing the strong dollar policy that has been a cornerstone of U.S. economic policy since his tenure at Treasury.[2][3] Rubin has supported progressive tax measures and expanding earned income tax credits to benefit low- and middle-income Americans.[4] He has also opposed tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high earners, including those enacted during the administrations of George W. Bush and Donald Trump.[5][6][7] During the Biden administration, Rubin joined with four former Treasury secretaries to support the Inflation Reduction Act and supported a permanent refundable child tax credit with former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.[8][9] In January 2014, Secretary Rubin joined... References
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Inside the box below is the markup itself, for convenience. It includes just what I recommend adding, not including the header or start of the next graf:
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Rubin is an advocate for fiscal discipline and public investment, and worked to turn the federal budget deficit to a surplus while Treasury Secretary.<ref name="Fortune-Loomis-160313">((cite news |title=The Larger-Than-Life Life of Robert Rubin |last1=Loomis |first1=Carol J. |url=https://fortune.com/2016/03/13/robert-rubin-life/ |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |date=March 13, 2016 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref> He has advocated against high budget deficits and has been credited with developing the [[strong dollar policy]] that has been a cornerstone of U.S. economic policy since his tenure at Treasury.<ref>((cite news |last1=Wolk |first1=Martin |title=Rubin warns of a deficit's ripples |work=NBC News |date=January 13, 2004 |access-date=February 6, 2023 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3948923))</ref><ref name="Reuters-Wroughton-180124">((cite news |title=U.S. 'strong dollar' policy in question |last1=Wroughton |first1=Lesley |last2=Lange |first2=Jason |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/global-forex-dollar/u-s-strong-dollar-policy-in-question-idUSL2N1PJ2EO |work=[[Reuters]] |date=January 24, 2018 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref> Rubin has supported progressive tax measures and expanding earned income tax credits to benefit low- and middle-income Americans.<ref name="TaxNotes-Thorndike-141201"/> He has also opposed tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high earners, including those enacted during the administrations of [[Presidency of George W. Bush#Bush_tax_cuts|George W. Bush]] and [[Presidency of Donald Trump#Taxation|Donald Trump]].<ref name="CNN-Alesci-170306">((cite news |title=Former Treasury secretary: Trump will hurt the economy |last1=Alesci |first1=Cristina |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/03/06/news/economy/robert-rubin-interview-trump-economy/ |work=[[CNN Money]] |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref><ref name="Bloomberg-Stimulus-100809">((cite news |title=Two former Treasury chiefs wary of another stimulus |url=https://archive.triblive.com/local/local-news/two-former-treasury-chiefs-wary-of-another-stimulus/ |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=August 9, 2010 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref><ref>((cite news |last1=Warner |first1=Margaret |title=Tax cuts: Robert Rubin |work=PBS Newshour |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/tax-cuts-robert-rubin |date=February 21, 2001 |access-date=February 6, 2023))</ref> During the [[Presidency of Joe Biden|Biden administration]], Rubin joined with four former Treasury secretaries to support the [[Inflation Reduction Act]] and supported a permanent refundable child tax credit with former Treasury Secretary [[Jacob Lew]].<ref>((cite news |last1=Lawder |first1=David |title=Former U.S. Treasury secretaries back drugs, climate, tax bill |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/former-us-treasury-secretaries-back-drugs-climate-tax-bill-2022-08-03/ |date=August 3, 2022 |access-date=February 6, 2023))</ref><ref>((cite news |last1=Konish |first1=Lorie |work=CNBC |date=May 5, 2022 |access-date=February 6, 2023 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/05/why-the-child-tax-credit-has-not-been-expanded-despite-democrats-support.html |title=Democrats are pushing to renew the expanded child tax credit. Here’s why that hasn’t happened yet))</ref> |
As always, due to my COI with the subject, I won't make any direct edits to the article. I welcome any uninvolved editor to consider it, and also @Spencer:: I welcome your review, if you have time. Thanks, WWB Too (Talk · COI) 14:50, 20 March 2023 (UTC)
Policy views
Rubin is an advocate for fiscal discipline and public investment, and worked to turn the federal budget deficit to a surplus while Treasury Secretary.[1] Rubin has advocated against high budget deficits and has been credited with developing the strong dollar policy that has been a cornerstone of U.S. economic policy since his tenure at Treasury.[2][3] He has been described as a centrist, pro-business, "pro-growth Democrat" by The New York Times.[4] His policies as Treasury Secretary have been credited with driving American economic growth in the 1990s.[5] However, they have also been criticized by some Republicans for not cutting taxes enough while some Democrats said Rubin's policies contributed to the 2008 financial crisis.[6] Rubin has supported progressive tax measures and expanding earned income tax credits to benefit low- and middle-income Americans.[5] He has also opposed tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high earners, including those enacted during the administrations of George W. Bush and Donald Trump.[7][8][9] During the Biden administration, Rubin joined with four former Treasury secretaries to support the Inflation Reduction Act and supported a permanent refundable child tax credit with former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.[10][11] In April 2016, Rubin was one of eight former Treasury secretaries who called on the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union ahead of the June 2016 Referendum.[12]
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Rubin is an advocate for fiscal discipline and public investment, and worked to turn the federal budget deficit to a surplus while Treasury Secretary.<ref name="Fortune-Loomis-160313">((cite news |title=The Larger-Than-Life Life of Robert Rubin |last1=Loomis |first1=Carol J. |url=https://fortune.com/2016/03/13/robert-rubin-life/ |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |date=March 13, 2016 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref> Rubin has advocated against high budget deficits and has been credited with developing the [[strong dollar policy]] that has been a cornerstone of U.S. economic policy since his tenure at Treasury.<ref>((cite news |last1=Wolk |first1=Martin |title=Rubin warns of a deficit's ripples |work=NBC News |date=January 13, 2004 |access-date=February 6, 2023 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3948923))</ref><ref name="Reuters-Wroughton-180124">((cite news |title=U.S. 'strong dollar' policy in question |last1=Wroughton |first1=Lesley |last2=Lange |first2=Jason |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/global-forex-dollar/u-s-strong-dollar-policy-in-question-idUSL2N1PJ2EO |work=[[Reuters]] |date=January 24, 2018 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref> He has been described as a centrist, pro-business, "pro-growth Democrat" by ''The New York Times''..<ref name="Greenhouse">((cite news |title=When Robert Rubin Talks… |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/25/business/when-robert-rubin-talks.html |last1=Greenhouse |first1=Steven |work=The New York Times |date=July 25, 1993 |access-date=March 22, 2023))</ref> His policies as Treasury Secretary have been credited with driving American economic growth in the 1990s.<ref name="TaxNotes-Thorndike-141201"/> However, they have also been criticized by some Republicans for not cutting taxes enough while some Democrats said Rubin's policies contributed to the 2008 financial crisis.<ref name="WSJ-Demos-180608"/> Rubin has supported progressive tax measures and expanding earned income tax credits to benefit low- and middle-income Americans.<ref name="TaxNotes-Thorndike-141201">((cite news |title=Robert Rubin: Stealth Liberal or Wall Street's Stalking Horse? |last1=Thorndike |first1=Joseph J. |work=[[Tax Analysts|Tax Notes]] |date=December 1, 2014))</ref> He has also opposed tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high earners, including those enacted during the administrations of [[Presidency of George W. Bush#Bush_tax_cuts|George W. Bush]] and [[Presidency of Donald Trump#Taxation|Donald Trump]].<ref name="CNN-Alesci-170306">((cite news |title=Former Treasury secretary: Trump will hurt the economy |last1=Alesci |first1=Cristina |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/03/06/news/economy/robert-rubin-interview-trump-economy/ |work=[[CNN Money]] |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref><ref name="Bloomberg-Stimulus-100809">((cite news |title=Two former Treasury chiefs wary of another stimulus |url=https://archive.triblive.com/local/local-news/two-former-treasury-chiefs-wary-of-another-stimulus/ |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=August 9, 2010 |access-date=August 31, 2020))</ref><ref>((cite news |last1=Warner |first1=Margaret |title=Tax cuts: Robert Rubin |work=PBS Newshour |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/tax-cuts-robert-rubin |date=February 21, 2001 |access-date=February 6, 2023))</ref> During the [[Presidency of Joe Biden|Biden administration]], Rubin joined with four former Treasury secretaries to support the [[Inflation Reduction Act]] and supported a permanent refundable child tax credit with former Treasury Secretary [[Jacob Lew]].<ref>((cite news |last1=Lawder |first1=David |title=Former U.S. Treasury secretaries back drugs, climate, tax bill |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/former-us-treasury-secretaries-back-drugs-climate-tax-bill-2022-08-03/ |date=August 3, 2022 |access-date=February 6, 2023))</ref><ref>((cite news |last1=Konish |first1=Lorie |work=CNBC |date=May 5, 2022 |access-date=February 6, 2023 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/05/why-the-child-tax-credit-has-not-been-expanded-despite-democrats-support.html |title=Democrats are pushing to renew the expanded child tax credit. Here’s why that hasn’t happened yet))</ref> In April 2016, Rubin was one of eight former Treasury secretaries who called on the United Kingdom to remain a member of the [[European Union]] ahead of the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|June 2016 Referendum]].<ref name="BBC-Brexit-160420">((cite news|title=Staying in EU 'best hope' for UK's future say ex-US Treasury secretaries|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36087583|work=[[BBC News]]|date=April 20, 2016))</ref> |
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Rubin's policies as Treasury Secretary have been credited by the ''Chicago Tribune'' and [[Associated Press]] with driving American economic growth in the 1990s.<ref name="Goozner-091799">((cite news |last1=Goozner |first1=Merrill |title=Rubin puts expertise to work for poor areas |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-09-17-9909170143-story.html |access-date=May 4, 2023 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 17, 1999))</ref><ref name="Fournier-051299">((cite news |last1=Fournier |first1=Ron |title=Treasury Secretary Rubin resigns |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/stories/rubin051299.htm |access-date=May 4, 2023 |work=The Washington Post |agency=Associated Press |date=May 12, 1999))</ref> References
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This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Hello again, I've got a request to slightly expand on the Policy views section and change the order a bit to keep similar topics together.
To start, I'd like to suggest a new subheading within Policy views called Climate change, covering Rubin's views on the topic. There is already a fair bit of content in the section about this, more than any other policy area. Along with this change, I suggest moving the sentence about Brexit up prior to this subheading. I think that makes the separation between the topics clear.
I also have some suggestions for this new Climate change section: I recommend trimming some content related to the risk committee and scaling back the name-dropping, while refocusing it on Mr. Rubin's views, in keeping with the purpose of the overall section. Lastly, I'd suggest adding a few sentences about the Risky Business Project, another of Mr. Rubin's efforts related to climate change. As Spencer has suggested in the past, I've put these more complex changes into a table below to help make these changes more easily understood.
Existing text | Revised text with references | Reason for suggested change |
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In January 2014, Secretary Rubin joined former Senator Olympia Snowe, former Education Secretary Donna Shalala, former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Henry Cisneros, Gregory Page the Chair of Cargill, and Al Sommer, the Dean Emeritus of the Bloomberg School of Public Health as members of the U.S. Climate Risk Committee. They oversaw the development of an analysis of the economic risks of climate change in the United States that was published on June 24, 2014. | Among Rubin's policy interests is climate change.[1] In 2014, Rubin served as a member of the U.S. Climate Risk Committee, which oversaw the development of an analysis of the economic risks of climate change in the United States.[2] | I think this adds a nice lead-in to the section and makes it far more concise without losing the key information related to Mr. Rubin. |
In an address at the Climate Leadership Conference on March 4, 2015, Mr. Rubin spoke about the economic effects of climate change and the costs of inaction. Calling climate change "the existential threat of our age," he called for the adoption of three proposals – revising estimates of the Gross Domestic Product to reflect climate change externalities, disclosure to investors by companies of the costs of carbon they emit that they might be required to absorb, and including in the U.S. government's fiscal projections the future costs of dealing with climate change – to help catalyze a more active response to climate change risks. He first outlined the proposals in a Washington Post op-ed column titled "How Ignoring Climate Change Could Sink the U.S. Economy." | In an address at the Climate Leadership Conference on March 4, 2015, Rubin spoke about the economic effects of climate change and the costs of inaction.[3] Calling climate change "the existential threat of our age," he called for the adoption of three proposals—revising estimates of the gross domestic product to reflect climate change externalities, disclosure to investors by companies of the costs of carbon they emit that they might be required to absorb, and including in the U.S. government's fiscal projections the future costs of dealing with climate change—to help catalyze a more active response to climate change risks. He first outlined these proposals in a Washington Post op-ed column titled "How Ignoring Climate Change Could Sink the U.S. Economy."[4] | This is virtually identical to the current live content, only cleaning up some spelling and formatting issues, and adding two wikilinks. Though difficult to show in this format, I would also suggest that the content in this row and the prior row all be part of the same paragraph. |
(no existing text) | In 2016, former Treasury secretaries Rubin, Henry Paulson, and George Shultz, members of the climate research group the Risky Business Project, penned a letter to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, urging regulators to manage financial disclosures regarding climate change.[5] | I think this helps further expand upon Mr. Rubin's efforts related to climate change, and is especially noteworthy for the collaboration among Treasury secretaries of different political parties. |
References
WSJ-Demos-180608
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).(Note: the empty ref is the Demos WSJ story, already rendered in the live article.)
For convenience, I've put the markup below for the proposed Climate change section (not including the subhead) in this box:
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Among Rubin's policy interests is [[climate change]].<ref name="WSJ-Demos-180608"/> In 2014, Rubin served as a member of the U.S. Climate Risk Committee, which oversaw the development of an analysis of the economic risks of [[climate change in the United States]].<ref>((cite web |last1=Larsen |first1=Kate |last2=Delgado |first2=Michael |last3=Mohan |first3=Shashank |last4=Houser |first4=Trevor |title=American Climate Prospectus: Economic Risks in the United States |url=https://rhg.com/research/american-climate-prospectus-economic-risks-in-the-united-states/ |website=Rhodium Group |date=June 24, 2014 |access-date=February 6, 2023))</ref> In an address at the Climate Leadership Conference on March 4, 2015, Rubin spoke about the [[economic impacts of climate change|economic effects of climate change]] and the costs of inaction.<ref>((cite web |title=Robert Rubin: Speech at the Climate Leadership Conference |url=http://riskybusiness.org/blog/robert-rubin-climate-leadership-conference-speech |website=Risky Business |access-date=February 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907091834/http://riskybusiness.org/blog/robert-rubin-climate-leadership-conference-speech |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |date=March 4, 2015 |url-status=dead))</ref> Calling climate change "the existential threat of our age," he called for the adoption of three proposals—revising estimates of the [[gross domestic product]] to reflect climate change externalities, disclosure to investors by companies of the costs of carbon they emit that they might be required to absorb, and including in the U.S. government's fiscal projections the future costs of dealing with climate change—to help catalyze a more active response to climate change risks. He first outlined these proposals in a ''Washington Post'' op-ed column titled "How Ignoring Climate Change Could Sink the U.S. Economy."<ref>((cite news |last1=Rubin |first1=Robert |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-rubin-how-ignoring-climate-change-could-sink-the-us-economy/2014/07/24/b7b4c00c-0df6-11e4-8341-b8072b1e7348_story.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=July 24, 2014 |access-date=October 10, 2015 |title=How Ignoring Climate Change Could Sink the U.S. Economy))</ref>
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Please let me know what you think. As always, I'm open to further discussion on these suggested changes and won't make them myself due to my conflict of interest. Any feedback is appreciated. WWB Too (Talk · COI) 16:06, 6 June 2023 (UTC)