In their arrogance, I doubted they knew or cared about that loss of respect/trust.  To my surprise, they set aside $500 million to “burnish their image,” primarily by lending to small businesses.  Over 2,200 of those small businesses congregated in Washington this week.  That’s a noble purpose and should be applauded.

But wait — why did Goldman Sachs do such a thing?  In the past, the firm could exercise clout in Washington by its rather continuous flow of Goldman Sachs executives into government.  Some even joked the Federal government should be called “Government Sachs.”  However, as their reputation suffered, the flow of executives decreased, and their influence dropped.

So, what did the small business people do at their convention in Washington?  They fanned out across Congress to pigeon-hole politicians!  Obviously, there’s “more than one way to skin a cat” or to maintain clout in Washington!