FT社评：政坛“高盛帮”地位难撼
看看这份仅列举出一小部分人的名单吧：美国前财长亨利•福勒(Henry Fowler)、罗伯特•鲁宾(Robert Rubin)和汉克•保尔森(Hank Paulson);英国央行(BoE)行长马克•卡尼(Mark Carney);欧洲央行(ECB)行长马里奥•德拉吉(Mario Draghi);澳大利亚总理马尔科姆•特恩布尔(Malcolm Turnbull);纽约联储主席比尔•达德利(Bill Dudley);意大利前总理罗马诺•普罗迪(Romano Prodi);前白宫幕僚长乔希•博尔顿(Josh Bolten);世界银行(World Bank)前行长罗伯特•佐立克(Robert Zoellick)。
Before or after these men had their turn with the levers of power, they worked for Goldman Sachs. No other company can boast such an alumni network with anywhere near this level of influence on world affairs. It seems the pattern will be not be broken under a Trump administration. The president-elect has tapped Steven Mnuchin, a former partner at the investment bank, to be his Treasury secretary.
这些人在掌权前后都曾在高盛(Goldman Sachs)工作过。其他任何一家公司都不具备在国际事务上拥有这种层次的影响力的同事关系网络。这种模式在特朗普执政期间似乎也不会被打破。特朗普有意让高盛前合伙人史蒂芬•姆钦(Steven Mnuchin)出任美国财政部长。
Put aside, for a moment, the political implications of Mr Trump’s choice. There are good reasons why Goldman has the network it does, and there are reasons to be glad a Goldmanite will be in the cabinet. It is very hard to succeed at Goldman. Those who do tend to be hard working and competent, and to have a good understanding of financial markets.
暂且不提特朗普选择姆钦的政治含义。高盛拥有这种关系网络有充分理由，人们也有理由对一个高盛人加入内阁感到高兴。在高盛很难取得成功。那些成功的人士往往勤奋而有能力，对金融市场有着很好的理解。
Goldman Sachs is also, in a broad sense, moderate. Its alumni take roles in parties of the right and left. Its economists tend to be Keynesian and respectable. Goldman people take care to understand how the system works, and try to keep it working. Doing anything else would be a serious obstacle to profit. All of these characteristics make them useful to the executive branch.
总的来说，高盛也很温和。高盛人在左、右翼党派均担任职务。它的经济学家往往信奉凯恩斯主义，而且受人尊敬。高盛人小心翼翼地理解体制的运行方式，并努力保持其运转。其他行事作风都将是盈利的严重障碍。所有这些特点让他们成为行政部门的有用之才。
Mr Mnuchin is not, it must be said, a Goldmanite of anywhere near the rank of Mr Rubin or Mr Paulson, who were co-chair and chief executive of the firm, respectively. Mr Mnuchin rose to chief information officer before striking out on his own as an investor in banks and films. But he is a natural choice for Mr Trump, who in selecting deputies has overwhelmingly favoured people he trusts and who were vocal supporters of his campaign — starting with his strategist Stephen Bannon, another Goldman alumnus. Mr Trump is a property developer and reality TV star. A New York banker turned movie producer fits perfectly.
必须承认，姆钦并非是鲁宾或保尔森那种级别的高盛人，后两者分别担任过高盛的联合主席和首席执行官。姆钦当过高盛的首席信息官，后来自己干，投资于银行和电影行业。但他是特朗普的自然之选。特朗普在选择副手时青睐自己信任也公开支持其竞选的人——首先是其策略师、另一名高盛前员工斯蒂芬•班农(Stephen Bannon)。特朗普是一位房地产开发商，同时还是一名真人秀明星。一位由纽约银行家转型的电影制片人是非常适合的人选。
The president-elect’s opponents on the left argue that Mr Trump’s embrace of Mr Mnuchin and assorted other billionaires is a betrayal of the working-class voters who gave him the presidency. On the campaign trail Mr Trump took aim at hedge funds and bankers “getting away with murder” and criticised Hillary Clinton for giving speeches for Goldman Sachs. His actions make nonsense of his rhetoric.
特朗普的左翼对手辩称，特朗普青睐姆钦以及其他亿万富翁是对把他选上台的工人阶级选民的背叛。在竞选期间，特朗普把矛头对准“逍遥法外的”对冲基金和银行家，并批评希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)为高盛发表演讲。他的行动让自己的话变得很荒谬。
This liberal indignation fundamentally misunderstands the Trump phenomenon. If working class Trump voters had a problem with billionaires, or with the president-elect’s casual approach to facts, they would not have voted as they did.
这种自由主义的义愤从根本上误解了特朗普现象。如果支持特朗普的工人阶级选民对亿万富翁有意见或者不认可特朗普罔顾事实的做法，他们就不会像那样投票了。
They heard Mr Trump’s fundamental promise on growth and jobs, and his withering disdain for the niceties of the liberal elite. That was enough. That his tough talk about the financial elite was empty posturing will cost him nothing politically.
他们听到了特朗普在增长和就业方面的基本承诺，目睹他对自由主义精英阶层极尽嘲讽之能事。这就够了。他对金融精英人士言辞强硬虽然只是故作姿态，但他不会为此在政治上付出代价。
That does not mean Mr Trump and Mr Mnuchin will have a free ride. They will have to deliver the growth and the jobs. Although they will be handed a US economy in rude health, the goals they set out remain ambitious. The Goldman reputation for hard work and competence will be tested. If things go wrong this time, though, the world’s most powerful professional network will, without any doubt, have another chance in the next administration.
这并不意味着特朗普和姆钦什么也不用做，他们将不得不推动增长和创造就业。尽管他们接手的美国经济相当健康，但他们依然制定了雄心勃勃的目标。高盛勤奋而能干的名声将经受考验。然而，如果这次出了问题，这个全球最具影响力的专业人士网络毫无疑问在下届政府还有机会。
