(This story has been posted on The Wall Street Journal Online's Deal Journal blog at blogs.wsj.com/deals.)
By Shira Ovide
Is Jamie Dimon playing kiss and make up with Washington?
The J.P. Morgan CEO today lauded the White House's new " Council on Jobs and Competitiveness," headed by General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt.
This is the nicest thing Dimon has said about President Obama in recent memory. Dimon has been prickly about the president, and Washington political types in general, after several seasons of populist anger against Wall Street. Dimon will complain to anyone within earshot that Washington has unfairly demonized banks. He has railed against regulation including last year's Dodd-Frank law. The "fat cat bankers"line Obama used to slap Wall Street on "60 Minutes"? Dimon thought that was hitting below the belt.
Â"President Lincoln could have denigrated all Southerners. He didnÂ't," Dimon said, according to recent New York Times Magazine profile.
With his statement today, Dimon seems to be moving past his full bore, anti-fat cat sentiment. Or, perhaps he's just friends with Jeff Immelt.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 21, 2011 11:25 ET (16:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 11 25 AM EST 01-21-11