Gene Sperling

Compromise

During Obama's first two years in office, Sperling, who was then a top Treasury Department adviser, became the point man on negotiating with Senate Republicans about extending the George W. Bush tax cuts. The White House compromised with Republicans, exteninding tax cuts for both the middle class and the very weahtly.

Sperling was also know for negotiating compromises during the Clinton administration. As head of the National Economic Council from 1997 to 2000, he helped Clinton find a series of compromises with the Republican-led Congress, including an agreement to balance the budget.

The Workaholic

One thing is certain: with Sperling as a government employee, the country is getting its money's worth. During the Clinton administration, Sperling had a reputation for spending countless hours in the White House. His office would be in shambles, but Sperling continued to have the president's ear because of his work ethic and ability to create consensus. Sperling, a.k.a "Gene the Machine," became Clinton's and then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin's right-hand man on economic issues.

Only a month into Clinton's first term, the Washington Post reported that then-Office of Management and Budget Director Leon Panetta was giving a presentation to the other Cabinet members. Sperling, then NEC deputy director, walked in 30 minutes late. Panetta stopped the meeting and rehashed everything he had just said.

'"I have never seen an OMB director or a secretary of the treasury defer to an under-secretary like that, let alone an underling,' said one official who attended the meeting. 'People deferred to him as though he was speaking for Clinton,"' wrote the Washington Post.

"Gene can go toe to toe with the wonkiest propeller head at the Treasury," political strategist and Clinton administration vet Paul Begala told the Wall Street Journal. "Then he can go to the political people, who roll their eyes at the propeller heads, and explain what needs to be done."

China

In 1999, Sperling spent time in China attempting to negotiate a deal allowing foreign firms to gain up to a 50 percent stake in Chinese telecommunication firms. In return, China would be allowed to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). Sperling worked closely with Clinton Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky in all-night discussions with Chinese officials that eventually led to China's admission into the WTO in December 2001. That pact was China's largest hurdle in gaining WTO entrance.

Ten years later, Obama and Geithner talked trade with China again; particularly on the subject of China's artificially deflated currency, the yuan, which creates cheaper Chinese exports and a global trade surplus for the country. Geithner said during his confirmation hearings in January 2009 that he would take a tougher, more aggressive stance on adjusting trade policies towards China.

'Pro-Growth Progressive'

Sperling wrote a 2005 book called "The Pro-Growth Progressive: An Economic Strategy for Shared Prosperity" in which he argued that the key for progressives in regaining control of government was to create growth initiatives.

"Our primary goal should be raising all middle-class and poor boats substantially," Sperling wrote, "even if the well-off boats rise at a similar or faster pace."

In order to foster this growth, Sperling urged progressives to push for technological change and to invest more heavily in education and research. Sperling demonstrated this theory by using the example of a textile mill. The government, Sperling argued, should step in before the textile mill shuts down. He argued that the government should begin educating textile-mill workers once it becomes clear that the mill is headed toward closure. The lead time would give workers a chance to develop different skill sets before it's too late.

Sperling also espoused the idea that personal savings are key to long-term growth. Personal savings are "a vital ingredient in ensuring economic dignity and upward mobility,'' wrote Sperling. This fiscal discipline would "build public trust in government - a prerequisite for attracting support for expansive government initiatives."

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