Perhaps people were afraid they would heckle the president from the cheap seats. Should we be surprised that the likes of Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein (Lloyd Blankfein news), Wells Fargo CEO John G. Stumpf and even JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon (Jamie Dimon news) were not invited to attend the Presidential signing of the Dodd-Frank bill, which many deem historic?

Some executives are fuming. But it would have been really odd for the group to be accorded a prominent spot, as they were very opposed to the bill and lobbied hard--and successfully--to water it down. They will no doubt continue their fights as the reform effort moves from the legislative phase to the bureaucratic implementation phase.

It would have made for odd theater no matter what. Even if they were invited, they would be better off not attending. The cameras would be there to record there responses, and they would come across as smug, angry or triumphant--or even humiliated. A PR blunder in the making. There will be a lot of pomp, as real people with real tales of financial woe will be trotted out as justification for the bill.

For more:
- here's a Washington Post article

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