Krugman Pushes, Gergen Praises
If the centrists’ insistence on comforting the comfortable while
afflicting the afflicted makes its way into the final stimulus bill, it will lead to
substantially lower employment and substantially more suffering.
This is what Economics Nobelist Paul Krugman believes. And he goes on to say, "I blame President Obama’s belief that he can transcend the partisan divide ... he offered a plan that was clearly both too small and too heavily reliant on tax cuts. Why? Because he wanted the plan to have broad bipartisan support, and believed that it would ... his postpartisan yearnings may also explain why he didn’t do something crucially important: ... speak forcefully about how government spending can help support the economy .... waiting until late last week before finally saying what needed to be said — that increasing spending is the whole point of the plan ... and he got nothing in return for his bipartisan outreach."
Ah but with some Republican Senators seeing the light, in his impressive hour-long prime time news conference the President did indeed explain in no uncertain terms why the economic stimulus is critical.
As David Gergen commented on CNN, "A shrewd exercise of power, he seized the bully pulpit, he brought in the people of Indiana, pressured Congress and we will see his bill passed."
Positively,
Carolan
This is what Economics Nobelist Paul Krugman believes. And he goes on to say, "I blame President Obama’s belief that he can transcend the partisan divide ... he offered a plan that was clearly both too small and too heavily reliant on tax cuts. Why? Because he wanted the plan to have broad bipartisan support, and believed that it would ... his postpartisan yearnings may also explain why he didn’t do something crucially important: ... speak forcefully about how government spending can help support the economy .... waiting until late last week before finally saying what needed to be said — that increasing spending is the whole point of the plan ... and he got nothing in return for his bipartisan outreach."
Ah but with some Republican Senators seeing the light, in his impressive hour-long prime time news conference the President did indeed explain in no uncertain terms why the economic stimulus is critical.
As David Gergen commented on CNN, "A shrewd exercise of power, he seized the bully pulpit, he brought in the people of Indiana, pressured Congress and we will see his bill passed."
Positively,
Carolan
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