Steve Benen at Washington Monthly makes a point that’s been bugging me lately:
Arguably one of the most dramatic Democratic dilemmas of 2011 and 2012 is overcoming the realization that Republicans are getting their way on economic policy and then denying any responsibility for the results. Indeed, it’s a rather extraordinary con: GOP officials see much of their agenda implemented, then see it fail, and then blame Obama when their policies don’t work.
Part of what’s going on is the result of the amazing laziness of the American media which is incapable of reporting these facts:
. . . we’re stuck looking in this funhouse-mirror in which Republicans block Democratic economic policies, and then condemn the policies for failing. Worse, as Adam Serwer recently noted, these same GOP officials are “actively pursuing policies that make the problem worse, and then attacking the president for the results.”
I’ve argued before and will no doubt do so again but we’re dealing with problems that are complex in every aspect – the usual thinking, the usual way of doing things isn’t working and it’s time to try new things. Bold thinking and action are needed. Are Dems up to it?
174.19.48.46#1 by Larry Bergan on September 2, 2011 - 8:14 pm
When Bush was in office the Republicans said they didn’t want to play the “blame game”, guess those days are over.
What a bunch of babies!
174.52.66.133#2 by brewski on September 2, 2011 - 9:01 pm
What a pile of crap.
- The ARRA 2009 which was a giveaway to the states to shore up their budgets and then spent on Medicaid and state employee pension deficits can hardly be described as Republican economic policy.
- The Health Care faux bills which further penalize employers for hiring actual people and mandating all kinds of coverages thus making it more expensive and hiring of people less attractive can hardly be called Republican economic policy.
- Dodd-Frank which codifies the too big to fail doctrine can hardly be called Republican economic policy.
- More faux financial reforms which completely ignore the elephants in the room of Fannie and Freddie can hardly be called Republican economic policy.
- The printing of currency by the Fed thus weakening the value of each dollar can hardly be called Republican economic policy.
Glenden, you wouldn’t know Republican economic policy if it bit you in the ass. In fact, you wouldn’t know any economic policy if it bit you in the ass. You are so wholly uneducated and misinformed on this topic it would be like me constantly opining on the nuances of musical theatre.
Stick to something you know something about.
174.52.66.133#3 by brewski on September 2, 2011 - 10:04 pm
Glenden,
Read every word of this:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904199404576536930606933332.html
Mr. Becker, the 1992 Nobel economics laureate, is professor of economics at the University of Chicago and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.
71.195.206.218#4 by Glenden Brown on September 2, 2011 - 11:38 pm
As usual, brewski, you’re all hat, no cattle. There’s nothing in that article that hasn’t been said before and said better. It’s just another standard issue conservative kvetch. That it fooled you is no great surprise. You’re nothing if not consistently taken in by the appearance of insight. Maybe you should go mooch off your taxpayer funded insurance and get your head checked to see why you’re such a bitter racist. Or better yet, just sleep in a stocking cap so the rocks don’t fall out of your head.
174.52.66.133#5 by brewski on September 3, 2011 - 7:57 am
Ooooooo. Thanks for the short on substance and long on conceit retort.
I will take your vacuous response as a capitulation to Mr. Becker.
71.195.206.218#6 by Glenden Brown on September 3, 2011 - 8:06 am
Yeah, take it any way you want. There’s nothing I could write that you would read to understand, so why should I waste my time on a two bit know nothing like you?
174.52.152.219#7 by Richard Warnick on September 3, 2011 - 10:11 am
It’s hard to understand why so many Democrats think the key to political success is to become crypto-Republicans. Very few right-wingers would vote for a Democrat under any circumstances. Progressives won’t remain captives of the Dems much longer if this keeps up. I’m forced to conclude that both major parties have stopped caring about ordinary Americans, and have focused their efforts on trying to please the rich and the corporations.
Political scientists will have a field day explaining the current situation, in which Republican economic sabotage has paid off in terms of winning the House of Representatives. If they’re lucky, the GOP will sabotage their way to victory in 2012 too.
71.195.206.218#8 by Glenden Brown on September 3, 2011 - 10:16 am
Richard – my current operating theory is that too many Democrats are like Jim Matheson – they don’t really know what they stand for and their afraid to take on the Republicans because they don’t have any actual policy to back up themselves. Some of it is ideological blindness – they’re so invested in neoliberal economics they can’t admit they have failed badly. Some of it is simple incoherence – they don’t know what good government would like like and some of it is cowardice – they’re afraid of a fight.
67.170.165.63#9 by cav on September 3, 2011 - 4:47 pm
http://www.blueskynews.aero/contributors/Why_The_Economy_Sucks_terry_drinkard.htm
71.35.234.246#10 by Jeremy on September 3, 2011 - 11:17 pm
Wow Glenden. Brewski really did own you here. I enjoy following this site primarily because of your posts. Your reflexive partisanship on economic issues doesn’t demonstrate the same thoughtfulness most of your other posts show. I know Brewski has a history of frustrating you guys but he posted actual substance on economic issues and you answered with name calling. Lame.
71.195.206.218#11 by Glenden Brown on September 3, 2011 - 11:55 pm
Jeremy – did you read the article I linked to? Brewski sure didn’t. It addressed his “arguments.” The article he linked to is standard issue right wing economics, there’s nothing new there. Given that his first comment was to claim I know nothing on this topic, why would I bother trying to respond constructively to anything he says? Seriously, why would I waste my time?
I do my best to provide thoughtful insights on the topics I write about. On economics, it’s pretty straightforward and there’s 70 years of history showing Keynes’ model works and works well. We’re in a strange circumstance now – recessions/depressions brought on by financial crashes are different than normal recessions, and the fact that we’re in a liquidity trap makes it even more challenging. Weird things happen to economies in liquidity traps. Businesses and consumers hold onto their money even though that makes things worse. Right now, the government can borrow at what is in practice zero percent. Why not borrow everything we can for free right now and invest it to boost employment? It’s not some obscure school of thought – it’s econ 101. Brewski will probably deny everything I’ve just written and offer some pablum about unintended consequences or a jeremiad against government – or maybe resort to his usual personal attacks or revert to his old time favorite and complain about how a liberal once did him wrong as justification for whatever position he’s going to argue which is usually a caricature of whatever anyone here has written. If thought he’d read to understand what I write, I wouldn’t dismiss him, and at one point he was a smart and insightful commenter who actually provided interesting perspectives and views. But that version of him is long gone. He’s little better than a troll and I treat him as such.
That’s why I wrote what I wrote; if it seems rude, there is my reason for it.
174.52.152.219#12 by Richard Warnick on September 4, 2011 - 10:50 am
Econ 101, exactly. But how many Washington politicians have ever taken an economics course?
71.195.206.218#13 by Glenden Brown on September 4, 2011 - 12:44 pm
Or more to the point, how paid many attention in the courses they took?