The Recession Responses

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 08:02:15 AM EST
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Krugman considers the economic stimulus packages of the candidates. Here is part of what he says about the Democrats:

[Edwards] proposed a stimulus package including aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments, public investment in alternative energy, and other measures.

Last week Hillary Clinton offered a broadly similar but somewhat larger proposal. (It also includes aid to families having trouble paying heating bills, which seems like a clever way to put cash in the hands of people likely to spend it.) The Edwards and Clinton proposals both contain provisions for bigger stimulus if the economy worsens.

. . . The Obama campaign’s initial response to the latest wave of bad economic news was, I’m sorry to say, disreputable: Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser claimed that the long-term tax-cut plan the candidate announced months ago is just what we need to keep the slump from “morphing into a drastic decline in consumer spending.” Hmm: claiming that the candidate is all-seeing, and that a tax cut originally proposed for other reasons is also a recession-fighting measure — doesn’t that sound familiar?

Discuss.

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The Recession Responses | 14 comments (14 topical)

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Better late than never (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Molly Bloom on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 08:59:02 AM EST

In fairness to Obama, I think it should be pointed out that his current position is different than the portion of Krugman highlighted by BTD. Clearly Krugman is not impressed.

Anyway, on Sunday Mr. Obama came out with a real stimulus plan. As was the case with his health care plan, which fell short of universal coverage, his stimulus proposal is similar to those of the other Democratic candidates, but tilted to the right.
For example, the Obama plan appears to contain none of the alternative energy initiatives that are in both the Edwards and Clinton proposals, and emphasizes across-the-board tax cuts over both aid to the hardest-hit families and help for state and local governments. I know that Mr. Obama's supporters hate to hear this, but he really is less progressive than his rivals on matters of domestic policy.

Agree Or Disagree With Krugman (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by MO Blue on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 12:15:54 PM EST

he actually discusses issues. The country would be better served if the rest of the media approached politics in the same way. Of course, it would help if voters took the same approach.

Hmm: claiming that the candidate is all-seeing, and that a tax cut originally proposed for other reasons is also a recession-fighting measure -- doesn't that sound familiar?
...
I know that Mr. Obama's supporters hate to hear this, but he really is less progressive than his rivals on matters of domestic policy.

It disturbs me that Obama's initial positions track so far to the right. What will happen if he becomes president and he no longer has Edwards and Clinton nipping at his heels?

That isn't an issue (none / 0) (#6)
by Jgarza on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 12:26:49 PM EST

he is quoting an unnamed person, and it isnt a direct quote. That is a political attack.

I might also point out that recently in his blog, he said he had heard that Obama said he would consider and mandate if his plan still had a lot of people not getting health insurance. Obama had said this all along, and he only figured it out after someone told him Obama said that on MTP. Sounds like his research is weak.


No (none / 0) (#7)
by DA in LA on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 12:31:04 PM EST

Obama has been lying about Krugman, distorting what Krugman writes.

He is an idiot for trying to take on the best liberal writer in the country.


Mandates (none / 0) (#8)
by BDB on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 12:40:26 PM EST

Via Ezra Klein, the California nurses are now playing Barack Obama's quote against mandates to try to defeat California's healthcare reform bill. So Obama may have helped create a political climate where he can't add mandates even if he wants to. This is why framing matters.


That the california (none / 0) (#9)
by Jgarza on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 01:23:54 PM EST

nurses (last time i checked not a republican group) are against mandates shows that they aren't the "liberal" position.

The California nurses were against mandates before Barack spoke up. If it is so dangerous to make a case either way, (remember Clinton claims health care won't work with out them, so by this logic, she may not be able to take them out even if she needs to) then Clinton shouldn't have used them to attack Obama.


The CA Nurses are against mandates (none / 0) (#10)
by DA in LA on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 01:28:40 PM EST

because they want Universal Health Care.

They believe Kucinich is the only candidate to offer such a plan.


Not My Point (none / 0) (#12)
by BDB on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:19:13 PM EST

I don't honestly know whether mandates are a good idea. What I do know is that if Clinton is elected, Obama's quotes are going to be played by industry and the GOP to try to defeat her healthcare plan. Same thing for Edwards. And the same thing for Obama because he has mandates in his plan and has left the door open to adding more.

If the nurses will use Obama to fight mandates, so will others. That's what's bad about Obama's comments - they are going to come back to haunt any healthcare reform effort, including his own.


: Well, those of us against (none / 0) (#14)
by DA in LA on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 04:44:39 PM EST

mandates don't really care.

Google Is Our Friend (none / 0) (#11)
by MO Blue on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 01:29:29 PM EST

Obama's Plans for Fiscal Stimulus

WSJ

The fact that Krugman did not mention Austan Goolsbee by name does not mean he misstated what he said about Obama's initial Plans For Fiscal Stimulus.


Economic Plans (none / 0) (#1)
by bob h on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 08:41:13 AM EST

I sense that this plays into Clinton's strength; she does the "feel your pain" schtick as well as her husband. The game will shift to her lunch-bucket Democrats for whom talk of "transformational change" is just rhetoric.

: She will lose a lot of voters (none / 0) (#4)
by DA in LA on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 12:06:53 PM EST

with her housing mortgage freeze. Many sat on the sidelines, using sound judgment and they will be punished for doing so.
I don't know what Obama and Edwards have proposed in response to the housing crisis, but Hillary has angered a lot of people.

Clinton Campaign (none / 0) (#3)
by BDB on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 10:01:56 AM EST

I wonder if the Clinton campaign will do the same thing with this stuff that they did with the healthcare stuff. This paragraph was a gift to her:

And you have to say that Mrs. Clinton seems comfortable with and knowledgeable about economic policy. I'm sure the Hillary-haters will find some reason that's a bad thing, but there's something to be said for presidents who know what they're talking about.

Austan Goolsbee (none / 0) (#13)
by Alien Abductee on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:37:30 PM EST

is Dr. Pangloss to Obama's Candide.