Krugman on Obama's response to economic bad news: From "disreputable" to "tilted to the right"

[Karmadillo]

In Obama's defense, you can't get those Democrats for a day in Nevada to vote for you if you don't tilt to the right.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/opinion/14krugman.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

<edit>

On the Democratic side, John Edwards, although never the front-runner, has been driving his party’s policy agenda. He’s done it again on economic stimulus: last month, before the economic consensus turned as negative as it now has, he 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.

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.

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?

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.

[skipos]

1. Dupe. This has been posted a bunch. nt

[rodeodance]

so??

[skipos]

7. Have you ever seen the phrase "Good citizens check for duplicates!"

before you post?
Or do you not care about DU rules and requests?

[peoli]

2. I care what a man who openly hates Obama has to say

...............................:silly:

[Tellurian]

4. Why make accusations you can't prove?

move along, we're used to better dialog..threadsh*tter!

[asthmaticeog]

6. Interesting.

Never mind that there might be legitimate reasons to criticize Barack Obama - doing so is indicative of "hatred" and thus must be ignored.

Reminds me of how any progressive idea can be blown off, since liberals are just "angry" and any contrary policy position is motivated by "Bush-hate."

Enjoy the rest of your evening.

[Tellurian]

3. Thanks for posting, I haven't seen it!

As usual, Krugman gets to the heart of the matters with few words, each packed with the political punch of Ali! He's right, Obama's plan is tiled right and stalls with a too little - too late strategy that promises much but delivers it in a Bush-like drop by drop IV... lingering between the third and fourth stages of dying. Kubler-Ross would be proud.

[sandnsea]

5. Obama's help goes directly to the people

which is the key difference between him and macro economists like Krugman. This is a plan to help people through a recession, not a long term energy plan.

[jackson_dem]

8. That is what Cheney said too with his tax rebate check in 2001

No wonder the people who voted for Bush and Cheney are being courted by Obama to vote for him in Nevada. Obama is the most conservative Democrat running and him saying "change" every other word and the hype has blinded many from seeing this.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

9. Obama is the most conservative candidate of the three Democrats eom

eom