Paul Krugman Blog- The debate over Little vs. Nothing

[n2doc]

Calculated Risk says it perfectly: this report in the Times on economic debate within the White House shows a fierce argument between those who want to do very little on jobs and those who want to do nothing at all.

If the report is at all correct, this Grand Debate isn’t just about political strategy:

A series of departures has left few economists among Mr. Obama’s senior advisers. Several of his political advisers are skeptical about the merits of stimulus spending, and they are certain about the politics: voters do not like it.

Mr. Plouffe and Mr. Daley share the view that a focus on deficit reduction is an economic and political imperative, according to people who have spoken with them. Voters believe that paying down the debt will help the economy, and the White House agrees, although it wants to avoid cutting too much spending while the economy remains weak.

...
And as for the political side, I guess I’m puzzled: you have an obstructionist GOP, and rather than point out that obstruction, you restrict yourself to calling for measures that this obstructionist opposition might actually accept. Doesn’t this mean that voters learn nothing about the extent to which the GOP is in fact blocking job creation?

more
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/little-or-nothing/

[Hawkowl]

1. Herbert Hoover II

We are so fucked. Obama is going to go down as the Dems version of Herbert Hoover and take the whole party down along with him. Americans are just too ignorant of economics, science and history to prevent the economy from imploding.

[ProSense]

2. From the

article Krugman links to:

<...>

Even if the ideas cannot pass Congress, they say, the president would gain a campaign issue by pushing for them.

<...>

Dan Pfeiffer, the White House director of communications, said that there was no internal debate. “The president’s first priority is to work with Republicans and Democrats to grow the economy, create jobs and reduce the deficit, but if the Republican House continues its ‘my way or the highway’ approach, he will make sure the public knows who is standing in the way and why.”

I agree with Pfeiffer. Things that cannot pass Congress cannot create jobs.

The President has been pushing a few job-creating proposals.

[edhopper]

3. Cutting SS and Medicare won't create jobs

Keeping taxes historically low on the rich will not create jobs.
Cutting government projects and spending will not create jobs.
Allowing Wall Street to run rampant will not create jobs.

He had a chance with the stimulus bill and the Bush Tax cuts and blew it. Now he embraces disasterous policies.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. And, there's this little budgetary item...

http://costofwar.com/en/

[bvar22]

4. That IS a defeatist attitude.

Nobody KNOWS how many votes something will get until it is tried.
A Leader should LEAD and fight for the very best,
not Settle for Less from the start.
If Obama would STAND & FIGHT,
and call on his ARMY to STAND WITH HIM,
the outcome would be better than just giving up because it might not pass.

"Compromising"BEFORE the fight even Starts is for LOSERS.
I would MUCH rather FIGHT & LOSE,
then to surrender without a fight.
So would most Americans.


We LOVE FIGHTERS,
and tend to support them even if we disagree on certain issues.



Who will STAND and FIGHT for THIS American Majority?
The California Progressive Caucus WILL!!!


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
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[ProSense]

8. Hmmmm?

"Nobody KNOWS how many votes something will get until it is tried."

Defeatist!

[mmonk]

6. This:

Doesn’t this mean that voters learn nothing about the extent to which the GOP is in fact blocking job creation?

The answer is yes.

What will they blame the lack of job creation on?

The answer is government spending, taxes, regulation, and big government.

So adopting the administration's strategy, the Democrats continue to harm the economy, in effect make the case to the uneducated that the falsehoods the Republicans say are true, and leave us no way out of this crap.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. We're fucked

It doesn't matter who wins in 2012. If this is going to be Obama's policy then it won't save us any better than what Batshit Bachmann is hawking.

RIP, USA (1776-2012)

Long live the Republic of California!