Happy Birthday to Sonny Rollins, 82.
And the good stuff:
1. I thoroughly agree with Matt Yglesias about triggers and the stimulus. Moreover (as he's advocated before), I think there's a very strong argument for passing permanent automatic triggers for state and local government assistance. If it was up to me I'd probably just make them one-way, but realistically you would probably design them so that they were long-term neutral between the feds and the states.
2. Always go to Obama-rhetoric-watcher Andrew Sprung whenever Barack Obama makes a major speech. Always.
3. Others...Alex Massie, for the view from afar; James Fallows, who has listened to a convention speech or two; and Jonathan Chait, who must have really loved the tax cut riff.
4. Wonkblog's Suzy Khimm, Sarah Kliff, and Dylan Matthews do a quick fact-check.
5. And Ezra Klein on the value of talking policy.
Friday, September 7, 2012
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Agree, again, on Andrew Sprung. I loved this in the conclusion:
ReplyDeleteHe cast his opponents essentially as frauds and shills. That's what he's learned. He sees himself in a long twilight struggle, I think, with a foe whose fever is far from broken.
Because I didn't want speeches that thrill but rather that state the points, I liked Obama's. I am not after the big line but the long line and obviously I am not the norm for my hopes or expectations as I have thought he worked toward all that he said he'd do when he ran in 2008, giving up when he had to but holding the line. I recognize Dems don't all agree with me on this.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that this is an election about values and if anybody pays attention to what the Republicans are really saying, what they do when they get control of a state, it's obvious this will be an election about values. I didn't think Obama should have made a rah rah speech given the times and what's at stake. I am glad Clinton did but his position is different. There is a somberness to being president and having the hard calls.
What really got me is Boehner finding fault with Obama not creating jobs when they have done all they can to block any plan that would. As Clinton said, 'they' do have brass and you have to give them that-- even when it's disgusting.
I agree with you and Matt on the substance of stimulus triggers. But the reason they weren't actually pursued is pretty simple. Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, Joe Lieberman, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Arlen Specter, and wouldn't have voted for them.
ReplyDeleteI hear people saying that, but if there really good reporting on that? Especially in the context of a trade -- lower initial $ number for added triggers?
DeleteFWIW...You could also do the permanent plan through reconciliation.
Yeah, that's just what the country needs, more Porkulus... massive new leftist spending and government and debt... automatically triggered. ;-)
DeleteThat's funny. And just a couple discussions down a leftist was certain that the Left doesn't want massive new spending. ;-)
I give Obama credit though... he's smart enough to know to put aside that sorta lefty dogma, rhetorically at least, and leave it to you hard leftists as here to carry that ball.
Problem for the Left is, the debt clock that just rolled over to $16T on Day 1 of lefty convo 2012 is now gonna take center stage in any fiscal and economic discussion, and the hard Left are gonna be force multipliers for those with their eyes on that debt clock.
Problem is that the arms on that clock move right.
DeleteHard right.
And Republican presidents Reagan, GWB, GHWB all wound it up tight as can be.
No, actually, you hard leftists have rammed up national debt these past 6 years especially. Pelosi and Obama are the bankrupters of this nation, clearly. I can give you specific data, but hopefully you're capable of working that out for yourself.
DeleteI just get a kick out of the reverb in the discussion topics on this site. ;-)