Personally, I think his concerns that Europe’s reaction to the recession is slow and less than adequate are about half right. Beyond the UK, not part of the Eurozone or the European Central Bank, and perhaps Spain, the recession isn’t hitting Europe in exactly the same way as the U.S.
And, before the slowdown hit full speed last year, the ECB’s concerns over inflation were legitimate, in my opinion. And, Krugman seems, at least in this column, to be (strangely?) unworried about post-recession inflation.
So, I’d cut his concerns by about half.
But, read the full column and judge for yourself.
March 16, 2009
Huey Long, Obama ain’t
And, cool, calm and collected may ultimately not play so well in Peoria, or elsewhere, if AIG still pays out multiple hundreds of millions in bonuses, including to the division of the company that caused most of its problems.
Didn’t I tell you about Obama’s e-mail list?
Those of you who have joined the 13-million Obama Army are now being recruited for your first mission – helping pass the new budget.
David Plouffe, who runs Organizing for America from inside the Democratic National Committee, will honcho the activism effort.
Thank doorknob I never sent The One an e-mail.
And, that all said, a dry run of this type of activism didn’t do all that well. Maybe Obama hasn’t quite so reinvented politics for the 21st century after all
David Plouffe, who runs Organizing for America from inside the Democratic National Committee, will honcho the activism effort.
Thank doorknob I never sent The One an e-mail.
And, that all said, a dry run of this type of activism didn’t do all that well. Maybe Obama hasn’t quite so reinvented politics for the 21st century after all
Is Obama taking Euro-chastizing to heart?
All of a sudden, after Germany and France, especially, at the G20 meeting mentioned the need for tougher regulation of the financial sector before more stimulus programs get passed…
All of a sudden, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is working on a list of financial sector reforms, to be done before the April 4 G20 meeting, so the U.S. can “take the lead” on the issue.
Beyond trying to stay ahead of the G20, Geithner and President Barack Obama are also trying to stay ahead of Rep. Barney Frank, who has some more aggressive, relatively speaking, reform ideas.
Otherwise, agreed that not only Fed powers, but Fed responsibilities, need to be spelled out, and that all financial regulatory institutions need to be more carefully integrated.
All of a sudden, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is working on a list of financial sector reforms, to be done before the April 4 G20 meeting, so the U.S. can “take the lead” on the issue.
Beyond trying to stay ahead of the G20, Geithner and President Barack Obama are also trying to stay ahead of Rep. Barney Frank, who has some more aggressive, relatively speaking, reform ideas.
Otherwise, agreed that not only Fed powers, but Fed responsibilities, need to be spelled out, and that all financial regulatory institutions need to be more carefully integrated.
March 15, 2009
WaPost op-eds wrong again – now over Freeman
Washington Post op-ed writer Charles Lane gets the withdrawal of Charles Freeman as President Obama’s would-have-been intelligence briefer almost all wrong.
The main way in which Lane is wrong, of course, is continuing the smears that drove Team Obama to “persuade” Freeman to withdraw his name in the first place.
The second way Lane is wrong is deliberately ignoring the fact that Team Obama did this, and that Freeman’s withdrawal wasn’t voluntary.
The third way Lane is wrong is denying or ignoring that such smears were committed.
Other than that, Lane has one good point.
He notes that Obama hasn’t responded to Freeman’s charges.
Silence gives assent, eh?
And, media in the Middle East clearly understands this much more than Lane does.
And, for just what those smears were all about, see Freeman’s withdrawal statement.
The main way in which Lane is wrong, of course, is continuing the smears that drove Team Obama to “persuade” Freeman to withdraw his name in the first place.
The second way Lane is wrong is deliberately ignoring the fact that Team Obama did this, and that Freeman’s withdrawal wasn’t voluntary.
The third way Lane is wrong is denying or ignoring that such smears were committed.
Other than that, Lane has one good point.
He notes that Obama hasn’t responded to Freeman’s charges.
Silence gives assent, eh?
And, media in the Middle East clearly understands this much more than Lane does.
And, for just what those smears were all about, see Freeman’s withdrawal statement.
It’s time to tax healthcare benefits
It’s the only reasonable way, financially, to get us moving down the road toward national healthcare. We need to tax, at least in part, employer-provided healthcare benefits.
That said, President Obama is going to need to eat his campaign words against John McCain and personally back this issue.
As for Republicans who oppose it just because they oppose a larger government role in healthcare? You don’t count.
Republicans with more principled concerns? You can talk, but it has to be in the name of bipartisanship, and not obstructionism under a new name.
Traditional manufacturing unions? You’ve been opposing national healthcare for more than 50 years. You don’t count any more than winger Republicans.
Modern service-sector unions? You DO count. Your activist mobilization of member voices will be huge.
Within that sector, Service Employees International Union is going to have to step up to the plate and not engage in another round of Andy Stern’s corporate suck-up-it is.
That said, President Obama is going to need to eat his campaign words against John McCain and personally back this issue.
As for Republicans who oppose it just because they oppose a larger government role in healthcare? You don’t count.
Republicans with more principled concerns? You can talk, but it has to be in the name of bipartisanship, and not obstructionism under a new name.
Traditional manufacturing unions? You’ve been opposing national healthcare for more than 50 years. You don’t count any more than winger Republicans.
Modern service-sector unions? You DO count. Your activist mobilization of member voices will be huge.
Within that sector, Service Employees International Union is going to have to step up to the plate and not engage in another round of Andy Stern’s corporate suck-up-it is.
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