Krugman: The Boehnerization of Barack Obama

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

October 16, 2010, 9:20 am
The Boehnerization of Barack Obama
Paul Krugman

Why has stimulus become a dirty word? Many reasons, I guess: an inadequate plan combined with a wildly overoptimistic forecast was more or less guaranteed to create the impression of a failed program. But it’s also true that the president himself has had a deeply self-destructive tendency to echo his opponents’ arguments. My original invisible bond vigilantes post was inspired, in part, by Obama’s decision to go on Fox News and declare that we needed to cut the deficit to avoid a double dip. Then, in July, he repeated almost verbatim John Boehner’s justly mocked claim that since the private sector is tightening its belt, the government should do the same.

And he’s done it again:

Nonetheless, Obama said that just as people and companies have had to be cautious about spending, “government should have to tighten its belt as well. We need to do it in an intelligent way. We need to make sure we do things smarter, rather than just lopping something off arbitrarily without having thought it through.”

As I wrote back in July,

We’ll never know how differently the politics would have played if Obama, instead of systematically echoing and giving credibility to all the arguments of the people who want to destroy him, had actually stood up for a different economic philosophy. But we do know how his actual strategy has worked, and it hasn’t been a success.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/16/the-boehnerization-of-barack-obama/

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[msongs]

2. obama has already promised to reach out republicans again after the elections lol even though we

see how bipartisanship worked the last 2 years. remember the story about the woman and the snake? well the republicans are the snake and.....

[stray cat]

3. the problem is a lack of strong leadership and direction

but I don't want to return to strong leadership in the wrong direction under the GOP

[jgraz]

7. Did you read the article?

Every time Obama adopts a Republican talking point, we ARE under GOP leadership.

[pscot]

4. It's hard to believe

that the President is as naive as he appears. He's like Candide, wandering in blissful innocence through a maze of greed, corruption and cynicism. thinking it's the best of all possible worlds. I wonder what he's trying to accomplish.

[glitch]

5. Discussion can't be about Obama anymore, it has to be about strengthening Congress

We're running out of time.

[laughingliberal]

6. K & R nt

[girl gone mad]

8. Obama is clueless when it comes to economics.

I wish he would seek advice from intelligent economists rather than the Wall Street hacks he's surrounded himself with.