Expertise...

Robert Reich writes about Hillary Rodham Clinton's and John McCain's character issues:

Hillary Clinton Doesn't Listen to Economists: When asked this morning by ABC News' George Stephanopoulos if she could name a single economist who backs her call for a gas tax holiday this summer, HRC said "I'm not going to put my lot in with economists.”

I know several of the economists who have been advising Senator Clinton, so I phoned them right after I heard this. I reached two of them. One hadn’t heard her remark and said he couldn’t believe she’d say it. The other had heard it and shrugged it off as “politics as usual.”

That’s the problem: Politics as usual.

The gas tax holiday is small potatoes relative to everything else. But it’s so economically stupid (it would increase demand for gas and cause prices to rise, eliminating any benefit to consumers while costing the Treasury more than $9 billion, and generate more pollution) and silly (even if she won, HRC won’t be president this summer) as to be worrisome. That HRC now says she doesn’t care that what economists think is even more troubling.

In case you’ve missed it, we now have a president who doesn’t care what most economists think. George W. Bush doesn’t even care what scientists think. He rejects all experts who disagree with his politics. This has led to some extraordinarily stupid policies.

I’m not saying HRC is George Bush. And I'm not suggesting economists have all the answers. But when economists tell a president or a presidential candidate that his or her idea is dumb – and when all respectable economists around America agree that it’s a dumb idea – it’s probably wise for the president or presidential candidate to listen. When the president or candidate doesn’t, and proudly defends the policy by saying she's "not going to put my lot in with economists,” we’ve got a problem, folks.

Even though the summer gas tax holiday is pure hokum, it polls well, which is why HRC and John McCain are pushing it. That Barack Obama is not in favor of it despite its positive polling numbers speaks volumes about the kind of president he’ll be – and the kind of president we’d otherwise get from McCain and HRC.

Haven’t we had enough of politicians who reject facts in favor of short-term poll-driven politics?

Comments

[anne]

"I’m not saying HRC is George Bush."

Huh???

[christofay]

Basics: our present political/economic power structure works like this.

Innovative financial sphere at the top of the heap

executive branch of the Federal govt, but the executives not the agencies filled with gov drones

the pentagon

the supreme court, the Fed reserve, adjuncts to the executive branch of the fed gov

the legislature

If HRC gets elected, she knows all she has to do is whistle to get economists from name brand schools. It worked for Bush and he got Bernanke.

[christofay]

There are two places that the developing recession should hit hard in the U. S. but won't, the inovative financial sphere and Washington D. C.

[david]

(it would increase demand for gas and cause prices to rise)

Perhaps Robert Reich should have an economist on his staff

[david]

(it would increase demand for gas and cause prices to rise)

Perhaps Robert Reich should have an economist on his staff

[Jonathan King]

christofay writes:
>
> There are two places that the developing recession should hit hard in the U. S. but won't, the
> innovative financial sphere and Washington D. C.

Uh...right. I will let others cover the Wall Street scene (in brief, you are going to see a lot of job losses to accompany the monetary losses).

For DC, you may have a point if you define the recession primarily in terms of job losses; there is no question that the federal government will generate fewer of those. But the pain and suffering due to the real estate crash will be incredible around here. Cheesy 70s townhouses were selling in my neighborhood for as much as $530K apiece when I moved here in mid-2006 (didn't buy, of course). The last sale was for $420K, but now anybody trying to get that much is pretty much lost. From rents around here, we can impute prices no higher than $300K. And, for what it's worth, Potomac is going to come through this better than most places in the metro area.

You shall have Schadenfreude. Served with polenta and bitter herbs, if you like.

[Estaban]

I am horrified! I voted for this woman twice! Once for senator and once for in the NY primary. I want to know if there is anyway I can withdraw my primary vote. She displays a total change of character suggesting she will do anything to be president.

[Patrick]

I wonder if Brad still thinks Hillary is running a "fine campaign"?

[bigTom]

Worse may be to come. If rejection of facts does indeed garner votes. Our anti-elite culture, when converted into anti-expertism may be coming home to roost. In 2000 GWB portrayed himself as anti-fact in personality, but allowed the rest of us to presume he would pay attention to them once elected. I hate having to hope a candidate will ignore their promises. Estaban, perhaps you could write your local superdelegate. In principle you could petition your pledged delegate, but he/she is supposed to be pledged.

[save_the_rustbelt]

Gee, if Hillary is dissing economists, she can't be all bad.

You know, like the economists who told us the outsourcing of American jobs would make American workers better off 'cause they could buy cheap stuff at Wal-Mart.

You go girl, bad ideas and all.

[MaryLou]

I'm tired of losing. If pandering with high-polling ideas that are revenue-neutral is necessary to win, I'd say go for it. Many workers in the exurbs *must* drive to work and are hurting from high gas prices. Empathy, anyone?

[Colin Danby]

Sure, it's great to see latte-swilling, Prius-driving, cardboard-tube-squinting economists told where to get off.

"A few moments later, she added, 'Elite opinion is always on the side of doing things that really disadvantages the vast majority of Americans.'"

but all this faux populism has a darker side, as Tomasky points out:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/michael_tomasky/2008/05/hillarys_right_turn.html

MaryLou, what is government for?

[Jeff Hoffman]

Maybe William Safire can do a piece on exactly what is involved in putting ones lot in with others but I don't necessarily take it as meaning that she is dissing economists. Rather that she considers her outlook better if their opinions are avoided. It was a perfect response. At this juncture she's reduced to doing anything for a vote. No surprizes here.

[Jeff Hoffman]

OK the part about "Elite opinion..." was dissing.

[christofay]

Jonathan King:

Those are secondary effects of what I have in mind. What I have in mind is hitting Washington, the Federal govt., where it hurts, the pocketbook.

The CIA and the Pentagon failed in protecting Americans. Highly placed queen bees there might whine that they were following the dictates of Cheney, but the results were Americans were killed and hurt. In this situation to recognize failure, budgets should be cut by 20% and those two orgs should be urged to do better with less. I don't remember many principled CIAers and Pentagonians resigning or doing the Japanese thing to atone for their failure, do you?

Further seeing how iffy our national finances are, we should open a dialogue to make govt pensions more dynamic. If large numbers of people in the private sector that creates all wealth to run the govt. lose their pensions or see their pensions shrivel; gov drones also should experience the dynamics of the marketplace. Let's start the dialogue now so Washingtonians too can experience our declining standards of living.

That's what I'm talking about, pay for results.

Now we're paying for more trouble.

This message is from a dirty fucking hippie.

[divF]

Christofay -

Beating up on the civil servants will not punish those responsible. The latter (political appointees) will all have cushy sinecures at right-wing think-tanks.

This sounds like a lefty version of drowning the government in the bathtub.

[christofay]

divF: Unfortunately it is.

I have a cousin whose husband works at the CIA, actually both of them do, and he's walked around talking of his proudest moments, using digital tech to select areas where to drop leaflets in Iraq for example. Another cousin is now a general in the army and will be going to Iraq for his first tour. He also uncritically repeats comments that he thinks should be taken as a given, but it's totally jackass crazy. These are highly place civil servants, but they don't get how they are not delivering the services they are required to, protecting us.

Of course the biomass, the middle class takes the hit. However, there is a real iron rice bowl aspect to working in the govt. On the other hand uncertainty increases for the biomass, global warming, you know.

Plus, for compensation, it's not just think tanks, there are boards, there's consulting, but never starting a company with productive assets. Cheney is going to hit the trifecta; think tanks, S&P 500 board of directorships, and consulting. He might be a billionaire before he dies, isn't he already up to $500 mil?

[a]

Honest question:

How does economists' certainty that free trade is a great idea compare to their certainty that HRC's gas tax idea is a bad idea?

[anne]

MaryLou:

"I'm tired of losing. If pandering with high-polling ideas that are revenue-neutral is necessary to win, I'd say go for it. Many workers in the exurbs *must* drive to work and are hurting from high gas prices. Empathy, anyone?"

Nice.

[anne]

"I’m not saying HRC is George Bush."

"I’m not saying HRC is Herbert Hoover."

"I’m not saying HRC is...."

I’m saying HRC is HRC. Me, I like spunk.

[wmmbb]

Anne:
I don't know about the spunk part. That is obviously just acting. She is a phony. When has she ever stood up for anything she believes in, other than for example calling for Iranians to be obliterated because of something their government might do.When has she shown courage? This play acting demeans the working people of America, and most of them, I would guess, are grounded enough and intelligent enough to realize it. Her background and life experience is not working class, so she should not be claiming to be something she is not. The democratic thing to do is for all candidates to represent themselves truthfully, and I suppose in practice some latitude might be permitted. I am not dismissing Senator Clinton's talents, but she is not working class, and she cannot represent the working class authentically by claiming she is.

[wmmbb]

Anne:
I don't know about the spunk part. That is obviously just acting. She is a phony. When has she ever stood up for anything she believes in, other than for example calling for Iranians to be obliterated because of something their government might do.When has she shown courage? This play acting demeans the working people of America, and most of them, I would guess, are grounded enough and intelligent enough to realize it. Her background and life experience is not working class, so she should not be claiming to be something she is not. The democratic thing to do is for all candidates to represent themselves truthfully, and I suppose in practice some latitude might be permitted. I am not dismissing Senator Clinton's talents, but she is not working class, and she cannot represent the working class authentically by claiming she is.