Paul Krugman: Obama Faces His Anzio

icon gravatar.comwww.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/opinion/06krugman.html
sent by RicKelis since 16 days 4 hours 46 minutes, published about 15 days 21 hours 15 minutes
Remember those Republican boasts that they would turn health care into President Obama’s Waterloo? Well, exit polls suggest that to the extent that health care was an issue in Tuesday’s elections, it worked in Democrats’ favor. But while health care won’t be Mr. Obama’s Waterloo, economic policy is starting to look like his Anzio. There was a national element to the election. Voters across America are in a bad mood, largely because of the still-grim economic situation. This bodes ill for the Democrats in the midterm elections next year — not because voters will reject their agenda, but because all indications are that a year from now unemployment will still be painfully high. Which brings me to the Anzio analogy.The World War II battle of Anzio was a classic example of the perils of being too cautious. The stimulus bill fell far short of what many economists considered appropriate. And more is needed. Yes, the economy grew fairly fast in the third quarter — but not fast enough to make significant progress on jobs. If the Democrats lose badly in the midterms, the talking heads will say that Mr. Obama tried to do too much, this is a center-right nation, and so on. But the truth is that Mr. Obama put his agenda at risk by doing too little. The fateful decision, early this year, to go for economic half-measures may haunt Democrats for years to come.
tags: krugman, stimulus, economy, jobs, dems
9 commentscategory: Business and Economy karma: 171

comments

  1. #1    He wasn't too progressive. He wasn't progressive enough. And it's not going to get any better without massive pressure from an INDEPENDENT progressive movement.
    written by epppie since 16 days 3 hours 50 minutesepppie
  2. #2    Walking off into the woods, screaming, isn't going tho help, eeeeeeepppppeeee.
    written by CwV since 15 days 23 hours 50 minutesCwV
  3. #3    Were you walking off into the woods when you screamed "eeeeeeepppppeeee" Mr Fact-Free CwV?
    written by Mike5000 since 15 days 20 hours 54 minutesMike5000
  4. #4    Epppie still thinks that there are more than 2% of Americans that identify themselves as progressives.

    Krugman: "Voters across America are in a bad mood" - no shit! No wonder this guy won the Nobel Prize in economics. We are not in a bad mood because of amything Obama has done - we are in a bad mood because there are no friggin jobs out there, and the ones that are out there pay like crap. We are in a bad mood because there is nothing going on right now that makes Americans feel good about the state of the financial and housing sectors either - but this too, this too shall pass.
    written by zelator since 15 days 20 hours 50 minuteszelator
  5. #5    While I see where Krugman draws his Anzio analogy, I think a better one is George Custer at the Little Big Horn. Custer was repeatedly warned about the numbers he would face, and refused to take along advanced weaponry and additional troops he would have needed for his campaign. Why? Because his pride told him he knew better than those advising him.

    Just like Custer, Obama is going to find himself surrounded and outnumbered, too far from his support for timely rescue. One can only hope that Custer realized his shortcomings as his command was decimated. There are no indications that Obama will so realize his as his nation is returned to Republican control.
    written by neoconned since 15 days 20 hours 19 minutesneoconned
  6. #6    naw -- actually, after passage of a few more items like health insurance reform (in whatever form) will be the death knell for this version of Republican currently running amok in America. The media has created a bubble on the formerly powerful party, so as to keep the storyline going -- but even the Repugs know their days are numbered, in the capacity of being relevant at all. You'll see a shrinkage in the other side comparable to the FDR, Truman, and LBJ aftermath.I think 40 years of exile would be appropriate -- and biblical, for that matter. The christianist REpublicans should at least appreciate that aspect.;)
    written by RicKelis since 15 days 16 hours 29 minutesRicKelis
  7. #7    -hey Mr. Krugman - we are mad becaues we were lied to-
    geithner bernanke summers
    no change
    afghanistan iraq pakistan iran columbia
    no change
    banks before people
    no change
    balking on real climate laws
    no change
    rendition into torturer's hands
    no change
    secret surveillance of our phone and mail
    no change
    response to every lawsuit filed by patriotic Americans to reveal past crimes is 'state secret'
    no change

    the corporate democrats will indeed get their comupance- their waterloo, their anzio, their little big horn - - there aint a dimes worth of difference between the powerful in power and the powerful out of power -

    ...hey - - right across from this dialogue box is an ad f...

    » ver todo el comentario
    written by particle61 since 15 days 16 hours 5 minutesparticle61
  8. #8    Well stated #7.

    As for #6, why do you believe that the Democrats forcing everyone's health premiums to skyrocket will help the Rethugs? Quite the reverse.

    The recent elections show that plenty of Americans, and especially American youth, have already given up on an administration that's broken more promises than the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
    written by Mike5000 since 15 days 14 hours 42 minutesMike5000
  9. #9    Very well stated paricle61.

    Krugman is a propagandist economist for Obama. Obama was never meant to see the light. When we come to understand that Obama was the first play in a Wall Street game to cheat the public (and yes, everything hung on his winning, that is why they masked the bigwigs voting for him and made it appear his winning was grassroots when it wasn't) and we bought it. Just like "they" knew we would.
    written by Sparrows since 15 days 14 hours 23 minutesSparrows
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