Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Obamanomics, explained

I really think that Scott Payne has some great insight into Obamanomics. Read these two posts for yourself. The upshot is that Obama's view is a synthesis between the large-scale public investment views of a Robert Reich and a free-market outlook of a Robert Rubin. I think this is largely right, and that Obama's approach might well function as an example of how a 21st century liberalism can and should work. Unlike, say, Bill Clinton's "Third Way" that didn't really have much meat on it--much like Tony Blair, Clinton didn't really have an answer for what the federal government is supposed to do, aside from "helping people"--Obama's approach is much more sophisticated and intellectually complete.
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The Man, The Myth, The Bio

East Bay, California, United States
Problem: I have lots of opinions on politics and culture that I need to vent. If I do not do this I will wind up muttering to myself, and that's only like one or two steps away from being a hobo. Solution: I write two blogs. A political blog that has some evident sympathies (pro-Obama, mostly liberal though I dissent on some issues, like guns and trade) and a culture blog that does, well, cultural essays in a more long-form manner. My particular thing is taking overrated things (movies, mostly, but other things too) down a peg and putting underrated things up a peg. I'm sort of the court of last resort, and I tend to focus on more obscure cultural phenomena.