The Economy
I think Obama has done a better job handling the economy than Romney or a Republican would do. While it has been a disappointingly slow recovery, I believe that when comparing the US to itself historically and to other international fiscal crises, we have met or outperformed expectations. While we can never know the counterfactual, I believe there is better evidence for Keynesian policies than there is for the vague trickle down, confidence-restoring argument Republicans make about conservative economic policy. Just look at Europe's austerity measures.
In addition to being bad for our social fabric, I believe that poverty and inequality take a toll on growth. I trust Democratic policies to be better for the middle class and for economic growth. (Links to a partisan site but a relatively well-researched article--here's a less lefty piece on tax rates and economic growth.)
Furthermore, I think Obama's prioritization of education and Race to the Top is important for our recovery, and I don't trust Romney to protect Title I spending or any spending at the federal level. Further reading: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/08/29/where-unemployment-is-highest-education-is-a-big-part-of-why/
Deficit Reduction
I also believe that the Romney/Ryan plan for addressing the deficit would hurt the economy and disproportionately burden the poor (not to mention the math is dubious at best). I support some kind of Bowles Simpson agreement for long-term deficit reduction, and especially the part of Bowles Simpson that states that the whole plan presupposes significantly lower unemployment and higher growth than we currently have, and therefore unemployment and growth should be addressed before austerity measures. While some might say I've drunk the Paul Krugman Kool-Aid, I consider myself more of a technocrat than a total lefty on budget issues.
I am encouraged by the recent action of the Fed (which was endorsed even by the more hawkish members of the board) to tie interest rates to other indicators of economic health, specifically inflation and unemployment. I support a dual mandate of the Fed, to control inflation while at the same time using its powers to promote full employment. I would like to see a deficit reduction package along these lines, addressing unemployment and growth targets first, then tackling our long-run debt problem. Further reading: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/20/low-rates-until-unemployment-hits-5-5-a-fed-official-gives-his-plan-for-liftoff/
I think the Republicans beating the drum against spending on things like NPR is fear-mongering and distracting from the real problem at hand--addressing health care costs and to a lesser extent social security entitlements. Further reading: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3772&wpisrc=nl_wonk
Nevertheless, here's something from the other side, if you must: http://scholar.harvard.edu/mankiw/files/optimal_taxation_in_theory.pdf I remember a while back reading something I think from AEI about the corporate tax rate, and I keep going back and forth on that. I'm intrigued by how the Europeans do it--that is, our taxation scheme is actually more progressive than theirs (due to the regressive VAT), but they make up for it and then some on the spending side, for an overall more progressive redistribution. Then again, this: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/business/questions-raised-on-withdrawal-of-congressional-research-services-report-on-tax-rates.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0
Health Care
No one thinks the ACA is perfect. It has some mixed evidence--expanded (private) coverage, but debatable effects on premiums. But I believe health care is the biggest threat to the US's long-run fiscal solvency, and I believe the ACA is a credible start to addressing that. This "robbing Medicare" argument is BS; I'm not an expert, but health policy wonks of all stripes support Medicare Advantage reform as a cost saving mechanism. Unlike Hillarycare, Obamacare got insurers, hospitals, doctors, seniors, and the chamber of commerce together in an unholy marriage, which is no small feat. The Gipper himself signed health care reform (Medicare Catastrophic, 1988) into law, but it was later repealed as seniors revolted against premiums that were actually tied to their ability to pay.
Republicans argue that we need reform, but not this reform, but what Romney is offering a) will probably not work; b) be inhumane; c) comes with very high stakes (you can weigh the pros and cons), and d) is highly unlikely to get the support needed to pass--as is always the case with healthcare reform.
The Environment
I mean, do I really even need to go there? I think the government has been and always will be in the business of picking winners and losers, and I'd rather they pick a Solyndra and a failed battery supply chain than do nothing to address the market failure that is our climate problem. If we can't price carbon appropriately, than supporting the nascent renewables industry is the next best thing, as they face barriers to entry like you'd expect in an energy market. That's not to say there aren't trade-offs, for the economy in the short term and the environment in the long run (fracking, anyone? I actually will take the lower carbon emissions over a tee-totaling attitude towards natgas extraction--I just trust the Dems to regulate it better.)
Social Issues
I mean, I really don't need to go here. I believe in a woman's right to choose, and even though a lot of this policy will be carried out at the state level, 1) court appointments and 2) srsly cnat vote for these ass jackets zomg legitimate rape what.
Foreign Policy
Yeah, he made some missteps on Israel early on, but I"ll take Hillary over some warmongering John Bolton any day.
But Don't Listen to Me...
Read the WaPo endorsement.
Maybe if You Were Voting for This Kind of Republican...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/21/where-are-the-pro-market-republicans/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/21/the-13-most-interesting-congressional-campaign-proposals/
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/romney-47-percent-rankles-conservative-policy-wonks.php
But You're Not.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-25/moderate-romney-wouldn-t-make-it-past-inauguration-day.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/10/04/which-romney-will-voters-get/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment