The Swamp of Washington and the Morass of the Economy

[Derechos]

snip

This morning I was on ABC's This Week, debating jobs and the economy with Republican Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama. Shelby restated the standard Republican playbook of spending cuts and tax cuts (except for one instant when he inadvertently conceded America emerged from the Great Depression only when government spent big time mobilizing the nation for World War II).

But what struck me most was the similarity between Shelby's overall attitude and that of the Democrats I talked with -- a kind of shrug of the shoulders, a sense that it's really not all that bad out there, and that nothing can be done anyway. (In the green room, before going on, Shelby told me employment in northern Alabama was actually fairly good and the problem was near the coast.)

The recovery is stalling across the nation yet in the Washington swamp it's business as usual.

Americans are scared, with reason. We're in a vicious cycle in which lower wages and net job losses and high debt are causing consumers to cut their spending -- which is causing businesses to cut back on hiring and reduce pay. There's no way out of this morass without bold leadership from Washington to rekindle consumer demand.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/post_2106_b_875686.html

[AngryAmish]

1. He is so certain

Why? We are in this mess people men were very certain in their views of the economy.

Hubris invites Nemisis. And she is having her way with us right now.

[woo me with science]

2. They don't get it, and they don't care. nt

[kentuck]

3. I wish Reich was advising Obama...

We need this type of advice in the White House.