dagblog - Comments for "Alan Krueger Appointment: It's about the public spectacle, stupid!"

Dan, I agree with what you're

Oxy Mora — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 02:25:41 +0000

In reply to I agree it's not too late.

Dan, I agree with what you're saying, and very well put. If Obama doesn't come out with something really significant in a jobs program, he is going to be dead in the water. I think he has an opportunity to regroup and I hope he does. We'll know shortly.

I agree it's not too late.

Dan Kervick — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:52:15 +0000

In reply to I agree that the headlines

I agree it's not too late. But it will be too late if Obama talks himself into ineffective half-measures and quarter-measures, designed more to massage the headlines than change the direction of the country.

I don't know how he adjusts politically to a situation in which he and the Republican Congress have collectively driven us in the wrong direction for well over a year. How does he chart a new course? Because if he just stays the course, we're sunk - and so is he.

Frankly, I think we're likely just to get some 9/11 anniversary "come together" falderal, which might give Obama a few new slogans to run on next year, but won't keep us out of another recession.

Somehow, he just doesn't seem to get it. He has convinced himself since at least January 2010 that prosperity is just around the corner, and refuses to identify and address things that are profoundly broken.

Ha! No, just couldn't think

Oxy Mora — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:56:59 +0000

In reply to "Now that's what I'm talking

Ha! No, just couldn't think of the right word--for a vehicle abreast of one on the highway.

But I do have my eye on my neighbor's dually since he's a hankerin' to buy a new one. Where I hang out in the country, if you aint got no dually, you aint got no respect.

"Now that's what I'm talking

Resistance — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:31:55 +0000

In reply to Thanks, Flavius. That was a

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" to an adjoining Ford 250 dually with a four wheeler in it's truck bed.

Being towed to the shop?

I agree that the headlines

Oxy Mora — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:22:24 +0000

In reply to Obama's in gigantic

I agree that the headlines look terrible. Friday's job numbers will probably be so bad it will tank the market again.

On the other hand, I can not subscribe to a philosophy which says "it is too late" for this or that. There is always hope.

Right now the hard numbers for June and July on such things as consumer spending, durable goods orders, etc., are surprising analysts to the upside. There was also a small increase in the price of home sales today. So there is a discrepancy between hard numbers and surveys.

It is of course to Republicans' advantage to keep the hang dog narrative about the economy alive.

Obama's in gigantic

Dan Kervick — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:48:47 +0000

In reply to Alan Krueger Appointment: It's about the public spectacle, stupid!

Obama's in gigantic trouble.

http://www.creditwritedowns.com/2011/08/achuthan-too-late-for-obama-on-jobs.html

Thanks, Flavius. That was a

Oxy Mora — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:19:39 +0000

In reply to Here's Krugman, via Brad

Thanks, Flavius. That was a short and crisp post by Krugman. It seems Krueger could easily replace Geithner when the occasion arises.

I must admit that when I first heard the announcement on my car radio I "heard" Krugman not Krueger, hit my fist on the dash, rolled down my driver's window in Texas and shouted, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" to an adjoining Ford 250 dually with a four wheeler in it's truck bed.

As far as tax credits for jobs, I think that's the best idea out there. As the owner of a small company, I would definitely take advantage of it, depending of course on the amount of the credit. I think it would have to be 40 or 50% in the first year to motivate an employer who was on the fence about a new hire.

Despite the flippant title of my post, I think this is a serious move by Obama..He may in fact wring something out of this Congress. If not this appointment is important in setting the agenda for America going into the 2012 election. Obama needs to clearly spell out the role of government for long term economic growth and unemployment, and Krueger will be a central part of that narrative.

Here's Krugman, via Brad

Flavius — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 03:01:02 +0000

In reply to Alan Krueger Appointment: It's about the public spectacle, stupid!

Here's Krugman, via Brad Delong

Economics and Politics: [W]hile the battery lasts: Alan is a fine choice as chief economic adviser. He’s done excellent work, he’s a really good guy, whom I know pretty well, since we keep getting each others’ mail. Now the question is whether anyone in the administration listens to him….

Alan may write about labor markets, but he knows macro and is pretty salt-water and activist by inclination, as far as I know. His advocacy of job tax credits comes from an attempt to work within political constraints, not lack of interest in more decisive solutions. And I think the administration was looking for a high-profile, first-rate economist willing to take the job, rather than tilting toward a particular field.

Thanks, Dan. Didn't mean to

Oxy Mora — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:26:32 +0000

In reply to The primary reason 15% of the

Thanks, Dan. Didn't mean to underestimate the severity of the unemployment problem or propose networking as a panacea. Just that the typical economist has no interest in something so un-ivory-towerish as how a working stiff goes about getting a job,and which gives me some comfort that this guy is a somewhat different cut than his predecessors. On the other hand, I do know a couple of family members who are not conducting very effective searches--particularly in the all important area of making the case for their own "transferable skills". I can also tell you from personal experience that looking at ads, etc., is almost pointless.

The primary reason 15% of the

Dan Kervick — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:45:41 +0000

In reply to Alan Krueger Appointment: It's about the public spectacle, stupid!

The primary reason 15% of the country is unemployed is not that there are all kinds of great jobs out there but folks just don't know how to find them. We are not facing a crisis of deficient networking.