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The Spectacle Blog
Early this morning, President Obama’s aides announced that he would give a “major speech” on job creation…after Labor Day. Needless to say, there’s something odd about announcing yet another speech so far ahead of time, but it seems that Obama wanted to signal two things in particular. The first is that he will pressure the super committee created by the debt ceiling deal to both increase the level of debt reduction and implement near-term stimulus measures. The second is that the speech will outline new job-creating proposals that he hasn’t already pushed for.
Now, the most recent suggestions Obama has made for creating jobs — an infrastructure bank, small business tax cuts, and re-upping the payroll tax cuts and unemployment insurance extensions — haven’t been terrible. Or, at least, the tax cuts are not horrible ideas. The infrastructure bank is.
Furthermore, from a liberal perspective, the problems afflicting the economy are do not require new ideas. They are all part of one larger phenomenon, namely a shortfall of aggregate demand. Any plan intended to increase aggregate demand is a good one, whether or not it’s new. Tax cuts, unemployment insurance, infrastructure spending, food stamps — it doesn’t matter. Whatever gets money into the economy should make things better.
So it’s not obvious what new plans Obama has in mind. One likely possibility is that they really won’t be new, just slightly different from what he’s proposed before. Another is that he could start using administrative branch tools for spending, perhaps by stimulating the housing market through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Or, conceivably, he could propose the kinds of longer-term reform measures that Republicans have, such as broad tax reform.
That last option isn’t very likely at all. But if Obama really does intend to talk about something new, it could be a Republican idea, because he seems to be running out of his own.
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More Blog Posts by Joseph Lawler
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/08/17/speech
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Oldefarte| 8.17.11 @ 3:44PM
If someone took away his teleprompter, he would be able to TALK!!!!!!!!!
Occam's Tool| 8.17.11 @ 4:02PM
I think he's a robot from the Planet Xytor, enemy of Ron Paul's homeworld of Xenon. Both, unfortunately, are aliens from another planet.
Rick V.| 8.17.11 @ 5:21PM
Which, historically, has not prevented them (aliens, that is) from being elected president of the United States.
Oldefarte| 8.17.11 @ 5:32PM
Paul does seem at times to have some kind of a PLATE INSIDE HIS HEAD, but maybe it's just creaping senility!!!
Clint| 8.17.11 @ 5:52PM
The RINO-CINO GOP Ruling Elite Apoolgist Farting Dude chimes in.
Dr. Ron Paul is a doctor & a cyclist & can run rings around you old man, both physically & intellectually.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Rise Up In Rebellion.
Clint| 8.17.11 @ 5:41PM
Tool Job's homeworld is Israel & he's afraid Dr.Ron Paul will take away Israel's rice bowl & make Israel do their own fighting.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is here.
Rise Up In Rebellion.
ncatty| 8.17.11 @ 4:16PM
Nobody wants to admit this but until we "deleverage", that is, work down our consumer debts, there ain't going to be no increased consumer demand and no recovery. It is happening now, but it is going to take time. like I said, no one wants to admit it.
BD57| 8.17.11 @ 4:22PM
Agree with ncatty ...
A lot of people see a train wreck coming & they're paying down debt / hoarding money in the hope of protecting themselves when it comes.
The common denominator of Obama & his ilk's "ideas" is "print money" ....
irish19| 8.17.11 @ 6:02PM
I agree as well. Keep your powder dry, boys and girls.
Aarradin| 8.18.11 @ 1:15AM
So, starting from scratch, Obama's flunkies have two weeks to come up with a 'jobs plan' to feed into his teleprompter.
Good luck with that.
Absolutely guarantee he recommends more spending, more spending and yet more spending. Also, a tax hike on private jet owners, you know, to be fair.
There are really only two things Obama could do that would actually start creating jobs: reverse every decision he's made and govern like a Republican or announce he's not running for re-election. Zero chance of the first happening, slight chance of the second - but the clock is ticking on his option to channel LBJ.
michelle | 8.18.11 @ 5:12PM
speech about job creation...
....after labor day!
thats says it all.......