http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/05/opinion/05krugman.html?emc=eta1
If you are a baseball fan and a Krugman fan, then you have a rare opportunity with this post to combine your level of interest.
Jim Bunning was a great pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies during his Hall of Fame career. He is one of only 5 pitchers to throw a "no hitter" in both the National and American Leagues. After he retired from baseball, he went into politics.
Bunning has been in the U.S. Senate for a long time representing Kentucky.
According to Krugman, Senator Bunning "... exploited Senate rules to block a one-month extension of unemployment benefits." This caused an interruption of payments to about 100,000 workers (he eventually gave in).
Per Krugman: "But while the blockade is over, the lessons remain. Some of those lessons involve the spectacular dysfunctionality of the Senate. What I want to focus on right now, however, is the incredible gap that has opened up between the parties. Today, Democrats and Republicans live in different universes, both intellectually and morally."
Let's go to Economics 101 (Krugman literally wrote the book): when the economy is deeply depressed, extending unemployment benefits not only helps those in need, it also reduces unemployment. "That's because the economy's problem right now is lack of sufficient demand, and cash-strapped unemployed workers are likely to spend their benefits. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that aid to the unemployed is one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus, as measured by jobs created per dollar of outlay." Our thought here is that we'll go with Krugman and the CBO. The CBO is considered by members of both parties to be completely objective.
We have no interest here in dealing with politics but we need to explain or understand why some things happen and, in this case, the only explanation available from the Republicans is that unemployment relief "... doesn't create new jobs. In fact, if anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work."
Have the Republicans seen the real unemployment numbers? Our thought here is that 17% real unemployment is a big number.
As Krugman points out, the difference between the Republican and the Democratic "universes" is not just intellectual, it's also moral.
We were big fans of Jim Bunning as a baseball player. As a lawmaker, not so much.
With this as predicate, we wonder at the future of health care legislation.
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Bunning tried to make some kind of principled stand about how it should be paid for before passed. That all sounds good.
ReplyDeleteWhat doesn't is his whining about missing a basketball game on TV to obstruct the bill:
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/02/26/bunning-basketball/
What's most galling?
He voted for an unpaid-for 2003 unemployment extension.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=908729&category=OPINION
I can't imagine what he felt the difference was, aside from the letter after the President's name indicating party affiliation.
Or maybe he thought the economy was in worse shape in 2003? lol
What a joke.
Craig: Great points, as always. One is left with the impression that, in this case, he took a position that does not even represent the majority of the people in his own state.
ReplyDeleteSince they're over the national average? Yeah. He's retiring so I guess he can do what he wants but sheesh.
ReplyDeleteCharlie,
ReplyDeleteI love the quote that Republicans and Democrats live in two different intellectual and moral universes. To that I would add that neither party lives in the same universe I seem to inhabit.
That aside, it appears to me that gerrymandering has polarized politics. It used to be that if a district leaned one way, a candidate still had to moderate their agenda to reconcile with a strong minority.
Gerrymandering may win large swaths of political power to carry forward an aggressive politically motivated agenda, but achieving that power is not exactly a public mandate when the margins are often a couple of percentage points.