Constitutional Idolatry
Do we overvalue the Constitution? More »
Advertisement
Clive Crook is a senior editor of The Atlantic and a columnist for Bloomberg View. He was the Washington columnist for the Financial Times, and before that worked at The Economist for more than 20 years, including 11 years as deputy editor. Crook writes about the intersection of politics and economics. More
Crook writes about the intersection of politics and economics.
Instead of blessing leftist solutions and then retreating, he should have taken the lead in advocating centrist policies that a solid majority could get behind More »
Was it a good idea for Republicans to issue their Pledge to America barely a month before the mid-term elections? I doubt it. They were doing pretty well as the party that just says no. That response to Democratic rule, after all, is probably a fair reflection of the electorate's mood. Democrats weren't getting far with their argument, true as it may be, that their opponents are bereft of ideas. However well Republicans do in November, they will not be running the… More »
The manner of Elizabeth Warren's new appointment was understandable, but at the same time a sign of the Senate's disturbing paralysis when it comes to confirmations More »
This would be a good time to re-read Joshua Green's profile of Tim Geithner, and the subsequent discussion on his blog (my comment on the profile; Josh's response to that and other comments; my response to the response). To remind, that portrait described a Geithner who had put himself firmly in charge of economic policy -- more firmly than appearances suggested. I remarked that I found it hard to imagine Larry putting up with the subordinate role this… More »
Democrats may be doomed for midterms, but in the long run, the Tea Party movement could alienate Republicans from the middle of the electorate More »
Paul Krugman and Robin Wells review three books on the financial crisis, including Raghuram Rajan's "Fault Lines". I thought Rajan's book was excellent, and said so in this FT review. The Krugmans are not at all impressed. See what you think -- and when you have read their review, be sure to read Rajan's response. More »
Sure, this year will likely be a good one for Republicans overall, but Tea Party enthusiasm could be a sign of troubles to come More »
On August 3rd, I posted a further note on the inquiries into the Climategate scandal. After the jump, a corrected and revised version of this post. More »
On July 14th, I posted a note on the inquiries into the Climategate scandal. After the jump, a corrected and revised version of this post. More »
The Republican Party has failed to figure out how to accommodate Tea Party activists as well as more moderate conservatives--which could hinder its chances in November More »
The US economy's long-term prospects are most seriously jeopardised, I believe, by the failure of its schools system and by a remarkably stupid immigration policy. The first is a complicated problem, not easy to solve. The second is a simple problem, and could be solved at a stroke if Congress only chose to do something about it. The difficulty on immigration, however, is convincing a doubtful electorate that a more intelligent policy makes sense. More »
They're too timid, I argue in my new FT column.The proposed new ratios strike a compromise between countries (including the US and Britain) that wanted tougher rules and others (notably Germany) that pressed for less stringency. The current minimum ratio of common equity to risk-adjusted bank assets is just 2 per cent - a figure that, with hindsight, should be viewed as laughable. This is to rise to 7 per cent under the new rules, including a proposed buffer of 2-3… More »
Why this controversy is less controversial and more clear-cut than the Ground Zero mosque More »
We will see what the president has to say in Cleveland on Wednesday--according to the Washington Post, he will pitch the R&D tax credit but no payroll-tax holiday: all told, a non-proposal, stimulus-wise. His speech on Monday already said, in effect, that he is giving up the effort to pass another stimulus. The Labor Day address called for $50bn of new spending on infrastructure, but over six years, and the plan "will be fully paid for", presumably meaning no… More »
November's elections are not a referendum on Obama--they are a referendum on the Obama-Pelosi-Reid alliance More »
The President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, chaired by Paul Volcker, has published a report on simplifying the tax system. It's a pity the board was not asked to come up with recommendations for a comprehensive makeover. Confining themselves to their more limited mandate, they set out a range of simplifying options, which is useful but not as useful as a reform blueprint. Anybody who fills in a US tax return each April understands something of the problem of… More »
What did the president stand to accomplish from last night's speech? More »
