Obama's Budget Freeze

For me personally, the best thing to come out of this health care is a fight is a better understanding about the basics of the American health care system. So, from a selfish perspective, this "budget freeze" will be interesting.

From just a layman's perspective, I'm don't really get it. A "freeze" that refuses to look at whole swaths of the budget (defense, entitlements etc.) makes me skeptical. A "freeze" that then claims that it's going to trim the bad, and boost the good doesn't even sound like a "freeze" to me, so much as it sounds like "guidelines for a budget." This is a novice's take, and I'm open to being convinced. I'm sure there are things that I'm not seeing.

Beyond that, I think, in part because of this health care fight, I've lost some confidence in the president. For the last week he's just seemed directionless and uninterested in pushing the bill forward. That's a liberal voter who lives in Harlem talking. I don't know how this, or the budget freeze, will play politically. Maybe all of it is pure genius. But I'm not feeling the magic.

Here's Jared Bernstein chopping it up with Rachel Maddow.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy