We've got two articles up at TAP Online today on how the Democrats will address the faltering economy. Robert Kuttner suggests that Democrats are paralyzed by institutional problems (reliance upon Wall St. for campaign funds, their adoption of pay-go rules for spending, an intransigent administration with veto power), which reduce their ability to offer a bold program of economic revitalization à la FDR. Instead they have become fixated with balanced budgets as the mark of wise fiscal policy -- giving them the uninspiring campaign pitch of "We don't much like government either, but we can run it better." Read the diagnosis here.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute offers a plan to stop the looming recession before it starts, elevating Democratic action on the economy over rhetoric. The goals of economic growth can be met by immediately enacting a policy that funds vital infrastructure repair and puts money back in the pockets of those who most need it, while recognizing that short-term deficit spending does not threaten the long-term financial health of the nation. Read the details of the stimulus package here.
--The Editors
