Filed under: Capitalism, Economy, Liberalism, Politics | Tags: Ben Bernanke, Congressional Hearing, Spending
We often speak about our representatives in Congress being out-of-touch with the real people at home. This little exchange is a great demonstration. It seems impossible that any person serving in the United States Congress could possibly be unaware of the public’s concern about government spending. What on earth goes on in this gentleman’s head?
In general, I suspect that members of Congress have not yet fully absorbed the extent to which their statements can be excerpted and recorded for history. It’s hard for busy people to keep track, but little instances such as this one should determine elections. We won’t get the best and the brightest politicians, but we should have some basic standards that eliminate those who are so out of touch. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA)
The expression on Mr. Bernanke’s face is priceless.
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No doubt there are more Congressmen who are out of touch than you can shake a stick at — on both sides of the isle — and perhaps Connolly is one of them, but I would submit that it is difficult to conclude much from this exchange. For what, it does not make clear who the “they” is to which Connolly refers at the beginning of the discussion.
It seems to me that what Connolly was reflecting was the attitude of the majority of people in the country. Of those subset of citizens who understand what deficit spending means, and what it means for the economy, I would submit that most take the attitude of “Yes, reduce the spending, but on other peoples’ programs!”
With the exception of a few politicians of the libertarian bent, few are coming clear with their constituencies about the fiscal train crash ahead. Instead what we get is promises of how government spending — not Kensyan and targetted at the unemployed, but a sort of concentrated, greenwashed industrial policy — is going to bootstrap the economy out of the slump.
Contrast that with the pretty frank talk we’re hearing out of the UK these days.
Comment by Subsidy Eye June 11, 2010 @ 10:39 pm