The phrase is often credited to Ben Bernanke, but variations of it have been around for decades. The “Fiscal Cliff” that went largely unmentioned during the campaign now dominates the talk out of Washington. It is probably the most important thing that will happen in the next Congress, and it will certainly set the tone for the end of the Obama administration. Yet almost no one has taken the time to explain what’s at stake in plain language.
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Journalism and other myths.
Soup’s On!
After a big feast, the bones of whatever animal was consumed can be gathered and boiled down for soup. Elections are a feast of sorts, if you prefer blather to meat, and it’s customary to make some kind of broth from the whole experience.
Why bother? Those of us who are “into it” love to analyze trends and learn whatever we can along the way. The next election will be shaped by these lessons more than anything else. And if we’ve learned one thing in this deeply divided America, it’s that election season is pretty much forever.
Ready?
Hot Buttons
What more is there to say before the election? This has the potential to be a big day for Democrats, and things are certainly breaking the right way here in Minnesota. We’ve seen the momentum building all summer as there were signs that the economy, though still weak, is gaining strength. Ohio and the rest of the industrial heartland seems to believe that it’s good enough, and they are polling strong for Obama.
What more is there to say? It’s a good time to admit I was very wrong about something. Something big, too.
Like most people concerned with the precarious state of our economy, I hate the emotional “hot button” issues. I’ve called the relentless bleating on Fox a “War on Reality” and blasted the distractions created. The bizarre and constant assault on women (and basic decency) hit my radar, but that was about it. It simply seemed that we had better things to talk about as a people whose futures are tied together. What I was wrong about was simple – that these issues, and our reaction to them on the left, is what strong coalitions are made from and once we kick some butt there will be no turning back.
Ice This Thing
In any close basketball game, the last few minutes take just about forever. There are strategic time-outs to regroup and plan, and there are numerous fouls given by the team behind just to get the ball back. An election is no different, and Hurricane Sandy is the timeout needed by Team Obama to ice the win.
But they had the lead going into it. The economic reports coming out this week show the score very clearly, and it’s definitely Obama’s game to lose. As the press starts to bubble how big the lead is and Romney starts to foul out, we can see how this developed very clearly over the long summer – as was noted in Barataria all along.
The real difference between an election and a hoop game is that not many people know how to keep score.
2012 Predictions
The election is a week away. It’s time to make a few predictions and offer some analysis, if only so that everyone can make fun of me when this is all over.
Regular readers know how much disdain I have for the horserace that characterizes most of the reporting, but in the end it comes down to that. Still, there are many issues revolving around the ability to call this thing properly that are fascinating, at least to someone too far into it. My fondest hope is that at least some of them break in ways that defy conventional wisdom and shake things up.
Ready?
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 