Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A very well respected Washington Post Op-Ed Columnist with a history of being a political centrist (with an economics focus) had some interesting observations about Obama. He expressed some of my reservations much more clearly than I ever could:
Obama's clever campaign strategy would put him in a bind as president. Championing centrism would disappoint many ardent Democrats. Pleasing them would betray his conciliating image. The fact that he has so far straddled the contradiction may confirm his political skills and the quiet aid received from the media, which helped him by virtually ignoring the blatant contradictions.
And what does the straddle tell us of him? Aside from ambition -- hardly unique among presidential candidates -- I cannot detect powerful convictions in Obama.
The article also contains some criticisms of McCain to, as I stated the columnist has a history of being critical of both sides:
this is the link to the specific column. The link provided is to the front page. I assume this is the piece you are referring to. His comments on McCain include:
He has a hard time changing his mind, even when the evidence overwhelmingly suggests he's wrong. He has stuck with "campaign finance reform" despite its dismal record. After three decades, it has entangled political campaigns in rules and paperwork without solving any notable problem (for example, people continue to believe that wealthy "special interests" have too much influence). On immigration, he still does not grasp what I think is the actual problem: not illegal immigration so much as too many poor and unskilled immigrants, whether legal or illegal. Like Obama, he seems oblivious to the possible unintended consequences of endorsing an anti-global-warming "cap-and-trade" program.
My link is taking you to the first page also. I would not call his column economic analysis by any stretch. It is more his commentary on them as candidates. Here is the provided biography from the post of the author.
Columnist | Robert J. Samuelson is a weekly columnist for The Post, writing on political, economic and social issues. His column appears on Wednesdays.
Samuelson joined The Post on the business desk in 1969. In 1976 he became an economic reporter for National Journal, where he began a weekly column, which began appearing in The Post in 1977. In 1984, Samuelson became a columnist for Newsweek. Samuelson's awards include the National Headliner Award for Consistently Outstanding Column on One Subject in 1995, 1993, 1992 and 1987; a 1993 John Hancock Award for Best Business and Financial Columnist; The Gerald Loeb Award for Best Commentary in 1993, 1986 and 1983; a Clarion Award for Best Magazine Editorial/Opinion Column from Women in Communications in 1994; and a 1981 National Magazine Award.
He is the author of "Untruth: Why the Conventional Wisdom is (Almost Always) Wrong" (2001), a collection of his columns, and "The Good Life and Its Discontents: The American Dream in the Age of Entitlement, 1945-1995
A very well respected Washington Post Op-Ed Columnist with a history of being a political centrist (with an economics focus) had some interesting observations about Obama. He expressed some of my reservations much more clearly than I ever could:
Obama's clever campaign strategy would put him in a bind as president. Championing centrism would disappoint many ardent Democrats. Pleasing them would betray his conciliating image. The fact that he has so far straddled the contradiction may confirm his political skills and the quiet aid received from the media, which helped him by virtually ignoring the blatant contradictions.
And what does the straddle tell us of him? Aside from ambition -- hardly unique among presidential candidates -- I cannot detect powerful convictions in Obama.
The article also contains some criticisms of McCain to, as I stated the columnist has a history of being critical of both sides:
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
