President Obama: Prove Krugman's prediction wrong!

[flpoljunkie]

It’s Witch-Hunt Season
By PAUL KRUGMAN

August 29, 2010

So what will happen if, as expected, Republicans win control of the House? We already know part of the answer: Politico reports that they’re gearing up for a repeat performance of the 1990s, with a “wave of committee investigations” — several of them over supposed scandals that we already know are completely phony. We can expect the G.O.P. to play chicken over the federal budget, too; I’d put even odds on a 1995-type government shutdown sometime over the next couple of years.

It will be an ugly scene, and it will be dangerous, too. The 1990s were a time of peace and prosperity; this is a time of neither. In particular, we’re still suffering the after-effects of the worst economic crisis since the 1930s, and we can’t afford to have a federal government paralyzed by an opposition with no interest in helping the president govern. But that’s what we’re likely to get.

If I were President Obama, I’d be doing all I could to head off this prospect, offering some major new initiatives on the economic front in particular, if only to shake up the political dynamic. But my guess is that the president will continue to play it safe, all the way into catastrophe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/opinion/30krugman.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

[earthside]

1. Sadly, I agree ...

... with the prediction made in Krugman's last sentence.

[flpoljunkie]

2. That would be a fatal error, for both the Dems and President Obama in 2012.

The base would say 'to hell with you all'--and rightly so.

[Mimosa]

3. I think Obama is paying attention

http://www.ajc.com/news/more-loans-to-help-602397.html

Excerpt:

Washington - The Obama administration plans to set up an emergency loan program for the unemployed and a government refinancing effort in the next few weeks to help homeowners pay their mortgages after home sales dropped in July, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said.
More Atlanta area news »

"The July numbers were worse than we expected, worse than the general market expected, and we are concerned," Donovan said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "That's why we are taking additional steps to move forward."

The administration will begin a Federal Housing Authority refinancing effort to help borrowers who are struggling to pay their home mortgages, and will start an emergency homeowners' loan program for unemployed borrowers so they can stay in their homes, Donovan said.

"We're going to continue to make sure folks have access to home ownership," he said.

[Gman]

4. If it were October I'd be nervous

I want to think Democrats have a nuclear arsenal of commercials in the can just waiting for Labor Day.

And I disagree completely that Democrats will lose the House. If Glenn Beck had drawn 500,000 people I'd be scared. But the 25 - 30% is still just that. We just need to be just as motivated to go vote.

[apnu]

7. To win the house, the GOP would have to keep all their seats and net over 40 seats.

I don't see that happening, there aren't that many solid lock GOP pickups in the House.

The Senate, however is a different story.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. I begin and end with his first sentence.

It is in no way "expected" that Republicans would win control of the House. While not a long shot, per se, it's far and away the expected result and a lot of things would have to go right for Republicans by November for that to happen.

Krugman should stick to economics.

[shireen]

6. economics and politics are intertwined.

Both are about money.