Irrelevant partisan journalists

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/24/the-gops-worst-cliff-myth/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein

I haven't read Klein in quite awhile because all his blog posts are predictable -- there are no fresh ideas, no objectivity. Klein is not alone. Every so-called journalist who's a partisan warrior is more propagandist than journalist, more operative than reporter, more patsy than New Media Blogger. 

So, I went to Klein's blog and it dawns on me why these smart writers like Klein are becoming irrelevant outside the Party. One needs only listen to Jay Carney or David Axelrod to know what Klein will support or condemn, praise or criticize. When Klein uses mental gymnastics in each blog post to put down Republicans and justify Democrats, it's obvious he's missing the fundamental problems. Klein's focus is winning a political battle, so each issue is an opportunity to attack the Right and strengthen the Left, although it's not the Left, per se, so much as it is the Obama administration and the Democratic Party, in that order of importance.

One can't blame Klein for being ambitious. Who knows, like his bud Chris Hayes, Klein too could have his own propaganda format on MSNBC, or maybe replace Carney. Surely The Democratic Party will reward such dedicated talent -- however, Hayes will never attain excellence and true relevance as a political/economics thinker. Political Patsies are used when needed, then quickly forgotten when current fashions or political directions change or lose popularity. Right now, Klein and the Democratic Party are riding the wave of the last election, but when the wave subsides, the fundamental problems facing our nation will remain, and they'll be worse.

Klein is optimistic that the economy will improve, and all this talk about cutting spending will fade as a few cuts go through and taxes are raised and the deficit no longer looks as scary as it does now. Klein cherry picks factoids to make his case on various issues, but as far as comprehensive political/economic analyses, well that's not useful to Klein because uncovering fundamental problems and thinking through fundamental solutions work against government as a whole. The condition of government is the main issue, not which party will win the next elections.

It's not so important that Clinton gets credit for balancing a budget over a decade ago when there was a GOP Congress, or that Bush gets blamed for the recession and current deficits, because reality doesn't keep score like this. Political-economic reality, when considering our current, fundamental political and economic problems, is a combination of all actions and interventions of a statist system, and it doesn't matter if a Republican or a Democrat is at the helm of the system, at least not in terms of deficits and debt. Deficits and debt have risen because of government actions, period.

Klein and other partisan propagandists can spend their talents propping up individual politicians, sacrificing for the Party and angling for awesome political gigs, but what's needed from intellectuals are smart analyses of the systemic problems in our government that are destroying our economy and will ultimately harm the most vulnerable in society. For all the righteous posturing from writers like Klein, in reality they show very little concern for what's best for those least capable of dealing with the problems created by our statist system of government. In fact, Klein, and others like him, want more government intervention, and they think the interventions will work out fine if only Republicans back off and let Democrats take complete control. It will be another long while before I read Klein again -- I hope by then that he's using his gift of a brain for more than a political weapon in a war with no winners.

Up with Chris Hayes 3/17/2012 -- Ezra Klein's form of propaganda

Chris Hayes was missing this morning, and Ezra Klein substituted for Hayes. Klein is a clever partisan hack, but his propaganda doesn't hold up well against smart grownups who know the issues. I've seen Klein become prickly as a guest on other shows when his clever partisan tricks don't work against someone armed with facts and the intellectual power to make Klein look silly.

The panel started out discussing Afghanistan and the history of war strategy in that country, with Spencer Ackerson and Elise Jordan leading the conversation. Surge or no surge, concentrating on al Qaeda or the Taliban, focusing on inner cities are cities on the Pakistan border, the real issue is that we should never have spent 10 years in Afghanistan, and we should leave right away. Until we raise the conversation to the level of inteventionism versus non-interventionism, all this smart insider talk about the wars is nothing but chatter which avoids the fundamental problem -- out role as police in  international affairs. The idea that we're still trying to prevent another 9/11 is ridiculous.

Next, Klein talked about his recent NYT's article regarding the failure of presidential speeches to influence policies or inspire the public to embrace a particular vision. This is Klein's contribution to the narrative that congress has blocked progress and a president can only do so much. Of, course, media have prepared the public to associate obstacles in congress with Republicans.

The Left has it set up where they can acknowledge some of the Right's complaints, but they claim the Right is using legitimate problems to attack women and Hispanics, and, thus, they are running off independents. Of course, to win, Obama needs women, Hispanics and independents, but it's just coincidental that these are the groups Republicans are attacking. Strange, isn't it?

At least no one was hurt by dangerous ideas being flung about -- there were no dangerous ideas, just boring technocratic management of perceptions in order to convince people that voting for Republicans will be a blow against women, minorities and clear headed independents.

Morning Joe 2/6/2012 -- Ezra Klein becomes indignant

On Morning Joe today, the panel, Al Sharpton, Mark Halperin, and, then, Ezra Klein, were doing their usual thing, beating up on Republicans and talking about how Obama is looking better and better, when Mika asked Joe to play-act and defend Romney. Joe stuttered trying to find something positive to say, when Klein jumped in and said he could make a case for Romney. Klein started talking about the past policy recommendations of two of Romney's advisors -- carbon tax and modifying mortgage payments for people under water. Scarborough laughed and said that these are certainly proposals liberals would like, but that Klein was not making a good case for Romney by touting the liberal credentials of his advisors. Klein challenged Scarborough and said that Scarborough's attitude is what's wrong in politics, that proposals should be judged on their merit, not on whether they come from the Right or Left. Scarborough said that about half the country believes government has already intervened in the economy too much, and whether that's left or Right, that's the way it is. Klein became angrier and said that the proposals he talked about are not Big Interventions, they are common sense proposals that even the Right has proposed in the past. Joe accused Ezra of saying he was right and that's the end of it. Ezra left the program with a scowl on his face, and the panel commented on Klein's anger later, then stopped talking about it because Klein was not there to defend himself.

I commend Klein for being real, but what's real about Klein is still a problem. All too often progressives come on Morning Joe and they hold back when Joe goes into a rant, because the progressive guests don't want to ruin a good gig -- they like the exposure, and Morning Joe has many of the same people on over and over. But, Klein, I suppose, has had enough, and with the success of his buds, Chris Hayes and Melissa Harris-Perry, and with the other MSNBC progressive hosts giving Klein a lot of air time, Klein likely believes he doesn't need to bow down to Scarborough. Klein, no doubt, believes he's far smarter than the yahoo Scarborough.

Klein represents a group of young progressives who are true believers and who have no doubt that their beliefs regarding governance, the environment, finances, foreign policy, etc., are the correct ideas -- they transcend Left and Right, in their minds. When someone on the Right calls their positions socialistic, they snicker at the ignorance of the rightwing neanderthal who makes such accusations. As Klein said, the proposals are not really central planning-like, statist interventions -- they are pragmatic, smart solutions that both sides should embrace because they are smart. Klein and those like him are true believers in smart, technocratic government, and they see it as something superior to either of the old, ideology-bound, Big Ideas of captitalism or socialism. Klein doesn't consider pragmatic solutions which come from cooperation between smart government and enlightened companies as statism -- it's simply smart problem solving. Yes, the banks might resist loan modifications, but when the Obama adminsitration meets with the right people in the financial industry, they can convince them of the wisdom of modifications and can incentivize the banks to go along. Big manufacturers will see the wisdom of carbon taxing once they understand it's a cooperative effort with government to do something good for the environment, and those who go along with government and make it easy will be rewarded.

Klein and those like him realize that government has to partner with industry to tap into private sector wealth and avoid the ugly necessity of direct confiscation -- cooperation is much better. This is not cronyism, either, according to the progressives -- cronyism is what the Right does. Klein will tell you that government/corporate partnersip is based on smart problem solving. Klein is confident that smart progressives within the State structure can find solutions without creating overbearing interventions in the market which have unintended consequences -- that was the old, clumsy way government worked, and it was perverted because of cronyism and greedy politicians and corporate captains who rigged the game. The new government involvement in the market is cooperative, built on partnership and problem solving -- it's win-win.

Scarborough is just too ignorant, too caught up in his ideological divide between Right and Left, to understand the progressive transcendence which leads to transformation. Duh. I can't blame Klein -- those knuckle dragging obstructionists just don't understand what is so clearly correct.

Up with Chris Hayes 11/27/2011 -- Go Leftward, young man, Go Leftward

On Up with Chris Hayes today the guests were Ezra Klein, Michaela Angela Davis, and hispanic lady who didn't get to say much and Maya Macquineas. Hayes hogged most of the talk time. Michaela would get out a few inane sentences, then Klein or Hayes would save her. Klein joined Hayes in hogging the time arguing with Macquineas about why debt is not really a problem because bonds are still selling and interest rates aren't going up. Hayes also made the argument that OWS type direct democracy is superior to rich, white representatives in a supercommittee.

I only watched the first hour. Robert Johnson came on the set to argue for America and China to chip in to help Europe avoid the consequences of poor money management. Johnson, Hayes and Klein believe that governments all over ought to create jobs in order to create economic growth and start the recovery process. The Leftist point of view is that debtors are victims and need to be bailed out, while creditors created the problem and should have to pay to help the debtors. The Left beleives austerity is the wrong path, and they consider 1.2 trillion in debt reduction over a decade in America as austerity. I swear, this debate is getting funnier and funnier.

So, taking money out of the private sector, or borrowing money that has to be repaid, to create jobs that the private sector isn't offering is the way to economic growth, and it doesn't matter how much we borrow as long as interest rates are low. Economic genius! Why haven't we thought of this before?

Morning Joe 10/5/2011 -- Systemic failure

On Morning Joe, Mika went solo as Joe Scarborough was out for the day. I have to say, Mika did a good job, and the absence of Scarborough's rodeo clown act was a welcomed relief. The guests were Howard Dean, Michael Steele, Harold Ford, Ezra Klein, David Gregory and Chuck Todd -- a real balanced panel. Counting Willie Geist, Barnicle and Mika, it was 9 to 1 Left to Right, and Steele is in the Center, so he doesn't really count. The topic lately has been the Republican campaign for the party's nomination in 2012, and the differences in ideology between the two parties. You'd think that in order to present a good analysis, Morning Joe producers would have someone on the program who represents opposition to the status quo, but, instead, they have political hacks like Howard Dean. You don't have to wonder what Dean said -- Go, Obama, Go -- Yay, Obama! Dean might be the worlds most obnoxious cheerleader.

When the discussion came around to deadlock in congress, Klein said it's not a lack of leadership, but rather a problem with the system. I agree, but not in the way Klein means it. Klein wants to do away with the filibuster and allow a 51% majority to reign supreme. I believe that we need limited government and a free market -- these are two very different visions of the role of government, yet it's not discussed, and that's because Morning Joe and other Laft-leaning media don't present the limited government view -- they reduce the idea to obstructionism with Republicans framed as a party that only wants low taxes and to defeat Obama even if it hurts the country.

Much was made by Klein and a few others about Ben Bernanke's warning the "recovery" could stall if action is not taken, and that this is not time to try to cut our way to recovery. This is another slam on Republicans -- that all they want to do is slash government when pople need government help the most. I can't speak for Republicans, and I'm not a Republican, but there are ideas contrary to the Democrats' stimulus/jobs plan. One idea is to get government out of the way and create an economic environment that is friendly to investment. The world is looking for a place to invest money -- that place could be America if government would stop blocking the way. The irony in all this is that government is the biggest obstructionist -- they got us into this economic mess through intervention and cronyism, and now they are blocking all attempts to get us out of the mess, and they're making the mess a bigger mess.

Of course, there was a lot of talk from the Morning Joe crew regarding Chris Christie. I've never understood the hoopla surrounding Christie, but he made a good decision by refusing to run for President. The Left would have destroyed him in no time, and the Right would have been dissatisfied with Christie's liberal leanings. We need a radical free marketer, someone who understands economics. I do like Christies' position that we need to get out of the mideast, but Christie is a government man, even though he's inexperienced in government work, and we don't need government men. We need a President who represents the private sector, the American people, not someone who "gets things done" in DC. DC has done enough, thank you. Christie is a natural for government work, and I can see why establishment types like him -- he's upfront and he'll work across the aisle to make things happen, but this isn't the time for that type of President. We need to change directions and go toward a free and vibrant private sector sans government shackles.

The Republican race is interesting, but the obssession with the presdiential race on Morning Joe is troublesome, especially when we have so many serious issues facing the nation, such as the European crisis, Solyndra and Fast and Furious, and even the Occupying Wall Street nonsense needs to be exposed. There are widespread efforts on the Left to release government from all limitations in order to destroy capitalism and production at the highest levels, which results in the destruction of small and medium size businesses. This effort to destroy capitalism should be exposed and analyzed with intelligence. Yes, crony capitalism and State capitalism are perversions of capitalism, but the Left would preserve these perversions when they are in power and destroy the capitalism of a free market which is our only hope for recovery and economic expansion.