SPENDING, NOT THE ECONOMY:

The Politician of the Future Will Resemble ... Ross Perot? (William Galston, March 15, 2010, New Republic)

For decades, the conventional wisdom has been that concern over public-sector budget deficits and debt was confined to a handful of elected officials and policy wonks. Although Ross Perot challenged that belief in the early 1990s, the consequences of his insurgency soon faded. But now, the massive spending and debt accumulation the government has used to save the financial system and stabilize the economy are in the process of effecting a sea-change in public attitudes. While President Obama’s fiscal commission may well deadlock, the problem that called it into being isn’t going away, and neither are the public’s concerns. The party that masters the emerging new politics of deficits and debt will seize the mantle of national leadership.

The fact that an issue is bogus as to economics has never meant it's not a winner in politics.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 16, 2010 11:40 AM