The Economists vs the Pundits

The War of Spin

Guess who won? According to John Amato at Think Progress the pundits are dominating the message.

I'm sure you've heard about the hundreds of economists that are either for or against President Obama's stimulus plan. My question to the media is: Where are they? Thankfully, Paul Krugman goes on THIS WEEK and usually destroys the panel when they regurgitate disingenuous economic talking points that they probably don't understand.

While networks are using the sound bites of the past:

The networks like to have the same tired debate format with the same hired analysts debating with "sound and fury" that usually "signifies nothing" to most of America. Last week the media chose to have Republicans like John Boehner, who helped create the situation we're in, dominate the airwaves, which does nothing but muddy up the discussion on our rapidly failing economy.

President Bush appears to understand the situation:

In the past few days, I've heard criticisms that this [stimulus] plan is somehow wanting, and these criticisms echo the very same failed economic theories that led us into this crisis in the first place, the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems, that we can ignore fundamental challenges like energy independence and the high cost of health care, that we can somehow deal with this in a piecemeal fashion and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject those theories. And so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change.

Democrats have solid majorities everywhere you look, but not when it comes to the media that is supposed to inform us and not play "spin wars' with the country.

As the conservatives begin an all-out assault on President Obama's recovery plan, the cable networks are still turning more often to Republicans and allowing them to set the agenda on major issues.