Wisdom from Jay Cost

by Russ Roberts on February 8, 2010

Here. An excerpt:

He has been narrow, not broad. He has been partial, not post-partisan. He has been ideological, not pragmatic. No number of “eloquent” speeches can alter these facts. This is why his major initiatives have failed, why his net job approval has dropped 50 points in 12 months, and why he is substantially weaker now than he was a year ago.

But that’s just the punch line. The intro is just as good.

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JohnK

90% of government should be at the city and county level.

The problem is not government, the problem is The State.

Gil

Government is thuggery and taxes are theft. Local, State, National or Global? It doesn't matter! All government should be abolished and landownership rights should be given to current landholders.

baltimorepete

I agree. The talk of the Articles of Confederation not working is sort o f misguided. Maybe, just maybe, the federal government shouldn't be doing all that much. Maybe it should be left to the lower levels. Nah.... couldn't be that.

Seth

I agree with you and JohnK. Mr. Cost writes a nice piece, but if I'm reading it correctly, he seems to think the Federal government doesn't have enough power and he thinks that governability is evidenced by the passage of new major policy changes.

baltimorepete

Exactly. I like the way you put that: "he thinks that governability is evidenced by the passage of new major policy changes."

In addition, if we want to take it another step, I believe he fails to ask an important question: Is governability actually good? Further, is it even realistic? Is it within the realm of reason to think that a small group of people, even given a great amount of intelligence, charisma and wisdom, could effectively create policy in such a way that it consistently does more good than harm? If so, do we want that?

Seth

Thanks. Those are good questions.

danielkuehn

I think there should be a higher standard for using the word "wisdom" in a title. This isn't so much wisdom as perspective and opinion.

Gil

Heck! What about the title: "America is Not Ungovernable"

Homer the Food Critic dictating to Lisa: "Well, the food was not undelicious."

Lisa: "The food was delicious."

Gil

Yeah I can't see any wonderful sage advice just Obama-hating.

Methinks1776

and truth.

magilson

The declaration of wisdom is itself based on perspective. You attempt to divide the two when they are indivisable.

Being critical and skeptical is a good thing; especially when dealing with information one is predisposed to agree with (not that you do). But it isn't always necessary or necessarily useful. I think it's pretty obvious you were straining on this one.

danielkuehn

Of course it is! But then again, I wouldn't call the declaration of wisdom "wisdom" either :)

It did strike me as relly funny that Russ honestly tried to pass of political snark as "wisdom". In that sense I wasn't straining. In the sense that it was just an off the cuff remark, I suppose maybe I was.

nailheadtom

"Russ honestly tried to pass of political snark as "wisdom"
____________________

Cost is giving his own analysis of the reasons for the president's failure to achieve what have apparently been his goals. Not everyone might agree with the analysis but to dismiss it as "political snark" removes you from the pool of serious thinkers considering the subject.

magilson

When caught with shovel in hand you only look a fool trying to pretend you weren't digging the hole.

danielkuehn

I never took anything I said back, did I? If I'm digging a hole - and I don't think I am - I certainly don't seem to be pretending I'm not.