BdL on BE

[Brad DeLong]

From: brettk at unicacorp.com
Subject: RE: BdL on BE
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 11:25:28 -0400
Sender: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>Status:   Max wrote:
>>>Lloyd Bentsen used to say that focusing on children was the only way
>>>he thought progress could be made--that the idea of the frontier and
>>>the self-reliant individual was just too strong in America for there
>>>to be a durable majority coalition that worried about the single
>>>working poor.    Brad DeLong
>>
>>One data point:  when I introduced my idea about a
>>mega-kiddie-credit to a group of progressives, who
>>shall remain nameless, they said the problem with it
>>was it had nothing for families without children.
>
>I'm a bit confused by Brad's line.  Earlier he said we should focus on
>expanding government programs for the poor, and implied that supporting the
>Dems was the way to achieve this result.  Now he seems to say that you
>can't help the single working poor because there isn't enough public
>support (which is probably true).  Perhaps he's trying to make the point
>that you can only help the single poor by helping poor families with kids,
>but the Repukes can always ram through some amendments that target
>assisstance to the child-bearing poor.
>
>This is precisely where BE (as far as I can tell), and myself, and perhaps
>the progressives Max is talking about split off from the Dems.  The Dems
>want to win, so they will abandon the single working poor, and champion
>other measures I would vociferously oppose, in order to try to win the
>election.  I'd rather take a principled stand and lose...

That's a *great* straight line... But I'll behave... ":-)

Brad DeLong