Link --
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4947769#email>
The show was advertised as a debate between a "liberal" and "conservative" with Krugman in the liberal role -- defender, it was assumed, of entitlements and taxation -- and Butler in the free marketeer seat.
During her introduction Terri Gross, the show's host, described the debate in terms more or less that broad (liberal/conservative discussion about how best to handle the rebuilding of the US' Gulf coast).
But something interesting, at least to me, happened on the way to the usual talking points: Krugman and Butler described -- jointly -- the serious, long term problems the US faces due to its heavy dependence on capital infusions, profligate spending under the Bush admin, tax cuts for the wealthiest persons, the China/US financial "mutual assured destruction" relationship and other immense problems.
Of course, there were disagreements on how best to manage these issues but there was, to the host's surprise, strong agreement the US faces significant challenges that aren't being seriously addressed by the administration, Congress or the American people, all of whom continue to believe, it seems, in limitless American strength (or a variant, the "they need our markets, we're too important to fail" belief).
...
Beyond this radio show, I'm wondering how common it is to hear a reasonable analysis of American structural problems from Heritage Foundation types. Is this fairly routine, is Butler an outlier, or is there a growing sense of worry -- which Butler's appearance provides a glimpse of -- amongst even Heritage Foundation sorts that the wheels are coming off the wagon?
.d.