[lbo-talk] liberal austerity

[Politicus E.]

It seems that the right-wing populists have a different, and complementary,
rhetoric for an austerity program.  All day yesterday, the lead on FoxNews
was the threatening line that the Obama budget will mean that the US is
"Owned by China."  This was a reference to ownership of US government debt
by the Chinese state.  FN is inciting xenophobia to advance the cause of
deficit hawks;  the liberals want us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,
thus advancing the cause of the deficit hawks.