On Wed, 27 Jul 2011, Bhaskar Sunkara wrote:
> Seth raises an interesting question. Anyone have an answer?
>
> http://jacobinmag.com/blog/?p=792
>
> Most of the responses to the news focused on how bad the policy is. But
> the more interesting question is why Obama wanted to push it in the
> first place. Yesterday, Ezra Klein had a post titled "Why the Obama
> administration is open to raising the Medicare age."
> There are few commentators as well informed on policy and as well
> connected and sympathetic to the Obama administration, so when Klein
> speaks on this topic, we should listen. [...]
But AFAICT, Seth doesn't seem to listen to him -- nor refute him. Ezra says Obama's advisors want to position him in the center. Seth says that makes sense, but why by cutting the most popular program ever? Ezra says, because it's something people will remember -- everything else they could easily do is opaque. And Seth thinks this can't be what they are thinking because ... it's too stupid for smart people to think? If Ezra Insider says his admin buddies think it, why indeed shouldn't we take that as evidence that they do?
Michael