Debate: Obama's Economic Policies Are Working Effectively

November 16, 2009
Signs of economic recovery are everywhere. Housing prices have bottomed out; the stock market has rallied; and capital markets are operating normally. Today, economists are debating whether or not the recession is over. When Obama took office, the debate was whether a sharp decline in economic activity would trigger more bank failures in a vicious cycle, culminating in a full scale depression. His policies have restored confidence and that is the most important thing.

Others argue that his policies will seriously undermine the long-term growth of the US economy. Our fiscal outlook is so poor that inflation is likely, undermining faith in the dollar as a global reserve asset. Cap and trade legislation will make US industry less globally competitive; his health care proposals will leave us both poorer and less healthy; and the dramatic increase in taxes needed to pay for all this will discourage risk-taking and investing.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Eliot Spitzer
• Allan H. Meltzer
• James K. Galbraith
• Lawrence Mishel
• Steve Rattner
• Mark Zandi
• John Donvan
• IQ2US
• Intelligence Squared
• debate
• economy
• taxes
• stimulus
• recovery
• jobs
• unemployment
• public sector
• private sector
• business
• small business
• labor force
• Skirball Center
• NYU
• bailout
• banks
• recession
• finance
• Wall Street

[IntelligenceSquared]

@htedrom The debate was held on November 16, 2009. Thanks for your question.

[fjrecalde30]

Pointless! keynesians that want some stimulus vs keynesians that want more intervention and more stimulus! there is nothing inteligent about this debate

[GustavoUfpa]

What a bad debate. TIP: if you are gonna make a debate about keynesian economics, remember to invite NON-keynesians! Waste of time

[neb967]

This was such a pointless debate and didnt really touch the true issue that I had hoped... As a trader - I gotta say - it is shocking what some economists believe about how things should be measured or perceived about the US economy... Wow... Incredible to me...

[neb967]

@RainMainDein hahahahaha

[rikmikel]

Why not try getting a few people who really believe that the policies have failed...not Eliot Spitzer. IQ2 only reduces the level of respect that I have when they have Spitzer as a panelist not due to his personal foibles, but due instead to his positions and ideology. A real contest would include at least one member of the Austrian school of economics...maybe next round. Oh, by the way, it should be obvious which side was on the right now that we are two years on...

[htedrom]

when was this debate?

[RainMainDein]

Great, Superinteressting, all the best from Germany

[Visfen]

:D haha