The Truthiness of Experts

By Fester:

I usually don't/can't stay up to watch the Colbert Report as I start to get grumpy at work if I don't get enough sleep these days.  However I will make an exception tonight as I see the Hillary Clinton truthiness tour continue with her endorsement of the Colbert gut call methodology of policy analysis.

Could she name a single economist who agrees with her support for the gas tax holiday?

Hillary sidestepped the question, and tried to use the complete dearth of expert support for the idea to her advantage, pointing to it as proof that she's on the side of ordinary folks against "elite opinion" -- a phrase she used twice.

"I think we've been for the last seven years seeing a tremendous amount of government power and elite opinion behind policies that haven't worked well for hard working Americans," she said.

A bit later she added: "It's really odd to me that arguing to give relief to a vast majority of Americans creates this incredible pushback...Elite opinion is always on the side of doing things that don't benefit" the vast majority of the American people.

An ordinary voter begged to differ, however. Stephanopoulos turned the mike over to a woman who said she supported Obama and said she makes less than $25,000 a year.

Besides there being a vast social and influence chasm between political/media elites and actual experts, this is a truthiness moment.  The gas tax holiday is a good policy because it feels good (or at least polls that way) while those biased facts and empirical elasticity models don't feel good. 

This is an interesting piece of trying to frame Obama as part of the bad decision making of the past seven years.  I think it will be unsuccessful as Obama just has to call "Iraq War vote" and leave it at that as the counterweight to Clinton's frame as fighter for the 'common-sense' underdog. 

Ohhh--- silly season, when will it be over

Comments

[CKR]

I think that's pander season...

[geoff]

When I read the Reuters bulletin I actually didn't believe it at first, but than like you Fester I immediately thought of Colbert. Good to know that the Clinton's don't throw their lot in with "economists" and are firmly fixed in the faith based movement - that stuff just outside my window is what I want it to be not what it is. I wonder how she might pose solving your fiscal problems? Hoping for the tooth fairy to show up maybe?

I also wonder which of the "economist lot" might deem to work with this person if she were ever elected. Something in the profession I'd think you might have to hid on your CV in the future or you could simply included any years you work for her as the time you were serving time in prison for some nefarious public sex act. The latter would likely do less harm to your professional - elitist - career.

[carol]

Robert Reich has already called Hillary on this bullshit. He personally contacted 2 of the economists that he knows have been advising Hillary, and reported that they just kind of shrugged their shoulders and said "politics as usual."

Also, on reddit today, March 2000 article of Bill Clinton talking about how a gas tax holiday would do nothing really to help people, as well as singing the praises of NAFTA, and talking about serious gun control. Hmmmmm.

(Sorry I am bad at hyperlinking).

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