Classical Values :: "If you want the economy to recover, vote for Obama."

October 08, 2008

"If you want the economy to recover, vote for Obama."

Psychologist Dr. Helen Smith has written two posts about the psychological aspects of the economic crisis, and her thoughts about how they might be manipulated by Democrats who hope to win the election. Her first post is here (see my similar thoughts on the subject), and in her most recent post, she has cited Steve Sturm, who "advises" voting for Obama:

...once Obama takes office, having pushed Obama on us, the MSM needs to 'prove' to us that Obama was the right choice, and what better way to kick start the economy than by running lots of stories about how the economy has started to turn around since his inauguration? We'll start to hear stories about pockets of recovery, how this sector or this area is doing better than they were just a few months ago. And these stories will lead to more stories and more consumer and business optimism, all of which will lead to stock prices (a leading indicator of economic health) starting to rise, businesses starting to add employees and consumers starting to venture out and start spending again.... and presto, our economy will be humming again and all will be right in America.... because, and only because, we were smart enough to have voted for Obama.

Of course, if we go and elect McCain, boy oh boy, will we be in for a world of hurt. We will have proven that we're a bunch of racist stupid pond scum (as ipso facto evidenced by our not for Obama). We'll need to be shown that we made a terrible, terrible mistake. The MSM will make us pay. There is nothing worse than a woman scorned or a liberal whose candidate has just been denied the office and power they feel they were born to hold. They will make us pay. There is no way they will let the economy recover with a McCain in office. They will double their efforts to drive the economy down.

So America, the choice is simple. If you want the economy to recover, vote for Obama. If you want four more years of misery and layoffs and falling home prices, vote for McCain.

I think that's just drippingly brilliant. (Of course, darkly paradoxical sarcasm and irony turn me on, so I'm biased.)

Dr. Helen concludes with some words of caution, though:

...Hopefully, after that it will be resolved with the media switch to world peace, economic prosperity and happiness for all (except Republicans) after Obama gets in. But there is also a chance that once started, people's economic fears may take a while to die down and the problems that were exacerbated by the media will take some time to resolve, or there is always the chance that the doom and gloom stories will backfire and those who would have invested and spent will still be wary to do so.

Whether I should feel optimistic or pessimistic is beyond the call of duty, above my pay grade, and just plain not my job.

posted by Eric on 10.08.08 at 12:49 PM

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Comments

Look, there's more to it than that. No, I don't mean you believe it (I got that part,) but I've heard this advised SERIOUSLY all over, and they ignore two facts.

If the media could do that, then, back when they had more power/where they had more power:

Jimmy Carter's administration would have been a rousing economic success.

The Soviet Union would have been the land of milk and honey.

Economics are a cahotic system, but they are a system. Unfortunately they are pegged to more than confidence. Someone Instapundit linked yesterday said there was no such thing as real value, only confidence and perception. But that's not true. There's still supply and demand, and those always end whacking you in the face.

If newspapers say economy is booming but all you can find in your grocery store is beets, you're going to doubt them. (I lived through this kind of thing in the seventies. Not in Russia.)

And Obama is JUST economically inept enough (not that McCain is a a genius, but we're considering two evils here. McCain is not hampered by being a red diaper baby who drank marxism with his mother's milk and will always therefore be unable to see reality as it is) to manage to crash our economy completely, even with media cheerleaders.

Portia · October 8, 2008 02:31 PM

I think that public confidence can improve the economy, but only temporarily and slightly. The MSM talking up the economy would certainly be a good thing, but it cannot change structural problems.

If having the press on your side were the answer, it would have worked for the communists.

Assistant Village Idiot · October 8, 2008 04:13 PM

No, the economy will continue to crumble in the Obama administration. The public cause will be "great malfactors of wealth" - (opps, that line's been used!) who fight the necessary reforms put in place to control the economy.

Anyway, some group will blamed and new, invasive government regulations will be put in place to protect us from their evil manipulations. Think of Orwell's character "Goldstein" in "1984."

Expect some show trials too, much like Insull's trial and the Pecora Hearings and J.P. Morgan back in the Great Depression.

More regulation of the media will be necessary, to protect us from contamination of lies and falsehoods. I'd give 50/50 odds of Rush Limbaugh facing indictment by 2011.

I expect the worst.

Whitehall · October 8, 2008 04:30 PM

"If the media could do that, then...[t]he Soviet Union would have been the land of milk and honey."

Ummm...the media did *exactly* that for three decades.

Or perhaps you've never heard of Walter Duranty?

David Hecht · October 8, 2008 09:42 PM

"Ummm...the media did *exactly* that for three decades.

Or perhaps you've never heard of Walter Duranty?"

Yes, of course I did. And yes, the lies were there, but the economy itself was STILL a mess. You can gold plate a dog turd, but the inside is still what it is.

I grew up in Europe and walked routinely past kiosks festoned with whatever it was called, (I THINK it was) "Soviet Life" (or whatever. I've gone a long way to try to forget) with all the glossy photos. I don't BELIEVE perfect pictures. Real life and real systems are NEVER perfect. So I never fell for it, but I know many people -- smarter than I, some of them, just more trusting -- did.

I don't doubt for a moment that the press can and will cover the economic dog turd in gold the minute that Obama is sworn in. What I doubt is that it will change REALITY.

(And btw, I don't think we have an argument. Just clarifying.)

Portia · October 9, 2008 04:18 PM