The U.S. economy is widely touted as the most significant issue in the upcoming presidential elections, and has been the major focus of both campaigns (that's right, Nader's campaign doesn't count) during the past month. All kinds of wacky proposals have been batted around, along with outrageous and arbitrary promises of a pending recovery or job creation, depending on which campaign ad one happens to be watching.
There exists, however, a major error with this gluttonous overemphasis on economics by both campaigns. They are focusing on Gross Domestic Product, unemployment rates and trade statistics in efforts to claim credit for growth or point fingers for losses, while overlooking finer and more important policy debates. In other words, both campaigns are actively engaging in political-economic sensationalism, and blowing smoke in the eyes of American voters.
The Bush team has employed both their own party's favorite economic stimulation strategy and that of their opponents to show that the economy is recovering as a result. In a Republican spirit, they have cut taxes in order to boost consumer spending and, in a Democratic move, they've increased government expenditures to directly increase business for many firms. If after this double-down on stimulus the economy does not recover, it never will.
Since the economy is recovering, Kerry can stop blathering about 10 million new jobs and Bush can have his interns take down that ridiculous sign behind his podium that says Jobs For the 21st Century 100times over in 200 point font. The fact is the battle over economic policy is both a waste of voters' time and a transparent ploy for support, and it should be abandoned in favor of more pressing issues.
One of the most important of these issues regards our soldiers, as disillusioned troops are committing suicide at alarming rates.
Furthermore, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries recently gave the oil-addicted United States a crippling dilemma as it decided to cut crude oil output despite high demand. A response that certainly is not market driven, but rather is aimed at putting pressure on the United States to stop throwing its obese, gas-guzzling, military weight around in the Middle East.
The problems facing the United States internationally and domestically are obviously severe and countless, and the last thing America needs is for two dueling Harvard cronies to ignore pressing international issues in favor of a game of voodoo economic showmanship. This only distracts voters, miss-places the emphasis of campaign debates, and will eventually force next year's President to try to bring to fruition his ridiculous economic promises.
Breezy Willis is a senior majoring in International Relations.