Hooray for substantive dialogue!
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out John Harwood’s interview with Barack Obama on economic issues. It’s part of the New York Times/CNBC Campaign Conversations series. I found it incredibly thoughtful and well done, on the parts of both the interviewer and the interviewee. It’s a bit depressing that I’m this surprised and happy to see a presidential candidate give such intelligent, nuanced answers to detailed policy questions, yet… there it is.
As you watch, keep an eye out for:
- Obama avoiding a potentially disastrous sound bite about high gas prices being good for the country, while still giving the economically sound answer. (around 2:00)
- an excellent explanation of why “you should base your decisions on facts, and not ideology.” Yes! A politician genuinely willing to change his mind when presented with new evidence! (5:15)
- Obama’s thoughtful treatment of free trade, praising its ability to raise quality of life worldwide, yet acknowledging the need to find ways to help those it harms in the short term. (9:28)
Comments
Leave a Reply