Replies

The problem isn't O'Neill. The problem is that Dubya isn't smart enough to set economic policy without the help of qualified advisors and he isn't listening to the qualified people around him.

The thing that made Reagan such a great President was not his own intelligence. It was that he knew that he was not smart enough to make all those decisions alone and hired the best people in each field and then listened to them.

Certainly, O'Neill doesn't agree with Dubya on a number of economic issues. But, that is with good reason. Although O'Neill may have a few shortcomings, he is much more of an expert on the economy than Dubya could ever dream of becoming. But, typical of Dubya, rather than listen to the experts around him, Dubya blindly goes his own way and dictates to the experts, that he should be listening to, what position he has already decided on. If Dubya would listen to the experts around him, he wouldn't have such economic problems. But, that would mean taking a stand on a tough issue and we all know that Dubya only takes a stand on issues that he is sure he can win. It seems that he's more worried about being seen as a loser, than actually doing something to fix the economy.

we all know that Dubya only takes a stand on issues that he is sure he can win.

This is such a crock! You have got to be a .0005 percenter or a disrupter or have been sipping too much of the demonrat/liberal KoolAid.

Bush has pushed on many issues that most people thought had no chance of going anywhere, and time and time again, because he keeps going forward, he succeeds!

Crossing the divide
TownHall.com ^ | Thursday, November 21, 2002 | by Larry Kudlow

Posted on 11/20/2002 9:50 PM PST by JohnHuang2

A tax-cut battle royale is shaping up in the White House, with President Bush's economic team divided over which measures will best strengthen incentives for economic growth and stock-market investment.

Economists Larry Lindsey and Glen Hubbard continue to favor a broad-based tax-cut package that would boost stock-market values and increase after-tax cash flows for businesses and families. Those two made similar arguments a year ago, but they were overruled by Paul O'Neill and Mitch Daniels -- the Bush advisors who favor a much more austere economic strategy based on deficit reduction.

Treasury Secretary O'Neill has never been a friend of supply-side economics. He has illustrated this by way of numerous hip-shooting comments since joining the Bush team. Though he professes to favor a thorough overhaul of the corporate tax code, perhaps even its elimination, his position is much more narrow and smacks of social engineering. At a time when deep cuts are receiving deep attention, O'Neill is appealing for very light, targeted tax relief, such as child tax credits and reductions in the marriage penalty. More, he has never set a detailed economic blueprint down on paper. He's all talking points and no package.