Economists Overwhelmingly Agree: Obama Better for the Economy

An article out in today's Economist reports that "a survey of academic economists . . . finds the majority—at times by overwhelming margins—believe Mr Obama has the superior economic plan, a firmer grasp of economics and will appoint better economic advisers." This may come as a surprise to some died-in-the-wool conservatives, but for me, it was no great shock. Earlier this year, I posted an article from Slate on Facebook about economic data indicating that, over the past sixty years, the American economy has done better under Democratic administrations by most indications. And it wasn't long ago that our economy was creating millions of new jobs, enjoying rising wages and living standards, and projected budget surpluses under the Clinton Administration. This news about Obama's economic team is really just a continuation of a running theme in his campaign, which is that he strives to make wise, studied and steady judgments by soliciting the best advice he can get from the best people, and then uses his own values and judgment to lead people in the right direction. Americans are turning to him in droves at this critical juncture in the campaign because they can trust Obama on the economy, and because all they have seen from John McCain is an erratic approach that leaves most voters unclear on where he stands and uncertain if he really knows anything about the economy at all.

Here's the breakdown of the numbers from the Economist article:


Here's a devastating assortment of clips of John McCain himself being questioned about the economy.


John McCain, in his own words:

"I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."
-The Wall Street Journal, November 6, 2005

"The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should, said Mccain. I've got Greenspan's book."
- Boston Globe, December 18, 2007

Here he is again, saying he is not an expert on Wall Street...



Is this the man you want running the country during an economic crisis? Or do you want the man that 71% of unaffiliated economists believe is the smart choice to govern this nation, and whom 81% of economists think will do a better job than John McCain?