Ideas for Democrats
RealClearPolitics - Articles - It’s Time for an Ideas Primary
Harold Ford makes a fairly good case for the need to look into new ideas, and offers six for Democrats, in a fairly descent op-ed peice if one ignores some gratuitous and unnecessary swipes at the Bush administration.
Here are his ideas, read the article for a bit more detail on all of them:
Keeping America safe
Giving Americans the tools to compete
Holding government accountable for results
Creating a hybrid economy
Promoting family and values
Ending poverty for all who work.
Most of these I agree with in general terms, and disagree with on some, but not all of the specifics. The most glaring exception is his ‘creating a hybrid economy’ section. Ending poverty for all who work is a close second, as it seems meaningless.
First, he want to make sure that every American can afford a hybrid or the equivalent by 2015 and make sure that these new autos are produced in America ‘whatever it takes.’ While I am not opposed to more efficient automobile, I remain convinced that total cost of ownership is a fairly good proxy for energy efficiency. When hybrids or the ‘equivalent’ are over the life cycle of the vehicle more efficent then their competitors every American pretty much will be able to afford one, as they can afford a more expensive vehicle now.
It is also undeniably obvious that making sure these vehicles are produced in America ‘whatever it takes’ is stupid. If they can be produced cheaper and more efficiently somewhere else, why one earth would we want to punish ourselves by spending more time, effort and resources to get them from a local source?
Secondly, he wants a cap-and-trade system for carbon. I am skeptical that such a system would work, absolutely convinced that it would unnecessarily raise prices, and fairly sure that it will bolster inefficient alternative energy but doubtful that it will actually aid in innovation. If you want to seriously address carbon in the atmosphere, talk nuclear.
Lastly in this section, he proposes a change to the farm bill. The detail here a so sketchy that I am not precisely sure what it is he wants to change, but I remain fairly skeptical about biofuels.
Although I have my differences with other sections, I have points of agreement as well, and in any event welcome Ford’s desire to talk about policy rather then just popularity. Of course, I don’t expect this policy talk to have a material effect on the elelction.
