The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Obama looked good. No surprise there. The contrast - Biden and Pelosi sitting behind him - helped.

Bad: On energy... when is a major political figure going to propose the single most important policy to improve national and economic security - a higher gas tax? A third rail? Not so. Offset it with a decrease in the payroll tax. Jindal gets points for promoting domestic energy production.

Good: On healthcare... Obama didn't use the term but what he described at one point sounded like Health Savings Accounts. Yes! Expand high deductible insurance combined with savings accounts which are tax free that can be tapped to pay for routine care.

Bad: No mention of transitioning away from employer based health care in the private sector. This stifles job creation and decreases dramatically the mobility of labor. How many people stay in jobs they otherwise hate because they depend on the health benefits?

Good (Great even): Obama plugged charter schools. Do progressives now have cover to support charter schools? Can mayors start pushing them more aggressively? Will the Tennessee legislature expand the option so that kids not from "failing" schools can go to a charter school? Jindal was even better here. He talked of enabling children to go to parochial schools.

Bad: Enough with the obsession with the goal that everyone should go to college. Cite all the statistics you want on income but correlation is not causation. You can be a very productive citizen without ever stepping foot onto a college campus. Subsidies for college have enabled colleges to increase tuition far above the rate of inflation for long enough.

Really Bad: Subsidizing early education is a joke. Where does it say that putting four year olds in classrooms is the only way to educate them? Talk about a power grab. This is government reaching toward the cradle. Is it now a radical idea to think that families are more capable and better suited to raise kids? Show me one shred of evidence that suggests that kids scribbling in classrooms has any long-term positive impact.

Good: Jindal acknowledged the reality that Republicans lost credibility on fiscal discipline.

Good: Two smart guys spoke, were positive, and laid out fundamental differences. Bobby Jindal, Mark Sanford, and Tim Pawlenty impress me as worthy candidates. Nothing against Sarah Palin; she has a great story and I can relate to her on many levels but she is not in the same league.