Cause for (Guarded) Optimism

[LDAHL]

I must say I’m kind of looking forward to 2017. While 2016 made something of a mockery of my predictive powers, I believe there is cause for cautious optimism. I think the half of the country that viewed Mr. Trump’s victory as heralding the End of Days will at some point sober up to the fact that life more or less goes on regardless of who is sitting behind the big desk. We seem near the point where we can move from frantic hysterics to business as usual. The people who can’t will marginalize themselves into irrelevance.

The slowest postwar recovery ever seems to have finally gotten us back to something like normality, and the Fed is dipping it’s toes into a more sustainable rates policy. The markets seem to like what they see.

With the arguable exception of China, most of our enemies seem to be a motley collection of comic-opera tyrants, scruffy fanatics and socialist true believers who pose nothing like the great threats of yesteryear.

There appears to be a real possibility that we will have self-driving cars by the time my kid gets her license. I can watch baseball on my phone. I’ve been wrong before, but it seems to me that things are getting better.

[early morning]

There appears to be a real possibility that we will have self-driving cars by the time my kid gets her license.

I don't see this as a cause for optimism! I prefer an admittedly flawed human over a system that is driven, or at least navigated, by technologies that are far from fail (or fool!)-proof. But then I'm not a fan of robotic machinery replacing workers, or of being connected, or of controlling anything in my home from my cell phone, either.

And I do not believe that a willingness to overlook threats to our liberty -or the liberty of Americans who don't look or believe just like the majority of those holding political power- and get back to "business as usual" is a GOOD thing. Obviously, YMMV.

[creaker]

There appears to be a real possibility that we will have self-driving cars by the time my kid gets her license. I can watch baseball on my phone. I’ve been wrong before, but it seems to me that things are getting better.

I think the concern is whether they will continue to get better, when in the face of things getting better the incoming folks are talking about changing everything.

[LDAHL]

I think the concern is whether they will continue to get better, when in the face of things getting better the incoming folks are talking about changing everything.

That's always the case. There's always the belief that the latest model of savior will change everything. Whether it's making America great again, or that hopey, changey oceans receding thing. Fortunately, the political classes, for all the rhetoric, have less influence on economic, technological and cultural trends than they would have us believe.

[iris lilies]

Are we giving the sitting Prez credit for this economic recovery? I guess we have to, my rule is always "if s/he is sitting in the chair, s/he gets the credit."

But I refuse to give him credit for this stock market runup. Unless it reflects the joyousness of him being gone.

[creaker]

Are we giving the sitting Prez credit for this economic recovery? I guess we have to, my rule is always "if s/he is sitting in the chair, s/he gets the credit."

But I refuse to give him credit for this stock market runup. Unless it reflects the joyousness of him being gone.

In a little over 3 weeks do we get to do the "he's not president anymore - get over it" thing :-) ?

[iris lilies]

In a little over 3 weeks do we get to do the "he's not president anymore - get over it" thing :-) ?

No, actually, that wont kick in for a while, but I will tell you that bringing it up in a second GOP term will be ridiculous.

[creaker]

No, actually, that wont kick in for a while, but I will tell you that bringin it up in a second GOP term is ridiculous.

I seem to remember it about as soon as Bush got done, but that's probably just me. Definitely way, way before 4 years in.

Updated: First I found on the forum (not exactly those words) was 06/11 - so later than I thought.

[bae]

Are we giving the sitting Prez credit for this economic recovery?

I blame George Bush.

[LDAHL]

Are we giving the sitting Prez credit for this economic recovery? I guess we have to, my rule is always "if s/he is sitting in the chair, s/he gets the credit."

But I refuse to give him credit for this stock market runup. Unless it reflects the joyousness of him being gone.

I've always thought we attach far too much credit or blame to sitting presidents for whatever happens with the economy on their watch. Talking about a president's "management of the economy" seems less accurate to me than referring to how a president can sometimes influence or cajole the economy. It's almost like we view the office as a sort of sin-eater or scapegoat.