Biden makes an interesting pick for his staff -

[jillan]

His economic advisor - Jared Bernstein.

Check this out:

Bernstein is a well-known skeptic on free trade and has worked for years as a senior official at EPI, a labor-funded think tank which advocates for low and middle-income workers.

Berstein's appointment contrasts sharply with the more centrist views of many of president-elect Barack Obama's economic advisers. His latest book is "Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? (And Other Unsolved Economic Mysteries)."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/05/biden_picks_jared_berstein_as.html

-----------


Thank you Joe Biden!
This is why I love Joe. He is totally looking at the economy through the eyes of the people that
"shower after work instead of before work".

[jillan]

1. Incase you're bored -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7956592 ;)

[jillan]

2. I posted this vid out there - but

you guys should check him out.

I am really excited about this pick. I'm sure Obama will be listening to him too.

I feel as if Biden picked someone who can articulate what many of us are feeling.

http://current.com/items/88813362/icitizen_forum_jared_bernstein_interview_wealth_inequality.htm

And I noticed that both of their initials are JB....yeah I know... I'm such a dork :P

[Eurobabe]

3. That is a great idea on Joe's part.

I sure hope he and Barack can do something to stop the US economy from sliding into a rabbit hole. :hi:

[clear eye]

4. I can only hope that Biden's appointment

allows EPI's viewpoints to be heard at the table. But hiring him to advise Biden rather than Obama makes one think that his job will be to tell Biden how to sell Obama's policies to the labor community, as Biden won't be creating policy. I also get that idea since Bernstein is not actually an economist, but rather a populizer of the ideas of the real economists from EPI. In particular, most of Bernstein's journal and magazine articles are written with help from or data developed by L. Josh Bivens. Mr. Bivens, a trained economist, has also written articles an intelligent layperson can easily follow, so if the Obama administration wanted someone who could teach the reasoning of progressive economics to his staff or himself, he could have hired Bivens.

I truly believe failed bank director, Robert Rubin, and his protegees will drown out the most important angles of attack on the current economic emergency, and I'm not at all happy to see only one token progressive, Mr. Reich, among Obama's economists. That Rubin wasn't dropped from the transition team when the mess created under his watch at Citigroup was discovered, boggles the mind. Keeping Rubin on top smells like an insecure Obama prioritzed having someone who knows the players on Wall St., over learning from those who know how to expand from a bad economy. I don't think the country can afford bad economic advice at the Presidential level.

[jillan]

5. You may want to check out this article from Bloomberg news.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a5Tw77jVWTpU&refer=home

Biden has been a huge advocate of labor and I do think that his appointment of Bernstein is a signal that he is going to continue to fight for worker's rights.

I can't answer your question about Bivens. Hopefully Obama will keep his word and wants to invoke many different views into his decison making.

[Jennicut]

6. I agree, Biden will be the one to advocate for labor. I think Obama wants many points of view.

[CrispyQ]

7. I read Bernstein's book,

All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy
http://www.amazon.com/All-Together-Now-Currents-Paperback/dp/1576753875/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228777439&sr=8-2

It was really good. Concise. He talked of the YOYO's vs the WITT's.

YOYO = You're On Your Own -- Privatize everything - no shared resources to support a social safety net. Everyone has to provide their own safety net.

WITT = We're All in This Together -- Social safety net is provided for all & paid for with our taxes.

He says that in a just society, while there is no limit to how high one can go, there is a limit to how far one can fall.

That's a nutshell version. ;) I'll check out the new book.

Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed?
http://www.amazon.com/Crunch-Squeezed-Unsolved-Economic-Mysteries/dp/1576754774/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228777611&sr=8-1

I'm reminded why I wanted Biden on the top of the ticket.

[jillan]

8. The AFL-CIO couldn't be happier with his pick

Three Cheers for Jared Bernstein, Named Chief Economist to Biden

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/12/08/three-cheers-for-jared-bernstein-named-chief-economist-to-biden

Here are Biden's comments on why he picked him -

Jared Bernstein is an acclaimed economist and a proven, passionate advocate for raising the incomes of middle class families. His expertise and background in a wide range of domestic and international economic policies will be an invaluable asset to the Obama-Biden administration.


That is really impressive that you read Bernstein's book!!