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WSJ op-ed: "Europe Should Hope Obama Fails"

July 11, 2009 5:03 pm ET by Media Matters staff

From Jeff Durstewitz's July 11 Wall Street Journal op-ed, headlined, "Europe Should Hope Obama Fails":

The great irony here is that the European model American leftists envy couldn't survive without its despised cowboy counterparty. If the U.S. economy weakens because of increased regulation, heavy-handed unionization, and higher taxes and debt to support an expensive social agenda -- all policies Mr. Obama and the Democrats in Congress are pushing hard -- it will hurt Europe.

The market for Europe's exports will shrink, and the U.S. will be less able to defend Europe. Europe is also facing a demographic cataclysm in the near future because of low birth rates (under 1.3 children per woman in the EU, well below the 2.1 necessary to maintain the population). Thus Europe will be increasingly unable to sustain its current welfare state, the very model that the left in the United States adores.

Tags: Wall Street Journal

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    • Author by rwmacdonald2091 (July 11, 2009 5:26 pm ET)
      2  
      Wow, talk about circular logic! Let's see if it wasn't for the United States, non-union, pro-capitalist, screw the working man, Europe couldn't have their social programs. Aren't these the same socialist programs the right wing crackpots hate ?

      I would think the right wing would love Obama to be successful, that way the Europe model could be dismantled, and the corporate thieves could walk right in and exploit and plunder the Europeans for while.

      Why am I thinking the right wing crackpots and corporate thieves are scared to death that if Obama succeeds, they won't have anyplace left in the world to plunder?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mk3872 (July 11, 2009 5:26 pm ET)
      3  
      Right ... Because the past 8 years of experimenting with no regulations and low taxes on the rich worked out SO WELL.

      Bush & conservative backers have completely already forgotten how we got into this mess.

      In fact, up until things completely crashed late 2008, they were still even denying there was a recession!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mk3872 (July 11, 2009 5:27 pm ET)
      2  
      Right ... Because the past 8 years of experimenting with no regulations and low taxes on the rich worked out SO WELL.

      Bush & conservative backers have completely already forgotten how we got into this mess.

      In fact, up until things completely crashed late 2008, they were still even denying there was a recession!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by phredicles (July 11, 2009 5:55 pm ET)
      2  
      "... so we and the rest of Teabagger Nation aren't the only ones". What a snotty load of masturbatorily self-congratulating crap: "Someday they'll be sorry they stopped listening to us..."
      Report Abuse
    • Author by harley (July 11, 2009 6:39 pm ET)
      2  
      From the Whine-Ed: Question: How worried were French wine-makers about Americans boycotting French wines in 2003? Answer: très worried.

      There was a boycott? Really? Did they forget to tell everyone?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by DAWUSS (July 12, 2009 6:51 am ET)
         
      Limbaugh Echo Syndrome?
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    • Author by mybrotherskeeper (July 12, 2009 1:18 pm ET)
         
      What does he mean when he writes about "the European model American leftists envy" -- and does he have any evidence that anybody on the Left envies such a model, if he can define it?

      Can't regulation be improved without being increased? Can't unions become more effective without becoming heavy-handed? Whose higher taxes? Isn't Obama lowering some taxes? And isn't there a big difference in debt to invest in infrastructure (Obama), and debt to give the wealthiest a huge tax cut (Bush 43)?

      If the economy weakens, forgive me, but I will not then assume that all of your suppositions are correct!
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      • Author by harley (July 12, 2009 3:19 pm ET)
           
        What does he mean when he writes about "the European model American leftists envy" -- and does he have any evidence that anybody on the Left envies such a model, if he can define it?

        Reich-wing GOPigs consistently believe that they speak for others. This is just more proof.
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