One problem that has received scant attention as an election issue is of overriding importance -- managing the federal government. The public and the pundits view the tools and techniques of sound governance as inconsequential technical concerns. They are dead wrong.
The analysis of Bush's fiscal policies in our new book The Politics of Bad Ideas graphically documents the great harm to the nation from this gross misgovernance. Wrongheaded decisions came from unsubstantiated beliefs and ideological convictions, not the hardheaded analysis of hard numbers. With their decisions based on fixed beliefs rather than sound analysis, the administration proved incapable of altering flawed policies in the face of contrary evidence.
What a great article by Bryan D. Jones and Walter Williams. This is what I am talking about when I say that I wish we had competent presidential candidates. A president with great ideas that cannot manage will fail while a president with bad ideas might do OK if he/she is a good manager. This is where I would certainly give the advantage to Obama over McCain. He appears to be a much more competent person. However, neither have managed any large scale organization so we can only speculate on their management skills.
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