Don't know much about economics

Salon's Steve Kornacki is a decent political observer. He's not in my crosshairs per se. What irks me is the Pavlovian political gamesmanship he and others play. Kornacki argues that Obama's poll numbers are low (and that's debatable) not because of the deficit, but because the "economy is in the toilet." He reckons economic weakness will persist even if we reduced the deficit. And that, as the meme goes, could doom his reelection chances in 2012. Therefore, pursuing the so-called "grand bargain" with the GOP to fix the national debt is a fool's errand. "There really is no long-term political value for Obama in striking" such a deal, Kornacki concludes. Never mind that there is plenty of economic value for doing so, above and beyond politics. And there's the rub. Kornacki never connects the dots. The economy and the deficit are intertwined. This isn't an either-or proposition. In fact, resolving short-term debt and reducing the deficit would act as powerful economic stabilizers. I cite Kornacki's piece simply to note that most pundits have little knowledge of macro economics. And it shows. Too much of what Kornacki and others argue simply muddy the waters and make it harder for those in power to conduct rational discourse.