# Posted 3:23 PM by Ariel David Adesnik  

CAN A REPUBLICAN BE OPEN-MINDED? One of my colleagues at TPM Cafe issued a sort of challenge. Would I seriously consider the liberal proposition that the US economy has reverted to a dangerous sort of casino capitalism that benefits the rich while subverting the economic security of the middle class? Or would I blindly insists that free markets are the answer to everything?

I would like to think that I surprised my colleague a bit by saying that I am glad to consider any proposition seriously in regard to the state of our economy. When it comes to economics, as opposed to national security, I am a pretty much a novice. My only saving grace is my willingness to admit it.

In order to give the liberal case a fair hearing, I asked my colleague to recommend a book on the subject. I even committed to ignoring any rhetorical flourishes in which the author might indulge, focusing instead on facts logic. So on Friday, I started reading The Squandering of America by Robert Kuttner.

It is a very good thing that I committed to ignoring the author's provocations, since it isn't hard at all to come up with a reason to dismiss him as a wingnut. For example, Kuttner tells us on p.6 that

Serious people have good reason to believe that one or both of the last two presidential elections were stolen.

I guess the timid and docile press corps was too afraid to let anyone know that John Kerry is our rightful president. In a similar vein, Kuttner observes in the second paragraph of the entire book that:

The ultimate test of a democracy is whether it is possible for the people to throw out the governing party. In politics, we have come very close to losing our democracy, not just in rigged rules and stolen elections, but in the domination of politics by big money... (p.3)

Yes, dammit. Barack Obama should give back the $50 million he raised last month. Actually, that's unfair. Kuttner turns out to be pretty harsh on Democrats for taking too much money from corporate America. I just remember the good old days when the "domination of politics by big money" was just a liberal complaint about their candidates' anemic fundraising abilities.

But as I was saying, I'm going to read Kuttner's book as sympathetically as possible. And after sixty pages, I am glad to say that the political nonsense of the early going fades away and the author's focus turns to the economy. Are his arguments on that front persuasive?

I don't know. I freely admit that I don't have the evidence at my fingertips which might enable me to respond to the numerous statistics and citations that Kuttner marshals on behalf of his argument. I'm just trying to absorb as much as I can so I can evaluate it more thoroughly once I've heard the opposing argument as well.

Speaking of which, if any of you know any good books that broadly address the US economy and the state of the middle class, please make a recommendation in the comments section below. Books of any stripe are welcome, although after Kuttner's I'll be looking for centrist and conservative views as an alternative.

And don't forget to enjoy your stimulus checks.

Labels: Robert Kuttner, US economy

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