Towards an effective opposition

The Grand Old Party (GOP), which is, in fact, younger than its main opponent, is in for a heck of an internal fight. One the one hand, the often subtle anti-intellectualism of the "base", has now become explicit. On the other, the Wall Street Journal, long the home of the "country-club" Republicans, is publishing op-eds that are clear in their distaste for what is to come.

There is a battle underway for the soul of the Republican party, and the results have significant implications for the US PMCIN. The current banking crisis is starting to relax a bit, but the pretty massive recession promised by the end of the refinance boom is going to come right as we transition from one fairly radical approach to fiscal and regulatory management to another. On top of that, those who seized this power, and fought for a unitary executive, are about to have it crammed down their throats. At least the FBI will have "terrorists" who look like their agents.

Here at Pie and Policy, we have a very clear stake in the "country club", "elite" and "moderate" GOP'ers winning this battle. Divided government, with an effective opposition party in Congress, forces the national debate to a higher level. Note that I say "effective", not one that is easily distracted. On the other hand, united government tends to bring out the worst in the ruling party, regardless of which party holds the reigns.

Towards that end, here's some thoughts into what the GOP can do to get set to take advantage of the mess that the Democrats will be in come 2010:

(1) Tone down the "Party of God" nationalist shtick. After Abu Graib, 8 years of growing income disparity and a major financial crisis only about 22% of the country sees "America the way [Mrs. Palin] see[s] America." Instead, play up the "Party of Personal Responsibility" that brought us the 104th Congress.

(2) Embrace sustainability as a policy goal. There are hundreds of business opportunities available, many with strong export potential, that either limit environmental harm, like solar cells and algae farming , or turn waste into fuel, like digesters that convert manure into methane. All mined fuels, fossil or nuclear, are finite, and societies that depend on them will fail eventually. Provide clear leadership on a path to (1) energy independence (2) complete sustainability in the next half century without picking winners before the technology hits the market. Be willing to call for small scarifies in the name of efficiency, maybe even victory gardens.

(3) Push trade hard. Brazil should not have a more liberal (as in "freedom loving") trade policy than the US. Emphasize how Brazilian sugar cane, tended by Caterpillar and John Deere equipment, can help us get away from Venezuelan (and soon Cuban) oil. Make it clear that Columbia wants our engines, solar panels and biotech products as much as we want their coffee. The list goes on, and the ability to work with center-right Democrats on this will go a long way to restoring the party's credibility.

(4) Show unions some love. This is a simple strategic move, since unions are often the best funded and staffed parts of Democratic campaigns. However, with the right candidate, they can lean towards the GOP. I personally recommend focusing on training, health care and mediation standards.

(5) Push for "transparency" instead of "regulations" in finance. They are, in fact, largely the same thing, but using that language appears more sensible, and keeps the negotiations focused on protecting markets from bad actors, rather than mandating certain behaviors.

(6) Call for a "BRAC" style approach to Medicare and Social Security reform. This has the advantage of possibly working, and lets the bloc that calls for it to punt the really tough questions.

(7) Narratives! Put a human face on all of these points. You're up against the best orator in a generation whose story is n0thing less than extraordinary. His backers in Congress, on the other hand, are less popular than W. Show how your options will help real people (not mythic plumbers), use the PMCIN metrics, and make it clear that you want a stable, sustainable and prosperous America.

(8) Accept the party's split. Americans will only tolerate a center-left government if the alternative is uncomfortably right-wing. There are implacable members of the party who fervently desire to pretend that Bush, Santorum and Palin enjoy widespread support. Where such folks can win local elections, it's no good trying to interrupt that. But do not let them define the party. For years, the Democrats had a list of points potential candidates must support to get national support, and they're set to sweep the nation because they gave it up in favor of pragmatism. Now, GOP, it's your turn.

Philo-crusted Pear-Apple Pie

Credit for the idea of this recipe goes to my dear friend Virgil, who posted the germ of the recipe as a comment at the beginning of October (the post on narratives and upcoming projects). His, and his lovely wife's, recipe calls for a free-form peach and black grape pie, which sounds fabulous. Unfortunately, fresh peaches and grapes are gone until next August in the Great Chilly North.

Of course, I don't keep phyllo dough on hand, but I do make a lot of bread (the kind with flour, not flax fibers). The recipe didn't look too tough, and I was trying to think of some way to celebrate an apparent outbreak of sanity in the part of the world from which phyllo hails (you go girls!). We also had a couple pears and apples that needed to be cooked badly.

Ingredients:

Phyllo dough: 2C sifted flour, 1 egg, 1/2 cup water, 5 1/2T butter, 1t salt, some honey

Filling: 3 crisp apples sliced thin; 2 pears sliced thin; 3T brown sugar; 1T lemon juice; 1T granulated sugar; 2T cornstarch

Assembly:

(1) Sift the flour into a bowl, make a small well in the center. Add the egg, water, 1/2T melted butter, and salt and mix thoroughly, then knead until smooth and elastic. Cover with a small amount of flour and a damp towel for 15min. Preheat the oven to 350F.

(2) Combine the sliced apples and pears in a bowl, add brown sugar and lemon juice, stir. Allow to sit for 10min while mixing the granulated sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.

(3) Melt 3T of butter in another small bowl. Roll out the Phyllo until it's about 1/2" thick and spread the butter over it (this will make a small mess). Cut the dough into three sections, stack them and re-roll. Knead in any butter that has escaped. Form into a ball, then separate into two roughly equal balls. Roll out one ball until it's roughly a 14" circle. Get this into a 9" pie plate and leave the overhang, you'll need it shortly.

(4) Mix the cornstarch/sugar mix into the fruit and stir thoroughly. Scoop the larger sections of pear and apple into the pie plate. Roll out the other ball into a ~14" circle, place this on top of the larger chunks of fruit. Pour the remaining fruit and juices onto this layer, then fold all of the overhanging sections in to cover the pie as best as possible.

(5) Melt the remaining butter and some honey in a small bowl and brush the top of the pie with the delicious mixture. Place in the oven for 30min, rotate 180deg and continue baking until the top is golden brown, about 30min.

(6) Remove and let cool for a couple hours.

Pie on the national stage

Props to JD for the link, I couldn't be happier to see pie called out on the national stage.

When economists dream

I apologize to my readers for the largely negative tone this blog has taken lately. It's an intense campaign year, and the country really is about to choose a fundamentally new direction. While I believe the US is going to make the most pro-pie choice, I'd like to engage in a little alternative history of what might have been a more pleasant, interesting and competitive presidential campaign.

Our story begins around 3am, in small-town Ohio, August 29th, 2008:

A private jet lands at a small town airport. It's publicly available flight plan shows that it launched from Santa Barbara airport, with four people aboard. Two shadowy, slender adults deplane with three largish, hairy dogs and quickly climb into a waiting black Chevy Suburban. The overnight watch at the FBO calls a friend, who calls a friend, and is suddenly the most photographed fuel guy since a high school kid filled Bob Hoover's gasoline powered airplane with Jet A.

That afternoon, at a McCain rally nearby, a larger portion of the stage is covered by curtains than usual. McCain, feeling the bounce of his VP pick finally being announced, takes the stage triumphantly. After a brief stump speech about the things the Dems didn't say at their convention he says, "My friends, I've found the best running mate for these troubled times. He's a man who needs no introduction, except I think I can say for sure that neither of us will take a day off!"

The crowd gives an obligatory cheer, then falls silent. A stage worker wheels a chalkboard out from behind the curtain, and a lean man in a cheap suit walks up to it, pulls out a piece of chalk, and begins in a perfect deadpan, "In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives," while the crowd goes absolutely wild.

The deadpan, somehow given extra life by the distortions of the sound system, continues, "in an effort to alleviate the effects of the... Anyone? Anyone?... the Great Depression, passed the... Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered?... raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects? It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression. Today we have a similar debate over this." From there, Ben Stien goes on to describe the scary similarities between today and 1929 and 1930, then gives a cutting comparison the Obama tax and trade plan to Hoover's tax plan and the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act. He goes on to describe McCain's tax plan as letting people win his money through hard work, but calls Obama's "Take Ben Stien's Money."

The campaign from there gets really interesting, because Ben's a very safe conservative, but articulate and intelligent. The chalk-board gimic, far from getting old, gets adopted by some of the Obama partisans in an effort to appear smarter and more on top of the dangerous situation than the opposing Ivy-league trained economist. Identity politics get kicked to a back burner while historical examples and economic theory fills the airwaves. The Obama campaign would even have to go on the offensive at some point, with Deadpan Ben being as much a go-to guy on economic issues as Helicopter Ben. With much cajoling, a last minute "economics debate" is arranged between Warren Buffet and Mr. Stein. After Lehman fails and the wheels really come off, Ben addresses the Republican Study Committee and sends them all to the principal's office.

I'll stop here. I doubt this scenario would have changed my vote, but it certainly would have made the decision tougher. At it is, there's two weeks to the election, and unless something rather impressive happens, the Republicans are in for an embarrassing slap in the face. So, Mr. Stein, Governor Jindal, the original John McCain, if you're reading this, please save the GOP from what it's become. I'll bake each of you a pie.