For some time now I've thought, if I could write like anyone, who would it be? My answer is some kind of cross between John Steinbeck and Charles Krauthammer. Steinbeck has the clarity, beauty, and sometimes just the pure poetry that I enjoy. But Krauthammer writes intellectually brilliant articles that can sum up very large ideas using very small spaces. And I like that combination. Big ideas, clearly and beautifully made, in small spaces. Nice.
So when I read articles like this one, I have to smile. There are reasons, very good reasons, people like Krauthammer have their positions.
For anyone interested, the article skewers Barack Obama's political agenda, by calling it “The Great Non Sequitur.” I would just call it an old fashioned bait and switch. In case you like Obama, or if you're just not interested in reading the story, I can sum it up pretty quickly.
He tells his readership that Obama says the causes of our economic crises are “...importing too much oil and not finding new sources of energy... not reforming health care... and tolerating too many bad schools.” But Krauthammer rightfully points out that Obama's politically-motivated slight of mouth wasn't even noticed. He points out that the real causes of our economic crises are a credit bubble collapse, a housing market collapse (especially Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, pushed into ever more risky loans, by the government), “a systemic failure of the banking industry,” Alan Greenspan's “easy money” federal reserve, and debt instruments that economists and financiers with Ph D's can't understand. Ultimately, the whole article comes down to a single quote from Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”
I love that kind of clarity. It makes me want to jump for joy. They're big ideas, clearly and beautifully crafted, all in a very small space. Nice.
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