It’s the economy, clever!
Besides the news and political discussion programmes, occasionally other TV shows touch on the Presidential race too. That candidates appear on comedy programmes is one example, another is when commentators spontaneously endorse one candidate or another. So it was today when CNBC had not one, but two, Nobel Prize winning economists on a business programme.
Asked the question “who do you think will be better for the economy - President Clinton, President Obama or President McCain…and why”. Both backed Barack as the best candidate for the economy.
The surprising aspect is that the first, Joseph Stiglitz who won the prize in 2001, was connected to the Bill Clinton presidency. He called Obama’s recent speech on the economic problems America faced “brilliant”.
The hosts seemed a bit surprised by this and offered the second economist, Edmund Phelps who won the 2006 prize, the opportunity to move on to the next question without answering, but he volunteered his endorsement of Obama instead.