A Last Chance for Obama to Make a Difference

The last few week have seen the double whammy of a deteriorating economy and the associated popularities of the President and Congressional Democrats falling like a bag of dirt. Is there anything Obama can do? I can't believe that the kind of small beer talking to auto workers is going to do much for the country.

What he could do is something dramatic. Announce a national economic emergency and call on Congress to cancel recess and get back to work with a focussed agenda: create two or three million direct temporary federal jobs - a version of the Depression's CCC. These jobs would be in labor intensive, direct short term jobs - teacher's aides, elder care, infrastructure maintenance - As Robert J. Schiller advocated in this NYT Op-Ed entitled "What Would Roosevelt Do?".

Republican's would doubtless resist, but at least that would give Democrats a club to beat them with, and a program should they salvage the election.

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