Reason.tv: Obama's French Toast—Just Say Non

Download MP4 Version

By all accounts (including his own), President Barack Obama had a great time during his recent trip to France. And elite opinion at places ranging from Newsweek to The Economist to the Brookings Institution is urging Obama to make America more like France and Europe.

Should the United States become the next France, a land of high taxes, regulation, and government spending? And, not uncoincidentally, comparatively low economic growth?

In "Obama's French Toast: Just Say Non," Sorbonne-trained economist Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University argues that embracing the French way would be nothing less than a train wreck, leaving Americans with fewer jobs and less disposable income.

"Obama's French Toast" is a co-production of Reason.tv and the Center for Freedom & Prosperity.

Written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie. Approximately three minutes long.

Comments

[bubba]

The French freeloader model requires a tit to suck.

Who will be our tit?

[Vermont Gun Owner]

Palin?

[KT]

Can't we think of anyone but France to pick on?

[High Every Body]

Should the United States become the next France, a land of high taxes, regulation, and government spending? And, not uncoincidentally, comparatively low economic growth?

You just added that last part to make it sound bad, didn't ya?

[High Every Body]

Can't we think of anyone but France to pick on?

Canada, but that will be another thread.

[Xeones]

Canada, but that will be another thread.

Pssht. Canada's not real.

[Cool Cal]

The Economist??? Say it ain't so! I guess Newsweek was right, we are all socialists now, even the fucking ECONOMIST.

[High Every Body]

Pssht. Canada's not real.

True, but that adds to the fun of picking on them. Like picking on Star Wars stuff.

[Naga Sadow]

Huh? Canada's not real? How does this explain Dagny T. claiming to be from Canada then?

[High Every Body]

Naga,

Dagny T. is to Canada as Luke is to Star Wars.

[ChrisO]

The Economist has always been a fan of the regulatory/welfare state, AFAIK.

[Alan Vanneman]

Maybe it'll be a train wreck, but it'll be HIGH SPEED train wreck. Say cee bone!

[Marc]

At least we'd be able to smoke wherever we want, right?

[Episiarch]

Can't we think of anyone but France to pick on?

Seriously. Lay off the frogs. The average French person is generally really pleasant and pretty much like you or me. Disclaimer: Parisians not included in this sample.

If you want to pick on someone, pick on the Scandinavians. Those homogeneous assholes (no offense to your wife, Moynihan) are much more annoying and they don't even have good wine (aquavit doesn't count).

[Mike Laursen]

Canada, but that will be another thread.

Yeah, but Canada has a little bit of especially-obnoxious France in it, so you can kinda pick on both countries at the same time.

[Flex Nasty B.I.G.]

Speaking out against Obama's policies is not going to work. It's a non-starter. He's incredibly popular. The multitudes who support him have so much invested in him emotionally that they see any criticism of him as a personal attack on them. And, the GOP has already overplayed the anti-Obama card to the point where it is ignored.

The ONLY way forward is to offer free-market ideas in a positive way, without packaging them as anti-Obama. We need to offer up some hope and change of our own, instead of coming across like a bunch of grouchy, bitter old guys sitting on a porch complaining.

[Naga Sadow]

"He's incredibly popular. The multitudes who support him have so much invested in him emotionally that they see any criticism of him as a personal attack on them."

Like GWB after 9-11? They'll get around to bashing him soon. Just give his "supporters" a chance.

[Pro Libertate]

Actually, Episiarch is on to something. If I were president, I'd reach out to the non-Parisian French and suggest an alliance against Paris, our common enemy.

[VM]

Epi.

neeeeeeejjjjjjjjj!

yeah - and the Economist is mega pro EU...

[Nooge]

Should the United States become the next France, a land of high taxes, regulation, and government spending?

No, but it'd be cool if the United States had a few more French girls wandering around. They are fine.

[KT]

Seriously. Lay off the frogs. The average French person is generally really pleasant and pretty much like you or me.

OK, I can't really vouch for that, but whatever. Personally I don't really care whether people in other countries are pleasant or nice people, I'm just not sure where we come up with this whole idea that we don't engage in "tit-sucking" like those damn dirty Frenchmen. (Isn't that what those auto manufacturers in Detroit are doing at the moment? Or those investment banks in New York? Aren't I paying taxes for Social Security that I'm never gonna get back?)

Or why a bunch of us Americans got so enraged when the French tried to point out what a stupid idea the war in Iraq was. With apologies to Walter Sobchak, were they wrong?

Basically, I don't get why we think we're so much better than them. They're supposed to be one of our staunchest allies but we act like they're the scum of the earth. Maybe they do the same and I'm just not seeing it; admittedly I don't pay attention to French media.

Speaking out against Obama's policies is not going to work. It's a non-starter. He's incredibly popular

Agreed. We need to push the government into a system similar to the soviets. But the worker's revolution, WW2, the space race, detente, and finally the overthrow of communism need to be sped up to achieve the anarchy stage within say two to three years. Then the people will run to the libertarian party

Kind of like Asimov's foundation series.

[Pro Libertate]

If this is the Foundation series, where is the Second Foundation? I want to join. Or maybe I'll just move to Terminus.

[Guess My Bra Size]

In this NPR interview*, Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, gives her perspective (and her boss's) on the auto industry (HT: TJ Goss). In the second quote from her, I have tried to reproduce the sounds she makes in trying to avoid telling a ridiculous lie. She tells it anyway. From the 3:35 mark of the interview:

Jackson: The President has said - and I couldn't agree more - that what this country needs is one single national road map that tells auto makers who are trying to become solvent again, what kind of car it is they need to be designing and building for the American people.

NPR reporter (interrupting): Is that the role of the government. though? I mean that doesn't sound like free enterprise.

Jackson: Well, ih it , it is free enterprise in a way. Umm uhh you know, first and foremost the free enterprise system has us where we are right this second (laughs) and so some would argue that the government already has a much larger role than we might have when Henry Ford rolled the first cars off the assembly line.

* http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103582546#commentBlock

[Pro Libertate]

You malign Lisa Jackson. She wasn't saying "free enterprise." She was saying "we centralize."

[ted]

Should the United States become the next France, a land of high taxes, regulation, and government spending? And, not uncoincidentally, comparatively low economic growth?

Not unconincidentally? So in other words, it is a coincidence? Really?

[phalkor]

Yeah, it's a coincidence.

[R C Dean]

what this country needs is one single national road map that tells auto makers who are trying to become solvent again, what kind of car it is they need to be designing and building for the American people.

I just threw up a little on my keyboard.

[Marc]

what this country needs is one single national road map that tells auto makers who are trying to become solvent again, what kind of car it is they need to be designing and building for the American people.

It just seems impossible. How could they poll all the car buyers all the time to find out how much they would be willing to pay for all the different cars that are out there? And they might just make up answers anyway, like saying they want a green car, when what they really want to buy is a Humvee. It's like we need some kind of mechanism whereby car buyers have to put their money where their mouth is when they convey this information...

It's complicated. I guess I'm not the guy to figure out this problem.

*cough*

[Brandybuck]

What really pisses me off are foreigners working in the U.S. who insist on telling us what our politics should be. Who the fsck do they think they are? If I went to France and started bitching about French politics, they would be extremely pissed at me. But Europeans think nothing of coming to the US and bitching about our politics. Where the hell do they get off doing that?

There's this Norwegian lady in my office who insists on eulogizing Obama every day at lunch. It's obnoxious. Even if I were a diehard Obama supporter it would be obnoxious. I swear she orgasms when she talks about him. Today she was talking about how wonderful it was that we have Obama, after our "eight years of darkness". WTF? Yesterday she was saying that the extremely high food prices in Norway were not a problem because their government health and retirement programs meant you didn't need to save anything. "It's horrible that people have to save for the future." WTF?

[Trevor]

@Naga Sadow:
Not sure it's equivalent. GWB's post-9/11 goodwill didn't erode with time; he destroyed it with his profound incompetence. How many libertarians are STILL sucking Reagan's cock?

[Naga Sadow]

Trevor,

Errrrrr . . . yes . . . and no. I may be regionally biased on Bush's popularity. I'm really going on personal experience. I still know a lot of people(I live in Mississipi, one of the few states that carried McCain) who are convinced that Bush did everything right. I'm baffled, personally.

[JohnD]

Hey Naga, you're still alive aren't you?
We haven't had any more attacks on US soil, have we?

Asshole!

[asdf]

Slow economic growth? Less disposable income?

Why don't they just rape our children in the street?

Don't they understand people are happiest when they are striving for more, day after day, always trying to doing things quicker and more efficiently, always trying to out-do their neighbor? Line ups and deadlines are in our blood.

I don't want to to forced to enjoy bread and wine in the afternoon!

[asdf]

Socially, France is way more libertarian than the US.

And really, that's the only libertarianism that matters...

[asdf]

...and who is more individualist than the French...

...also, cheese and existentialism go well together...

[Kreel Sarloo]

"Socially, France is way more libertarian than the US."

Evidence, please.

While abortion is legal, France's abortion laws are more restrictive than the US.

France legalized abortion in 1975,available on demand until the tenth week of pregnancy on condition that women seeking abortions undergo counselling on alternatives thereto and that a one-week waiting period be observed. After the tenth week, two physicians must certify that the woman's health is endangered or the fetus is handicapped; otherwise, abortion is illegal.

Sounds like they have a whole lot of the restrictions that get howls of protest every time pro-lifers propose anything approachin them. Like parental notification, too.

That's just one example, don't even think about comparing freedom of speech.

Ah, yes, les bleus have an extraordinarally, and unwarranted, sunny view of what life is like in La Belle France.

Funny how the liberals threatening to leave the country if Shrub was reelected ignored the fact that his secrecy and spying are business as usual in Europe. Can't imagine why they wouldn't like a president trying to make us more like France. They want it in every other way.

[e]

Paris is a socialist hellhole. I once had to wait 3 minutes for the next train in the Metro. Never again.

[S. Bennis]

Flex Nasty has a point. Obama's victory gives libertarians a chance to reexamine they way they explain themselves. If we're seen to be arguing for the "economic liberty" of corporate titans to create monopolies and defraud consumers, we won't get much a hearing outside the Anybody But Obama talk-radio loser crowd. Besides being logically consistent, how can our ideas HELP PEOPLE?

[Bulbie]

Here's an interesting factoid. French workers are more productive than American. How can that be? In France labor laws make employing anyone very expensive. So French employers hire mostly from the upper end of the IQ scale. The rest live on welfare.

The American way is of course better. Having a lot of people rotting on the dole is bad for them and bad for society.

[Jonah Goldberg]

The French are cheese eating surrender monkeys!!!

Might I also mention that they have Fascistic tendencies.

[Bulbie]

Jonah, I really like your book Liberal Fascism. Obama's administration really fits the bill, doesn't it?

[JH]

That's not the real Jonah Goldberg, is it?

[Jonah Goldberg]

Yes, it does. However Obama isn't nearly as Fascistic as Whole Foods and "Unforgiven."