On financial reform, the Democrats have the Republicans in a box.
Noam Scheiber (who has the unfair advantage of knowing what he’s talking about) reads the situation on financial reform the same way I do: after the Goldman filing, a fairly tough bill is inevitable, and the Democrats are in a position to both make the Republicans pay the maximum political price and rack up a solid legislative accomplishment. Somewhat atypically, the Dems seem to have decided to go for the kill, rather than politely helping the Republicans climb down with grace. Good!
Author: Mark Kleiman
Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out.
Books:
Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken)
When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist
Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993)
Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989)
UCLA Homepage
Curriculum Vitae
Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com
View all posts by Mark Kleiman
Nothing is ever inevitable in the United States Senate.