‘We’re likely not in a recession — but we could talk ourselves into one’
Catherine Rampell at The Washington Post
The United States is “probably not in recession yet. But we could well talk ourselves into one,” says Catherine Rampell. It originally seemed the Federal Reserve “was almost certain to achieve a coveted ‘soft landing’; now we’re in for some turbulence at the very least.” The “main concern now is that widespread negativity can start to feed on itself,” so “even if the recent data don’t yet doom us to a downturn, enough doom-mongering could.”
‘The Tim Walz pick is a win for economic populism’
Zeeshan Aleem at MSNBC
Tim Walz “seems like the sharpest choice” for Harris’ vice president, says Zeeshan Aleem. Walz “possesses the sensibilities and accomplishments of an outspoken economic populist,” which is “also an effective way to counteract the siren call of right-wing populism.” His “recent legislative record as governor illustrates serious ambition for sweeping social policies designed to help ordinary Americans achieve economic freedom.” Walz’s emergence “signals that the Democratic Party has a growing appetite for bold populism.”
‘Medicaid is bloated, pricey, and ineffective. Here’s a simple fix.’
Liam Sigaud at National Review
Medicaid has “morphed from a targeted safety net for America’s most vulnerable citizens into a bloated program plagued by fraud, inefficiency, and poor results,” says Liam Sigaud. The “deeper problem is that federal funding for Medicaid is distributed in a way that incentivizes excessive spending and undermines the program’s core mission.” The government “provides more-generous support for less needy individuals and comparatively less support for those who are in greatest need of care.”
‘China is neither collapsing nor booming’
Howard W. French at Foreign Policy
China has seen “countless modernizations,” but people are “sometimes prone to overreading these surface-level changes by seeing them as signs of China’s destiny to lead the world in the 21st century,” says Howard W. French. When determining a perspective, neither “starry-eyed or jaded is warranted when thinking about China.” Many of China’s policies “will prove misguided or inefficient in the long run,” but “in a country of China’s size … many will also succeed.”
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day