Lexington column in The Economist.
Clearly, Americans are down on free enterprise. It sounds asinine after all entrepreneurs have done for this country over the decades, but it's true. I daily listen to all sorts of otherwise sensible people spout all sorts of populist crap that's just embarrasses themselves far more than it reveals anything dark and dirty about American capitalism.
Argument from Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute: Americans are about 70-30 in favor of free enterprise, but the 30% are firmly in control of Washington.
Lex's wisdom:
The American right misses Mr Obama's real flaw. He is not a "socialist"; but he does not understand business. As even Democrat-leaning CEOs complain, he neither expresses enough appreciation of capitalism nor shares the wavelength of those who practise it. Bosses are ushered in for photo-calls and then ignored. It is one thing to seek redress from BP, another to vilify it as an alien invader. He is interested in economics and technology; but not in how you make money. That coolness is a weakness . . .
I think this is accurate. Obama has never been a businessman and does not understand the logic whatsoever. And the more he displays it, the more plausible becomes a GOP win in 2012 if they nominate a biz-friendly sort instead of some dumbass social conservative.