It’s Industrial Policy, Stupid

Kamala Harris’s economic address yesterday in Pittsburgh settled a question among the experts: Will she continue President Biden’s affinity for industrial policy?

If anything, it sounded like she will double down on government efforts to shape the economy by targeting assistance to specific industries, companies, or economic activities. The Biden-Harris version of industrial policy has led to more manufacturing of products such as computer chips, batteries and green technology.

“I’m a capitalist,” Harris said. “I believe in free and fair markets. I believe that most companies are working hard to do the right thing, and we must work with them to grow our economy.”

The Wall Street Journal took her seriously (will they sit out an endorsement, snubbing Donald Trump again?): “Wednesday’s speech signaled that Harris, if elected, would embrace industrial policy in a bid to use the tools of government to boost key sectors of the American economy.”

Yesterday morning the Journal’s Editorial Board trashed Trump’s obsession with protectionist economics: “These days he’s making tariffs his highest priority, and that won’t help the economy if he wins.”

Industrial Policy is not the stuff of snazzy TV ads, but I suspect a reason Harris is holding her ground in the Midwest is because that is where its benefits are widely felt. Harris opened her speech today citing many jobs and businesses helped by the administration.

“One of the recurring themes in American history is that when we make an intentional effort to invest in our industrial strength, it leads to extraordinary prosperity and security,” Harris said. She cited President Abraham Lincoln’s support for the transcontinental railroad and President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s support for the interstate highway system.

“From our earliest days, America’s economic strength has been tied to our industrial strength,” the vice president said. “I will recommit the nation to global leadership in the sectors that will define the next century.”

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Author: craigcrawford

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68 thoughts on “It’s Industrial Policy, Stupid”

  1. priceless pro Kam ad material in this

    Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban joins Nicolle Wallace after Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech on her economic agenda, explaining his endorsement of Harris and what changed his mind about Donald Trump as well as his relationship with Elon Musk.

  3. VP Kamala Harris leads her opponent by 31 points in a poll of young voters, Pete Buttigieg is helping Tim Walz prepare to debate J.D. Vance on CBS next Tuesday night, and former president Donald Trump thinks any person off the street would be a funnier Late Show host than Stephen Colbert.

  5. Faux and “friends” comparing CS and Kamala Econ addresses yesterday and conclude that CS’ tariff proposal is specific and Harris’ was vague. As you can guess, it featured cherry-picked clips of both. 

  7. Harris’s nuanced econ policy does need granularity: It’s about jobs. 

    And his sloganeering needs context.

    Save your tips. Because “no tax on tops” came with a catch when he proposed it as president. His plan makes it easier for employers to keep your tips.

    Save overtime. Again, when it came up during his presidency his plan was to make it harder to get overtime pay.

    She’s already doing a good job of connecting his tariffs obsession to raising prices.

  8. As a workingman, I worked almost all the overtime offered, while many co-workers refused it because of the huge tax bite overtime pay was subjected to.  When Trump said he would eliminate O.T. taxation completely, I yelled to the trees in the woods as I was walking my old dog, “that’s a goddam LIE !”  But , just another lie from the orange toxic cloud.
    NYC Mayor Eric Adams is being charged with campaign violations, possible Turkish illegal donations, and 4 internal probes, and he is declaring innocence.
    The difference, he said if charged, he will demand an immediate trial to be exonerated.  Not scrambling year after year for delays.   Hmmmm….

  9. morning polls so far:
    Harris +2 in PA (YouGov)
    Harris +5 in MI (YouGov)
    Harris +8 in VA (WaPo)
    Harris +32 in MD (Emerson)
    Trump +5 in Texas (Emerson)
    Tied in NC (Marist)
    Trump +1 in AZ (Marist)
    Trump +1 in GA (Marist)

  10. Texas is gone but down-ballot, Colin Allred really has an underdog’s chance to beat Cruz.  And that’s a good thing.  

  11. I just wonder how it’s really gonna go down, no matter how many votes Adolf gets.  With all of the dirty tricks (scrubbing voter rolls, leaving Harris’ name off of absentee ballots, requiring ballots to be hand-counted in GA), the MAGAts are setting up a steal, if necessary. The MAGAt base is so GD entrenched in white nationalist culture, that Project 2025’s policies (which would harm them, too) don’t even register in their narrow, little minds. 
    Check your registration.  Have a voting plan.  Have a plan for the violent aftermath. 

  12. Even Liz Cheney endorsed Allred, because Ted supports Don-Old.   That’s the way it should be.  Everyone who sides with Putin’s puppet should lose their election. Bigly. 

  14. Dex, when I was a working man (summers primarily while I was in UG), I too took all the overtime they would give me.  Best working time I ever had was July 4-5 @ ’72 – worked 8 hr. dayshift at holiday rate (time & 1/4), then an overtime 8 hour shift at holiday overtime (double time and 1/4) and split a third shift at the same rate.  Felt like I wsa rolling in dough.  That time of my life I flirted on the edge of making enough money to actually have to pay income tax, and I certainly didn’t do stupid math in my head to come up just short of that line.  The perception that overtime is taxed at a higher rate than straight time is a misapprehension of tax rates based on obsessing over paystubs instead of tax returns. I deal with a similar mentality with (mostly) fathers who cut their income by refusing overtime to reduce their child support.  I consider it the height of selfishness and stupidity.

  15. Salon columnist Brian Karem:

    “Donald Trump is a stone cold loser. He knows it, and his minions know it. So they are, like they did four years ago, trying to manipulate the political machinery in the United States in the very likely event he loses again. These machinations include but are not limited to, trying to steal, suppress, discount, and refuse votes, as well as potentially encouraging armed resistance to congressional certification of the election.”

    https://www.salon.com/writer/brian-karem

  16. Karem has hit the big problem right there.  That is going to be a HUGE problem, I hope they’re ready to deal with it…..

  18. Stump and Vance are disliked. High negatives. We are underestimating how bad it actually is.
    —Scaramucci

  21. https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/26/asia/meryl-streep-afghanistan-women-girls-intl-hnk/index.html

    “A cat may feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park… A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not, and a woman may not in public. This is extraordinary,” Streep said on Monday. “This is a suppression of the natural law. This is odd.”
     
    “The Taliban’s latest edicts last month, referred to by Streep, include the demand for women and girls to remain silent in public.”

    “Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands on Thursday accused the hardline Islamist group of violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).”

    But not the US? 
     

  22. Something I found interesting on my Maryland ballot is the lack of 3rd party presidential candidates.  There are only Dem, magat, Libertarian, Green and unaffiliated (Kennedy jr).  I am so used to seeing half a page of off the wall parties, seeing this limited number is shocking. 
    I do not know how to read that in terms of who benefits, Harris is most likely to win in any case that happens.

  24. That was going to be painful, not to mention dangerous, to see our man Zelensky inches from the jaws of the Lyin’ King. Now we don’t have to. I’m relieved. 

  29. https://msmagazine.com/2024/09/25/republicans-birth-control-trump-contraception/

    “Almost 100 Percent of U.S. Women Use Contraception—So Why Doesn’t Birth Control Have More Republican Support?”
     
    “In June, the Senate voted down a cloture motion on the Right to Contraception Act, which would have advanced the bill to the Senate floor. The motion failed to get the 60 votes needed (51–39); the only Republicans to support it were Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.”
     
    “There was nothing in this bill that should have prevented every single senator from voting in favor. After all, 99 percent of American women who’ve had sex with a man have used contraception, and this suite of miracle drugs is also used to treat endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, cramps, acne, migraines and more.”

    “In fact, the Right to Contraception Act was introduced as a response to comments Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made in his concurring opinion to overturn Roe—he audaciously questioned whether the decision that legalized birth control in 1965 should be reconsidered. (The House of Representatives passed the original version of the Right to Contraception Act a week after it was introduced, in July 2022. The original Senate version never made it out of committee.)”
     
    “And then there’s the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who, when asked by a Pittsburgh TV host in May, “Do you support any restrictions on a person’s right to contraception?” responded, “Well we’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly, and I think it’s something that you’ll find interesting … it’s another issue that’s very interesting but … you will, ah, you will find it I think very smart … I think it’s a smart decision. But we’ll be releasing it very soon.” 

    “Oh, also, Project 2025 proposes restoring the Trump-era religious and “moral” exemptions to the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), allowing healthcare providers to refuse to prescribe or distribute contraception to patients on the grounds that they personally don’t approve of it. The alarming guiding document for conservatives also calls for removing emergency contraception and male condoms from the preventive services covered under the ACA.”
     
     
     

  30. Jasmine Crockett appreciation post:
     
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/09/20/jasmine-crockett-project-2025-oversight-hearing/75310209007/

    “The only reason we’re having this hearing is because somebody got their feelings hurt in a debate, and I don’t understand why we’re wasting taxpayer dollars,” Crockett said.

    “Next time, tell your big boy to show up and be ready to handle the woman in the room who hopefully will become the next president of the United States.”

    “This election is the best example of why y’all are so afraid of diversity, equity and inclusion. Because then you can’t have a simple-minded, underqualified white man somehow end up ascending. Instead, you have to pay attention to the qualified Black woman on the other side,” Crockett said.

    “Crockett’s comments came during a hearing titled “A Legacy of Incompetence: Consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Policy Failures.” Comer opened the meeting by calling the current Biden-Harris administration a failure.”

    “Is Trump’s name ever mentioned in Project 2025, yes or no?” Crockett said.
    “Perryman went on to respond by saying, “Within the document itself, there are a number of references to the former administration.”

    That was a “yes” in MAGAt-ese.

  31. Pogo, I always understood your point about tax returns season showing how declining O.T. pay to help on taxes is not viable.  One thing we of my ilk did was race to max-out our yearly Social Security contribution.  Many years we could make it by October, then the ceiling was raised to an impossible height. This entailed working overtime, almost always 64 hours per week, many times 76, even up to 84 hours weekly. This was physical labor in a factory…no wonder I was physically washed-up at age 53, and gratefully able to retire on a UAW pension.

  32. Thankfully, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has rebuttal ads out today contradicting the lies of the ads of the lying cheater Bernie Moreno.  Yesterday, Marcy Kaptur, my Congresswoman, also released ads telling how the whole campaign message of her opponent State Representative Derek Merrin is simply a ball of lies.

  34. Mark Cuban is killing it, pitching Harris to business folk…

    Mark Cuban on CNBC:

    “Donald Trump is trying to come in with the hammer and say, ‘I’m gonna hit you with a 200% tariff, John Deere.’ Kamala Harris is saying, ‘I’m going to give you incentives to manufacture more.’ Which do you think is gonna work better with companies?”

    On FOX Business:

    “Another key point: All we’ve seen Trump do is hire is relatives. RNC? Here comes the daughter in law. Who’s gonna speak for him? His two sons. Hey we’ve got a new silver coin! Here comes another son. The family business is now the Republican Party.”

  36. The crypto-cons love Don-Old.  Notice that he pictured himself with a Bitcoin on one of his trading cards.   Isn’t there a trademark on that name and symbol?  I guess they are OK with fascism. 

  38. https://www.newsweek.com/vance-inexperience-problem-vice-president-donald-trump-2024-election-1929660

    “In terms of the sort of government experience that most VP nominees have (i.e. Prior experience as U.S. senator, state governor, member of U.S. House, or in high federal executive position), Vance has less experience than any VP nominee since newspaper publisher Frank Knox in 1936,”…

    “The only others with so little experience were Spiro T. Agnew and Governor Sarah Palin, each of whom had prior experience in local government.”

    “Max Burns, a Democratic strategist told Newsweek that Vance’s qualifications for the role of vice president were “virtually nonexistent.”

    “JD Vance was foisted on Donald Trump by a constellation of Silicon Valley tech billionaires including Elon Musk and Peter Thiel,” he said. 

    “He can’t relate to real people because he’s spent so long in the libertarian tech bro world that he’s completely forgotten what normal looks like. He’s a gigantic gift to Democrats,” Burns added.
     

    Here’s hoping he gets roasted by Walz next Tuesday.

  39. good luck figuring out where those crackerjack-box watches are made, i doubt it’s the USA

    “ Trump Watches are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC uses the “Trump” name, image and likeness under a paid license agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms. Trump Watches are intended as collectible items for individual enjoyment only, not for investment purposes”

    emphasis on that last part 😜

  40. “Trump watches have nothing to do with trump, we (and by “we” we mean 13 year-old Bangladeshi children) took the shittiest watch designs from 40 years ago and awkwardly emblazoned them with his hideous signature”*

    *satire, i honestly don’t know where the child labor is located**

    **Also satire***

    ***satire as well 😜

  41. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/buckle-up-2024-election-fraud-courts

    “How will the right-leaning Supreme Court, which did not decide in Trump’s favor during the 2020 election aftermath but has in the years since handed him win after constitutional win on terms that are dubious at best, respond to a request that it step in and order canvassing boards to do their jobs by tallying and certifying the votes actually cast? And what impact will new rules like the one in Georgia, which could pave the way for fanciful fraud claims to carry the day in tight races, have on the merits of those cases?”

    I truly believe Harris/Walz will win the EC.  What worries me are the dirty, MAGAt tricks of Putin’s puppets. 

    During the debate, Walz has the opportunity to spend a bit of time making that clear to folks, as well as what Project 2025 will mean for Social Security, Medicare, healthcare, reproductive freedom, and government oversight of any kind in the future.  All positions will be filled with tRUMPian yes-men.  
    Stick to policy, use a static response for any personal attacks from JD (who is living in the most fragile of glass houses), and don’t let him pull a “they’re eating the dawgs” distraction.
     
     
     
    Will JD’s wife be allowed to appear at the end of the debate? Assuming Gwen will be there.

  42. https://michiganchronicle.com/we-were-on-ambassador-nikki-haleys-michigan-leadership-team-we-will-vote-for-kamala-harris/

    “We Were on Ambassador Nikki Haley’s Michigan Leadership Team. We Will Vote for Kamala Harris.”

    “On economic policy, Trump’s across-the-board tariff policies will result in a sales tax that will raise taxes on every American by $4,000.”

    “Harris’ economic plan would focus on supporting and strengthening independent small business owners, the backbone of our economy.”

    “On foreign policy, as Ambassador Haley rightfully noted, Trump gets “weak in the knees” on Putin. We believe Trump is too sympathetic to dictators around the world, and Harris will focus on strengthening our alliances.”

    “We cannot go back to the chaos of Donald Trump; we have seen what damage it caused the Republican Party and our nation. We believe it is time to turn the page. We will therefore vote for Kamala Harris.”

  44. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-09-23/usha-vance-jd-vance-immigration-politics

    “Usha Vance is a daughter of Democrats, who herself voted in the Democratic primary in 2014. Her politics might have started shifting before her law clerkships with the likes of conservatives John G. Roberts Jr. and Brett M. Kavanaugh. When she married her husband, maybe her deepest values hadn’t changed that much; back then he might have been the version of himself who said: “Trump makes people I care about afraid. Immigrants, Muslims, etc. Because of this I find him reprehensible.”

    “But that is not the version of the man whom Usha Vance is remaining publicly loyal to today. Today, he is the one demonizing immigrants, including legal Haitian residents of his own state, whom he baselessly accuses of eating pets, spreading disease and sucking up resources — constituents whom he turns into targets for other bigots.”

    “…I get that there’s a pipeline for second-generation immigrants: from elite private schools to becoming a multimillionaire to conservative politics. Proximity to wealth and power is enticing, strong enough to distort and misshape long-held values and beliefs.”
     
     

  46. Dan Quayle was only made to seem to be stupid; JD Vance is the real McCoy.  

    When it actually became Mr Quayle’s time to stand up and be counted—He managed to acquit himself honorably by helping to stiffen the somewhat rubbery spine of one Mike Pence, who had stumbled somewhat blindly into a history for which he was in no way prepared.

  47. VP Harris to Zelensky:

    “I share with you, Mr. President: There are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships.”

  50. Putin could have tried diplomacy if he wanted a strategic partnership with Ukraine, but tyrants don’t believe in negotiation, only force, by definition
     
    So, instead he bombed Ukrainian schools, hospitals, nuclear plants, energy infrastructure, manufacturing, whole cities, because, according to him, Ukrainians are Russian 
     
    Strange way to treat family
     
    Slava Ukraine 🌻

  56. We don’t need any more of his babies.

    Said Vance: “There’s evidence that the car seat rules that we’ve imposed, which of course I want kids to drive in car seats, have driven down the number of babies born in this country by over 100,000. So as we think about how to make kids safe here, I think we should do it in a way that’s accommodating to American families.”

    https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/09/26/jd-vance-car-seats/75390401007/
     

  57. Is Mark Cuban running for something! If so. I’d vote for him.

    After 2 days of non-stop flacking for Kamala and trashing Trump, he just fired off this rocket on his X account.

    “Dear right leaning media. You are now the MSM. The biggest tv news shows are on Fox. The top 10 podcasts have a bunch of right leaning shows. Sinclair owns more tv stations than anyone. Salem- all right leaning. Ihearts biggest syndicated shows -all conservative. 

    The biggest political influencer accounts on social media are conservative. The biggest influencer of all, @elonmusk, is the ultimate Trump Maxi. He probably has 5x the followers of all other political influencers combined 

    Conservative media is now the MSM. I know that makes it harder for you to play the victim. But that is the reality”

  61. Next time he starts runnin’ his yap, someone should remind him what happens in other countries he so admires (like Hungary or Russia) to a bunch of ignorant peasants who unsuccessfully attempt to take the capitol by storm.

  62. From College GameDay to the former president, Tuscaloosa was already going to be a who’s who of special guests on Saturday evening when the Crimson Tide host the Georgia Bulldogs in the biggest game of the season.
    But the “biggest” guest of all will be flying high above Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, as the iconic Goodyear blimp ‘Wingfoot Three’ is expected to make an appearance as part of its 19-day ‘Southern Skies’ tour. The blimp is going to fly through 14 states over the near three-week journey and timed it out so that it would be over Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.
    Beginning last weekend where the blimp was seen providing aerial coverage in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Wolverines’ game against USC and moving through Cincinnati for Monday Night Football, the blimp is also moving through Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona.

    https://yellowhammernews.com/goodyear-blimp-to-fly-over-tuscaloosa-during-alabama-georgia-game/?

  63. Where TF does JDouché come up with these wonderful (idiotic, fictitious) statistics?  I’m not sure whether he or a sack of hammers should win the night’s dumber’n shit award. People decide (a) not to fuck, (b) use birth control or (c) abort rather than be forced to use a car seat?  And he went to Yale? WTF? 

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