Obama Should Draft Krugman

Barack Obama’s economic team so far has failed to inspire confidence, writes Steven Stark for the Boston Phoenix. Instead of Geithner and Summer, Obama should pick a new man to lead the charge on the financial crisis: Appoint Paul Krugram, Nobel laureate and economics columnist for the New York Times, as top economic adviser.

Krugman is, unlike Geithner and Summers, untainted by a deregulatory past or ties to prominent bankers. His columns give “coherent and dramatic policy” recommendations, Stark writes, and he is a sharp, articulate communicator—while Summers and Geithner are both prone to putting their foot in their mouths. If appointed, Krugman could craft a user-friendly narrative of the financial crisis, helping the administration immensely in its efforts to sell the American people on a solution.