The Wall Street Journal’s John McKinnon and Elizabeth Williamson report on a White House advisory committee that met with the president yesterday to discuss ways the government can create jobs. But the focus of this panel, apparently headed by Economic Recovery Board head Paul Volcker, reportedly an outsider in the administration, is that no jobs program should trump the problem of a growing national debt.

The article underscores the incredibly frustrating double standard as to when the debt is and isn’t a legitimate concern. The ever-growing debt is (there’s a $1.4 trillion gap this year alone between government spending and revenues) is important. But it is usually only viewed — by the Obama administration, the GOP, most Washington reporters — as a legit issue when it comes to domestic policy, like health care reform, energy policy or, in this case, economic stimulus and jobs creation. The debt is rarely talked about when it comes to foreign policy — like the debate over the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars or the quasi-secretive intelligence budget.

Also, the debt issue is usually invoked to prevent more government spending. It is rarely, if ever, used to make the case for rolling back the George W. Bush administration tax cuts.

Ned blogged yesterday about a possible commission of Democratic and Republican Senators to focus on the national debt problem. I will take these “deficit hawks” like North Dakota Democrat Kent Conrad seriously when they insist that all government programs not add to the national debt. Where was this commission idea when the George W. Bush turned a budget surplus into a deficit via tax cuts and a doubling of the Pentagon budget? This self-selective debt talk seems a front to continue traditionally conservative governance even in the midst of a recession: big defense spending, small taxes and little domestic spending.

Comment RSS - You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.