“Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger is widely being ridiculed for his statements about the Presidential race.
Bissinger recently wrote a column for the Daily Beast endorsing Mitt Romney, after which Jonathan Chait branded him “the consummate low-information voter.”
Bissinger then engaged in a debate with Jamell Bouie, where he explained his reasoning.In the course of their conversation we learn:
1) Bissinger thinks the stimulus proposed and enacted by President Obama, and opposed in its totality by Mitt Romney, was too small.
2) Bissinger thinks the Dodd-Frank law, proposed and negotiated by President Obama, and opposed in its totality and slated for repeal by Mitt Romney, is too weak.
3) Bissinger thought the Health Care Reform, proposed and enacted by President Obama, and slated for repeal by Mitt Romney, was poorly timed, but he finds it admirable.
So, naturally, Bissinger supports Romney, mostly on the basis that Obama, accused by Romney of brazenly forcing his agenda down the throat of an unwilling nation, has not been a strong leader in enacting policies Bissinger likes, and therefore Bissinger prefers someone who will be stronger in enacting policies Bissinger dislikes.
Bissinger also seems to believe that Romney is lying when Romney says he will do things Bissinger opposes.
Bissinger is not alone; this morning I read about the irrational ravings of another rich celebrity belching out the same sort of ignorant flatulence expounded by Bissinger.
Unlike Bissinger, this celebrity, who I shall call B, says he is as yet undecided. B says he favors “leadership and standing up to do things that aren’t going to be popular.”
B generally agrees with the President on same-sex marriage, climate change and abortion rights, and disagrees with Mr. Romney, but feels the President has not taken effective action in those areas. Presumably, B would find Romney’s promise of aggressive action in the opposite direction to be preferable, because at least Romney would be getting something done.
B strongly believes that any budget deal must both cut spending and raise taxes. “You cannot balance the budget without raising revenue and cutting expenses…There is no reputable economist that remotely thinks you could do this without doing those two things — one of which is anathema to the Republicans, and one of which is anathema to the Democrats.”
But in actuality, Obama favors budget cuts and increased taxes, while Romney favors only the former. B might sincerely believe that the President doesn’t want to do enough of the former (even though Obama put deep cuts on the table during the debt ceiling fight) and is inequitable in putting the entire burden of higher taxes on the rich, but there seems little doubt that B’s position differs substantially from those of Mr. Romney and only by tweaks from that of the President.
B also feels that the candidates have been equally lame on gun control, even though the President agrees with him on banning assault weapons and Mr. Romney strongly opposes any changes in the existing laws.
Since the appeal of B is almost entirely among voters who, like B, agree more with the President than they do with Mr. Romney, B’s equal plague on both their houses attitude is functionally pro-Romney. Doubtless, B understands this, and understands that that is the message he is sending by his loud and obstinate neutrality.
I would be sympathetic to those who think Buzz Bissinger is an imbecile, were it not for the fact that B is widely hailed as a sage for expounding the exact same sort of ignorant tripe.