The problem with today's economy is that Barack Obama refuses to say mean things about bankers and rich people. Well...he says them sometimes, but other times he doesn't. I demand that Obama have a 100% record of saying mean things about rich people! Sometimes he says basically nothing at all about rich people, and it's misquoted as a defense of bankers, which is doubly worse!!!
Saying mean things about rich people is really the only way to fix this economy. John Edwards had the right approach: meaningless empty populist rhetoric. That's not only the way to put the "fat cats" in their place, but it's the way to fire up online progressives, who like to hear angry rhetoric, but don't follow actual policy debates or give credit to Presidents for their actual policy proposals.
Barack Obama's recent budget would raise taxes on the top income brackets. It would level all kinds of taxes on the rich, oil companies, banks, etc. It would tax corporations that try to hide their profits overseas. His budget is essentially a huge shift in the tax burden from towards the rich.
His proposed Wall Street reforms would prevent a future crisis like the one that happened last year (though the Senate is balking at those reforms, and Barack Obama is in the Senate, so it's probably his fault).
But all of that is meaningless. Barack Obama could seize all banks, raise the income tax to 90% for rich people, and put everyone who is above $1,000,000 in income in jail for 3 days, and this would also be meaningless. It wouldn't help anything. It wouldn't make online activists think any better of him.
The real solution to our economic problems is ANGRY RHETORIC. That will not only turn the tables against Wall Street, but it will help Main Street. It might even help Sesame Street.
We need more angry rhetoric. That's the key. If the President went out into the streets and screamed a bunch and pretended to be angry about rich people (like that great DLC Senator John Edwards), that would change everything. It would move the economy back and help Main Street, not Wall Street, Main Street, not Wall Street, Main Street, not Wall Street, Main Street, not Wall Street, Main Street. Let's help Main Street. Not Wall Street. Main Street. Not Wall Street. Main Street. Main Street.
Ok I need someone to drop a cinder block on my head, because I'm on repeater mode spouting meaningless catch phrases.