Wednesday, November 18, 2009  "Hi, Everything is Great"  The
president actually has two great powers over the economy. One of
their greatest influences is that of perception. The president
has the ability to persuade the people that the economy (or most
things in general) is good or bad. This power doesn't always
work however if the president goes out to the public and tells
everyone that everything is fine then some people will say, "Oh
then it can't be that bad." Consumer confidence cannot prevent a
recession but it can help reduce its acuteness. The president
has a big influence on consumer confidence. There are obviously
exceptions but in general I feel this holds true. Convincing
people that the economy is good is obviously harder than
convincing them it is bad (perhaps because of the skepticism of
people). If the president were to go on the air right now and
say, "Oh God, we are so F@?%ed! I would consider it a great
success if only half the country survives the night!" People
would panic and it would h