Use Stimulus to Invest in Food Reform

And public places more confidence in him than in Congress

(NEWSER) - Most Americans favor Barack Obama's pricey antidotes for the economy, and they like him better than his pals in the legislative branch, Politico reports. A recent poll says 79% back Obama's fiscal plans, which include a $775 billion injection into infrastructure and alternative energy. The president-elect's favorable rating sits high at 63%, 22 points above that of Congressional Dems and 39 points higher than that of GOP counterparts. More»

Government must remain involved for economy to gain new footing

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration must resist the temptation to leave the economy to its own devices too soon, Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times. “Getting to the point where our economy can thrive without fiscal support may be a difficult, drawn-out process,” he writes, with no bubble in sight to replace housing. “Things can’t just go back to the way they were.” More»

Now isn't the time for divisive legislative battles: Samuelson

(NEWSER) - When Barack Obama takes office, he’ll have to decide whether he wants to revive the economy, or pursue his policy agenda. “The two approaches are at odds,” writes Robert Samuelson in the Washington Post. Yes, Obama could say energy and health reform will improve the economy, but these initiatives will be “at best distractions,” and at worst legislative battles the US can’t afford. More»

Joe says Obama never called back; politicos talk bailouts on TV

(NEWSER) - Joe Lieberman told Meet the Press today that he regrets "some things I said in the heat of the campaign that I wish I'd said more clearly," and hopes Barack Obama will put, er, "country first" by leading in a bipartisan fashion. Lieberman said he called Obama during the campaign, but, oddly, never heard back from him, Politico reports. In other talk shows:

• On Fox News Sunday, Obama adviser David Axelrod urged the next Congress to create a new multi-billion-dollar bailout plan to create jobs, The Hill reports. “We don’t have time to waste here,” Axelrod said.

His policies have failed, so he's blaming the rich: Charles Krauthammer

(NEWSER) - President Obama's big speech in Kansas this week makes clear that he's going to resort to class warfare to try to win re-election, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post . With the economy in shambles, Obama is sticking to his simplistic stick-it-to-the-rich theme ("the breathtaking greed of a few," etc.), happily ignoring the fact that his own policies created much of the problem, argues Krauthammer. More»