Writing on the wall

Writing on the wall

by digby

I think this says it all — and it’s a real shame:

Jared Bernstein, Vice President Joe Biden‘s economic adviser and one of the longest serving economists in the Obama White House, will leave the administration at the end of the month, a White House official said.

Mr. Bernstein, a liberal voice in an increasingly centrist White House, will join the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He is also in advanced talks to be an on-air commentator for Bloomberg News Service’s television network.

Mr. Bernstein’s departure comes after the exit of two liberal economic allies, Christina Romer and Larry Summers, and the arrival of deal-making pragmatists like Mr. Summers’ replacement as National Economic Council director, Gene Sperling, and Bruce Reed, Mr. Biden’s new chief of staff who headed the centrist Democratic Leadership Council.

But the official said his reasons for leaving are practical. In the face of a conservative Republican House and budget-cutting fever, Mr. Bernstein’s advocacy for more stimulus spending was going nowhere.

Keep in mind also that Biden has been tasked with heading up the deficit “negotiations.”

Also, you’ll notice that he’s not rushing off to Wall Street to cash in and become a gazillionaire. And yet, I think he’ll probably still make quite a decent living. Imagine that.

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