Didn't you know, fiscal discipline is hip
And Neal Pollack is back in Blogistan once again hawking his book and shilling for the Democratic National Committee. A Nader satire should be coming any day.

Nader is hurting Kerry in Pennsylvania, where he's polling at 7%, and conceivably could keep the Democrats out of the White House again. Not surprisingly, liberals aren't taking it too well (click on Naderite Nursery Rhymes. If Bush is reelected, I imagine some liberals' heads will explode like the fembots in Austin Powers. Nader will certainly be a persona non grata.)

Learning from Gore's mistake, Kerry has agreed to a sit-down. Who knows what they'll discuss, but maybe Nader can convince Kerry not to pull the Democrats too far to the right on economic policy as Clinton did.

For Kerry's four main economic advisors are all Clintonoids according to a New York Times article by Louis Uchitelle. Robert C. Altman and Gene Sperling were both high ranking officials while 33-year-old Jason Furman worked as an aide and 31-year-old Sarah Bianchi was an intern....

Above all, the restored tax rates would finance Mr. Kerry's pledge to cut the budget deficit to $250 billion by the end of his first term from roughly $500 billion now, most of it a result of the Bush tax cuts.

"It is a credible, enforceable pledge that will position Kerry to the right of Bush on fiscal policy," Mr. Altman declared.

THAT sort of thinking does not appear to sit so well with Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, who played a central role in Mr. Kerry's primary victories. The two senators are political allies and speak often to each other, although Mr. Kennedy is not officially on the Kerry economic team. Still, he is arguing in his speeches for what amounts to a bigger role for the government in job creation, a position clearly to the left of the Kerry team.

Kerry has little reason to listen to Kennedy, while Nader has a bargaining chip - the 5% who say they'll vote for him rather than Kerry. See MaxSpeak, You Listen! for the politics of deficit spending.