NPR's Fake Presidential Candidate
What would happen if we could set aside politics for a moment and build the "ideal presidential platform" based on sound economic theory? NPR Planet money did just that in a four-part series back in 2012. Why bring this up today? Because the 2016 Presidential Election is just around the corner and much of this series is just as relevant today as it was then.
What makes this concept so unique is that the Planet Money team pulled together five economists from different backgrounds and perspectives: conservatives, progressive, moderate, libertarian, etc. It's rare to get two economists to agree on one thing let alone to get five to agree on an entire platform for a hypothetical presidential candidate (complete with a fake campaign site).
The platform includes six pillars:
- Get rid of the mortgage tax deduction
- End the tax deduction companies receive for employee health insurance
- Eliminate the corporate income tax
- Shift from income tax to consumption tax
- Tax carbon emissions
- Legalize marijuana
Each part goes into a different aspect of running a political campaign, including attack ads and testing policies in focus groups. Its both illustrative of the political process and of the real problem actual candidates face when they propose something "sane." The most common sense ideas may not test well or may become fodder for opponents to lambaste the candidate. The Planet Money team did such an excellent job that even after two years, I find myself periodically being reminded of these examples. Deconstruct.com will be examining some of these platform ideas in more detail.
Check out the candidate ads below: