Economic Policy Making

There is a wonderful story in today's New York Times about the politics of the Gas Tax Rebate: $100 Rebate: Rise and Fall of G.O.P. Idea. In language of chapter 14, how did the agenda get set? how was the policy formulated? why not adopted?

Agenda Setting:

Senate Republicans were frantic. Returning from a two-week recess that had been dominated by a spike in gasoline prices — and heading into a midterm election looking increasingly good for Democrats — they began scrambling for ways to calm angry voters.

Remember Wedge-islation:

Senate Republicans, fearing they would be forced into the uncomfortable position of voting against the Democratic amendments, began pushing Mr. Frist to come up with an alternative

In a nutshell:

The rise and fall of the Republican $100 rebate offers a window on how Washington sometimes works in a slapdash way, featuring in this case Congressional aides who misread the political climate and lawmakers desperate to hang onto their jobs. It is a story, as well, of how concepts and plans can be reduced to sound bites that make them seem absurd.