Friday The 13th Thoughts: Summers vs Yellen

Larry Summers and Janet Yellin are still duking it out in the pages of the press (metaphorically speaking) over who will be the better Fed chairman, should President Barack Obama pick one of them.

What the Summers side is missing, apparently unintentionally, is that this debate is not about competence, it’s about values. Those who explicitly favor Yellin, such as Joseph Stiglitz or Sen. Elizabeth Warren, favor Yellin because she is closer to a progressive position that will emphasize full employment and less coddling of the financial sector. Those who favor Summers, in contrast, talking endlessly about his competence and bureaucratic skills. They seem to miss that the Fed job is not just about driving the car correctly; it’s about where it’s going.

I hope Yellen gets the nod.