Austan Goolsbee gives the White House view on the tax cut debate:

This is an interesting tactic. During the campaign and the transition, the Obama team was very big on trying to use novel communications tools but they’ve moved away from it more recently. I think it’s at least worth trying. Research on the general ineffectiveness of presidential communications strategies makes me skeptical that this will work, but at least unlike presidential speeches we don’t know in advance that it doesn’t work.

But Goolsbee really needs a suit with unpleated pants. I don’t know much about fashion, but I do know that much.

Bloomberg reports on Senate Republicans holding up the confirmations of Austan Goolsbee and Cecelia Rouse to staff the Council of Economic Advisers. They don’t have any actual objections to Goolsbee or Rouse—they’re just after payback. And their position is so indefensible that the people doing the holding up—in the middle of an economic crisis!—won’t say in public who’s doing it.

Aside from the particulars of this case, it’s once again a reminder that nobody can ever explain a good reason for allowing these “anonymous holds.”