Since I’ve accused the Congressional Budget Office of “witch doctor economics and gypsy forecasting,” it’s obvious I’m not a big fan of the organization’s approach to fiscal analysis.
I’ve even argued that Republicans shouldn’t cite CBO when the bureaucrats reach correct conclusions on policy (at least when such findings are based on bad Keynesian methodology).
So nobody should be surprised that I think the incoming Republican majority should install new leadership at CBO (and the Joint Committee on Taxation as well).
So why, then, are some advocates of smaller government — such as Greg Mankiw, Keith Hennessey, Alan Viard, and Michael Strain — arguing that Republicans should keep the current Director, Doug Elmendorf, who was appointed by the Democrats back in 2009?
Before answering that question, let’s look at some of what was written today for the Washington Post’s Wonkblog.