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My son and I were enjoying the pennant-race atmosphere at Dodger Stadium last night when my Blackberry vibrated with an e-mail from Barack to me (no disrespect; that’s how he signs his e-mails).

I made the mistake of reading it, so now you get to listen to me complain about it. The e-mail, consisting of Sen. Obama’s ‘three principles that should guide an economic recovery plan,’ is reproduced below. It’s yet another example of the mindless, faux-populist pandering that both presidential candidates have turned to in response to a historic financial crisis.

Text: Obama begins by observing that that ‘greed and irresponsibility’ on Wall Street and Washington have created a financial crisis.
Analysis: Wrong.Millions of ordinary Americans helped -- they bought into the underlying housing bubble that is at the root of all this, the same bubble Obama is now afraid to discuss in plain language. Washington and Wall Street have no monopoly on greed and irresponsibility in this country.

Text: Obama then says, ‘Whatever shape our recovery plan takes, it must be guided by core principles of fairness, balance, and responsibility to one another.’
Analysis: Wrong again. The core principle here is doing something that works, something smart, something effective, something in the best long-term interests of the American economy.

And that’s what’s missing from Obama’s e-mail: a single, overriding big idea about what to do. Does he think the government should buy distressed assets? Make low-interest loans to banks in return for equity? All of the above? None of the above? Who knows.

There’s a very specific, very expensive, very risky idea on the table, the Paulson plan. Obama says nothing about the plan itself. Instead he talks about how he would dress it up to make it acceptable. To borrow from the recent vernacular, he is describing the kinds of lipstick he’d like to see on this pig.

Two more cents: I don’t mean to pick on only Obama. Both candidates have been, and continue to be, evasive on this issue. It’s likely the biggest single economic issue they will face in the next four years, and neither dared to bring it up at their convention, and both seem afraid to take a stand on it today.

Click below for the entire Obama e-mail and the brief story of how it ended up in my in-box.

Why is L.A. Land on the Obama campaign e-mail distribution list? Good question. I tried -- and evidently failed -- to send a media request to the campaign and apparently volunteered to receive e-mails like the one below:

Peter --

We’re facing a major financial crisis. With the economic security of American families at stake -- and with Congress and the President talking about a $700 billion bailout using taxpayer dollars -- each of us has a responsibility to speak out.

First, read my message below about the three principles that should guide an economic recovery plan. Then sign on to show your support.

Last, and most importantly, forward this message and ask your friends and family to join you in supporting a fair and responsible solution to our economic crisis.

Thanks,

Barack

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From: Barack Obama
Subject: Greed and irresponsibility

Friend --

The era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has created a financial crisis as profound as any we have faced since the Great Depression.

Congress and the President are debating a bailout of our financial institutions with a price tag of $700 billion or more in taxpayer dollars. We cannot underestimate our responsibility in taking such an enormous step.

Whatever shape our recovery plan takes, it must be guided by core principles of fairness, balance, and responsibility to one another.

By clicking here, you are signing on to support an economic recovery plan based on the following: