New New Deal Anybody?

Every time I get close to thinking that Obama might not be so bad, I read another one of his loopy ideas like this and I wonder how we can possibly be considering this guy seriously.  Just the term "patriot employer" is so redolent of creepy government interference that I can't believe he is putting it forward.

I'm astonished at this because one of his economic advisors is a very serious free market economist (and college classmate of mine) Austan Goolsbee.  For some reason, I cannot believe he signed off on this nuttiness.