Barack Obama Wants Democrats To Be the YIMBY Party. That’s Easier Said Than Done.
Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of Rent Free.
This week’s newsletter takes a look at former President Barack Obama’s recent speech in which he urged Democrats to be more YIMBY.
Also included is an update on Charlottesville, Virginia, which—contra the city’s previous statements—still has a zoning code after all.
Obama Wants Democrats To Be the YIMBY Party. That’s Easier Said Than Done.
Obama’s tough love electoral advice to his fellow Democrats during a fundraiser event in New Jersey this past Friday included a broadside against blue-state zoning laws.
Said Obama, per a Monday CNN article:
“I don’t care how much you love working people. They can’t afford a house because all the rules in your state make it prohibitive to build. And zoning prevents multifamily structures because of NIMBY,” he said, referring to “not in my backyard” views. “I don’t want to know your ideology, because you can’t build anything. It does not matter.”
Zoning reform still has the feel of a niche, nerdy issue, so it might seem somewhat surprising that a mainstream figure like Obama would reference it in a fundraising speech. That he did so certainly made a stir in the YIMBY corners of social media.
In fact, the former president has been quietly ahead of the curve on zoning reform for a long time now.
As Bloomberg‘s Kriston Capps has reported, the Obama administration proposed incentivizing local zoning reform with federal grants all the way back in 2016. (The basic idea would eventually become law with the creation of the PRO program in 2022.)
It is still a sign of the rising salience of YIMBY-style policy reforms that Obama is talking more and more about zoning reform.
If one looks back at the comments Obama made about housing as president, they were mostly about stabilizing the housing market post–Great Recession.
As the national conversation has shifted from falling home prices to rising home prices, zoning has become a much bigger part of the conversation, and consequently, it’s become an issue that Obama feels increasingly comfortable talking about.
One recalls that he included a few YIMBY-themed lines in his 2024 Democratic National Convention speech. (The former president reportedly had to be talked out of mentioning zoning specifically.)
Obama’s remarks about zoning on Friday are more interesting still, given that he didn’t make them in the context of a policy speech, but rather as part of some general advice on how Democrats can take back the country from President Donald Trump’s Republican party.
A primary way of doing that, according to Obama, is to provide people with real economic opportunity by removing liberal states’ regulatory barriers on housing production.
This is the gist of the “abundance agenda” promoted by the likes of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, and increasingly embraced by Democratic politicians such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Their self-reflective story is that blue states’ regulatory regimes have undercut liberals’ own policy goals of more affordable housing, more clean energy, more public transit, etc.
At the national level, Obama is almost certainly right that embracing YIMBY policies is good politics for Democrats. (Newsom’s adoption of “abundance” rhetoric as he seemingly prepares for a presidential run is evidence that the governor thinks so as well.)
Certainly, when it comes to optics, it’s hard for Democrats to pitch themselves as worthy of governing when the states they run are the least affordable in the nation. On a practical level, the more people leave blue states because of high housing costs (among other issues like high taxes), the harder it will be for Democrats to win control of Congress and the White House.
The
Article from Reason.com
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
