Good question...

...of the purely rhetorical variety, from Paul Krugman...

"I mean, is there anything at all in Romney's stump speech that's true?"

I'm pretty sure that what he actually means is "There is nothing at all in Romney's stump speech that's true," which, of course, is true.

It's true, really, of any Republican stump speech these days, which is another reason that...

From the "Me neither" file.

Paul Krugman...

Well, remember how the Ryan budget was supposed to mark our national moment of truth, forcing us into a serious discussion of fiscal choices? Neither do I.

Me neither.

Good question...

…from Paul Krugman...

What, if anything, does "moving to the center" mean?

I'm not sure myself, but it's probably not what you think, no matter who you are.

Like me, for instance.

Paul Krugman...

By all means criticize the administration. But don't take it out on the tens of millions of Americans who will have health insurance if this bill passes, but will be out of luck -- and, in some cases, dead -- if it doesn't.

From the "...half of 'em are dumber than that" file.

Paul Krugman...

There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they "oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care." Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands.

Sigh.

From the "…half of 'em are dumber than that" file.

Via Paul Krugman...

At a recent town-hall meeting in suburban Simpsonville, a man stood up and told Rep. Robert Inglis (R-S.C.) to "keep your government hands off my Medicare."

Oy.

From the "Since you asked…" file.

Professor Krugman inquires…

The American economy remains in dire straits, with one worker in six unemployed or underemployed. Yet Goldman Sachs just reported record quarterly profits — and it's preparing to hand out huge bonuses, comparable to what it was paying before the crisis. What does this contrast tell us?

Since you asked, it tells us, or me, at least, that if it's jobless, it isn't a "recovery," the fortunes of financial manipulators notwithstanding.

Krugman's own answers are pretty good, too.

From the "Be afraid…" file.

Paul Krugman...

So Bobby Jindal makes fun of "volcano monitoring", and soon afterwards Mt. Redoubt erupts. Susan Collins makes sure that funds for pandemic protection are stripped from the stimulus bill, and the swine quickly attack. What else did the right oppose recently? I just want enough information to take cover.

If Krugman's scared…

I've been ruminating over economic prospects for next year, and I'm getting scared.

…brother, I'm scared.

From the "Heckuva job" file.

Paul Krugman...

...this bailout is an outrage: a lousy deal for the taxpayers, no accountability for management, and just to make things perfect, quite possibly inadequate...

Is it 1/20 yet?

Quote of the day.

"Nobel prizes are given to intellectuals. A lot of intellectuals are anti-Bush."

2008 Nobel laureate in Economics (and anti-Bush intellectual) Paul Krugman

Just wondering…

…whether Professor Krugman is the first blogger to win a Nobel prize.

From the "Sad but true" file…

Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog...

I wish we voted on issues. But this America. We don't. Personality is the necessary delivery system for any issues payload. Krugman suggests that we'd be running an issues campaign if Obama hadn't run and done well, but we wouldn't -- we'd be running a personality campaign with, in all likelihood, no one the voters want to have a beer with as much as they do with John McCain. And that's why we'd lose.

Sorry to say it, but yep.

Worth repeating.

Krugman...

...Mr. Edwards, far more than is usual in modern politics, ran a campaign based on ideas. And even as his personal quest for the White House faltered, his ideas triumphed: both candidates left standing are, to a large extent, running on the platform Mr. Edwards built.

There's a point where some campaigns, faced with certain electoral failure, execute an 11th hour transition into a campaign not for nomination, but for the proverbial "soul of the Party." In Edwards' case, that was his starting point.

From his announcement in New Orleans' 9th Ward to the conclusion of his active campaign in the same spot, he put poverty on the political agenda this year, and with it the corresponding need for policies that fight poverty by expanding the middle class. He made including everyone the standard for health care policy by being there first. He put "labor union" back in the Democratic lexicon from the beginning with a campaign strategy that failed in no small part because of the loss some hoped for union support at critical junctures.

He reminded us who we are, as Democrats, and what we're supposed to be about.

Thanks again, John.

Who would Jesus...

...bitch-slap?

Really?

Krugman…

Nobody believes Reagan is a bigot.

I suppose it's true enough now. He's dead, after all. But surely some of us believe he was a bigot.

At least one of us does, I know, because it's me.

Tuth.

From Paul Krugman...

"Tim Russert doesn't vote in Iowa."

...and I doubt that Iowa spends a lot of time thinking about Tim Russert.

It's true.

Krugman...

[T]here isn’t actually any such thing as Islamofascism.

Nope, there isn't.

The whole piece is true. Read, and fear not.

Birds do it…

…bees do it, hell, even Krugman's got a blog.

A good'un, too.