From Pundit To Punchline

Paul Krugman is invoked to provide laughlines, rather than his usual frown lines, on Saturday Night Live.

Perhaps becoming a laughingstock has prompted a bit of reflection by the Earnest Prof, or maybe it is just the holiday season, but his latest columns have been sprinkled with olive branches. We smatter away:

To be fair, the looting is a partly bipartisan affair...

The prevailing theory among grown-up Republicans — yes, they still exist —

Or, on foreign policy:

In short, this week's diplomatic debacle probably reflects an internal power struggle, with hawks using the contracts issue as a way to prevent Republican grown-ups from regaining control of U.S. foreign policy.

Whatever. We are charmed by the effort of the Earnest Prof to reach out to us from the left coast of Dean Island - charmed, but unmoved.

Comments

[Emma]

There's nothing lower than a satirist. We just shouldn't tolerate it.

[Tim]

"We are charmed by the effort of the Earnest Prof to reach out to us from the left coast of Dean Island"

HA!

Beautiful!

[Brad DeLong]

Why "unmoved"? Paul Krugman is a guy whose natural position is bipartisan--one whack at Republican supply siders, one whack at Democratic "strategic traders," one whack at Republican budget unbalancers, one whack at Democrats who overpromise on the benefits of globalization. One would think it would be worth the while of a Republican grownup to convince him that there are more Republican grownups than he thinks.

[Pouncer]

Brad, agreed. At least, it's worth some effort among us "swing voters" to acknowledge attempts to engage us.

Though, to be fair, given a bi-partisen consensus in favor of pork-barrel looting, gerrymandering, incumbant protection, inherited office (Dole, Clinton, Carnahan) and time-wasting grandstanding on trivial-issues (flag-desecration, gay marriage, and the contents of high-school textbooks-- that too many students either can't read or will drop out before reading, anyway ... ) it's pretty easy, even for the moderate, to shrilly echo Mercurtio: A pox on BOTH your houses.

[TM]

Hmm, good point from the Pouncer and the Prof. But I am playing hard to get, don't you see? This is exactly how I got a date to the high school prom. Or would have, if that other guy hadn't swooped in... but I'm sure it's a great plan.

Happy Holidays, all.

[Jim Glass]

Now I'm really confused. Just as I'm grasping the fact that Republicans are "malevolent and incompetent*" I hear that it's fair to give them only one bipartisan whack for each whack the good guys get. I'm missing something here.

(* Stupid too, of course, but we mustn't whack people for the way they are born.)

Season's best to all, as addled as I may be about everything else.

[Pouncer]

Oh! You're back.

I've missed you ...