"Krugman and the Firebaggers"

[sabrina 1]

Rock n Rollers: Krugman and The Firebaggers




Lol, I think Krugman looks cute!

[mmonk]

1. LOL.

[ProSense]

2. Some good stuff from Krugman here:

Krugman: "Obama jobs plan...significantly bolder and better than I expected"

The Slump Before The Slump

Busy day, so I won’t have much time to post. But I should weigh in on the Census report, many of whose key findings are summarized in .

Crucially, of course, the report documents the vast human damage being inflicted by a weak economy. It also documents the ways in which safety-net programs have at least mitigated that damage — notably, uninsurance among children has actually fallen thanks to SCHIP and Medicaid, unemployment insurance has literally kept millions above the poverty line, and the early features of the Affordable Care Act have helped hundreds of thousands of young adults retain insurance. We’ll have a fuller read on this, with the effects of food stamps and other in-kind benefits, next month.

But what struck me is the extent to which the suffering didn’t begin with the slump — many measures of pain were rising right through the “Bush boom”, and have merely continued that rise.

Exhibit 1 is “deep poverty”, people living below 50 percent of the poverty line:

<...>

[sabrina 1]

3. Interesting to look at how things were before Bush took over

Bush policies destroyed the economy, but imo, to continue those policies was a huge mistake. In all the charts in your link, things keep getting worse.

True, the President's jobs program has many positive things in it, but as Krugman says, Republicans will not pass it. Since we know this, then there is nothing to be lost by going for broke and doing NOTHING they are going to like.

It may be out of the hands of this country soon anyhow, these neo-liberal policies of austerity and crushing social safety net programs have completely failed in Europe.

Obama should fire his economic team and hire those who were right all along, like Krugman eg.

[mmonk]

7. I agree with doing nothing right now but just laying out something for

the future. The only parts that will pass will be cuts. We're essentially trapped and helpless right now.

[sabrina 1]

8. That is why, imo, he should not have included ANY cuts,

especially to social programs. He should have put that burden on them. That is political suicide and by offering them up, while the Repubs will say no at first, when they finally do accept them, they will blame Obama.

Their strategy is just terrible. They set themselves up to lose.

They should have gone for everything they could, knowing it was going to be turned down anyhow. That would have forced Republicans to say 'We don't want to spend money on the American people' which the President could have exploited. Then let them bargain him down to something acceptable. As for the cuts, there should be a clear statement that no social safety net programs will cut under his watch. And his poll numbers would start to rise, they would panic, and sanity might return to some of them, enough to get a decent bill passed.

[mmonk]

4. Some excellent graphs in the Slump Before the Slump piece.

[sabrina 1]

6. Yes, that's where I found the one. I posted

Lol, the rock and roll band isn't too popular here.

I think it's hilarious.

I bet Krugman will get a kick out of it!

[mmonk]

11. We have to laugh at ourselves sometimes.

Besides, it turns the insulting terminology into the childish mush it is anyway.

[sabrina 1]

12. I like your sigline, btw.

I watched the Jackie Kennedy documentary on Diane Sawyer online last night and found the revelations fascinating. Kennedy, as described by his wife who clearly loved him deeply, was a very compassionate man. He was tough, as was Bobby, but compassionate. I am very glad she thought to record her feelings at that time. It is historical gift to the nation. I wonder how different things might have been if those two brothers had not been killed.

Oh, and I agree, people get too invested in being angry, not there is no reason to be, but you do have to laugh every once in a while.

[mmonk]

20. Thanks, it is my favorite quote in the world of the political.

The truthful path sometimes is not the most expedient or easy one to walk.

[sabrina 1]

22. It reminds me of people like Kucinich who for the most part

tries to tell the truth even when he's the only one.

[Creideiki]

5. This is a significantly better post from you than I expected.

See--that's a left-handed compliment.

[sabrina 1]

10. I agree, it was a pretty good post.

And 'left' handed compliments are the best kind ~

edited to add 'good' not a 'pretty post' a 'pretty good post'.

[demmiblue]

9. OMG...ha, ha, ha!

:rofl:

K&R

[EFerrari]

13. LOL!

[Luminous Animal]

14. I'm fan!

[chill_wind]

15. LOL!

I don't know how I missed the whole back-story, but if anyone else did, too, it's even funnier.
(And pathetic- on the part of Sandoval.)

Krugman
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/hippie-punching/

Sargeant
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/does-obama-camp-see-upside-in-pissing-off-the-left/2011/03/03/gIQAFfcoLJ_blog.html

HuffPo
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/17/new-mexico-ofa-firebagger-lefty-blogosphere_n_929231.html?1313601833

[sabrina 1]

16. Lol, I didn't know this was the background

for the comic, but I do remember it now. I just saw it on another blog and followed the link to FDL. Was too busy to look for what inspired it.

Thanks for the links. :-)

[chill_wind]

17. I thought the toon was cute too :-) O.T.- I hope he never gives up

his day job, but if the band doesn't work out, there's always acting, lol.

Krugman Cameo in Get Him To The Greek
http://www.businessinsider.com/check-out-paul-krugmans-brief-cameo-in-get-him-to-the-greek-2010-6

I had to go searching old threads for a link. Found it in one of those epic-length DU Krugman classics.

Krugman: there’s an almost compulsive aspect to the WH’s alienation of supporters
Sept 2010

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9176531&mesg_id=9176531

Whether 4 or 8 years come and go for the Obama admin, I can't think of anyone (next to Pres Obama himself of course) that will have to seemed to generate more DU ink over these years, when we look back some day. For someone not in the admin, pretty good, especially compared to the admin's TurboTax sidekick. :-)

[sabrina 1]

18. Rofl

He's a funny guy. Surprisingly so. I remember seeing him on show with O'Reilly once and he just kept talking in a very calm way all the while driving O'Reilly insane. He knew he was doing it and was totally un-phased by O'Reilly's temper tantrums. It was hilarious to watch.

Funny clip, thanks for the link. And that thread sure is long. He does generate, well, discussion! Lol.

This weekend he got the rightwingers going with his 9/11 column and the usual lefties who agreed with him but were afraid he might make us look bad! :rofl:

As if anything we do won't 'make us look bad' to them!

There is an old Irish saying 'you may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb'. I think that's Krugman's philosophy. He knows they're going to hate him anyhow, so he says whatever he wants, know that being 'careful' won't change the reaction.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. I wish Obama took a cue from that

If the right-wingers are going to hate him anyway, he might as well REALLY piss them off.

[sabrina 1]

21. I wish he would too,

What is he going to lose?