It is probably trivial but couldn't the senate minority leader point out that Krugman is cute and cuddly , therefore a treason loaded commie ? It makes about as much sense as his argument against Wall Street reform , the clockworks of which were nicely illustrated by professor Krugman .

"for the last several weeks, Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, has been trying to stop reform with possibly the most dishonest argument ever made in the history of politics"

And exactly how many MSM talking heads have pointed this out? It continues to play as a he said she said narative with McConnel's side being portrayed as a valid arguement. Joe lunchbucket who gets his news in soundbites and Fox lies has no reason to doubt it's true " I heard it on the NOOZE"

The big lie always works with republicans.

"and Fox lies..."

Or they could, also, watch "The Mourning RepuG Hour" with Joe and Mica.

Like Kabuki and Grand Opera, we know the old and familiar plots. So it must be the individual performances that draw the crowds.

And the Monday Morning Quarterbacks . .

berttheclock; You are so right - I should have mentioned Mourning Joe where everything Politico says is taken as gospel. Where Mika makes sad eyes when Joe says somthing especially offensive and pines " Oh, Joe"
Mika who groing up in a life of Privilege being chauffered around in Papa's limo has no concept of real life, yet feels qualified on commenting what is good for the common man. and now she is breathing the rarified air of the multi-million dollar " Media Star ****"

To focus Krugman's point: if we're talking about the necessity for bipartisan ship, the question is whether Senators Corker, Collins, Graham, Voinovich, Snowe, Brown (and possibly a couple other Republicans) will work with Democrats to address the pressing problems caused by or ignored by the previous administration.

If they will not, why not? (The great unreported Washington story of the 111th Congress.)

"the same dynamic has existed in every other policy debate of the last year and a half"

Year and a half? Even "decade and a half" understates it. Try: "the last 30 years" or even "the last 40 years."

But even though you have the timeframe excessively narrowed, your basic point is right on target:

IT'S THE LYING, STUPID!

Let's look at Krugman in a slightly different light:

I buy a ticket for a 'round-the-world cruise; I demand that the boat not leave the dock until I am aboard---and then I refuse to get on the boat.

THAT is Mitch McConnell to a T....

everytime i hear the republicans whining about a lack of bipartisanship, i'm reminded of the old emo phillips joke about the german complaining about being unable to find a decent bagel in berlin.
"and whose fault is that?" emo asked.

The Krugman Blues ~ Loudon Wainwright III

And why isn't Krugman all over the Sunday morning 'news' shows every week? Why are his appearances so infrequent? And why is John not-the-maverick McCain so ubiquitous? These are, of course, rhetorical questions to which anyone in the reality based world knows the answers. Reality does have a liberal bias, as we also know.

And the evidence is lying in plain sight...McConnell was quoted in a NY Times profile as telling his membership that he never wanted to see any of them doing anything that might smack of partisanship on the healthcare bill because that might imply the bill had "merit." He said that to the Times reporter...proudly, and he told the members that even as he continually charged that the Obama administration wasn't being bipartisan.

And exactly how many MSM talking heads have pointed this out?

This morning NPR reported McConnell's latest line, that the bill is still a "work in progress." So there were no consequences at all for McConnell lying; NPR was right there anyway with its steno pad, and letting McConnell get away yet again with his Luntz-inspired dictum of pretending to support Wall Street reform while opposing it into the bargain.

And to add insult to insult, the audio for NPR's quote came from Fox News.

Just 45 minutes ago I heard [what I presume was an economic reporter] on radio station KNBR state the content of the proposed legislation "depended on which side of the aisle" a person listened to. I hadn't had my coffee yet, but that didn't make sense. The content of the legislation is what it is. Granted, it's a "sports station", but the reporter made it sound as profound divide of perception existed between two honest brokers. Which is to say, he pretended to make sense of the intentionally blatant lies of the republican party.

Gregory; NPR is a subsidiary of Faux News . All those NPR folks that hang out there have had their minds poisoned. The have drunk the kool aid of VERY IMPORTANT talking heads and strive to collect the big paychecks just like them. You don't have to tell the truth or even talk sense to grab a piece of the Pie . Just ask Beck,Rush, Hannity, Palin et al

Can't wait to see the Truthie Meter or Fact Check what Paul Krugman said about Mitch McConnell...

"and yes the Fact check is in.....Mitch McConnell a bald faced liar about financial reform:.... and the answer is .............."Correct"

One Response to “The Krugman Blues-Loudin Wainwright III”
RichardH on 2010-02-25 10:45 am

Eric Alterman, in his 10 December 2009 blog post at The Nation, gives the lyrics to the song.

THE KRUGMAN BLUES by Loudon Wainwright III

I read the NY Times it’s where I get my news
Paul Krugman’s on the op-ed page that’s where I get the blues
Cause Paul always tells it like it is we get it blow by blow
Krugman’s got the Nobel prize so Krugman ought to know
When Paul goes on The NewsHour to talk to old Jim Lehrer
He looks so sad and crestfallen it’s more than I can bear
And all the other experts all seem way off base
And I guess that I identify with that pissed off look on Paul’s face
When Paul gets really bummed out that’s when I get scared
But if Paul says there’s a glint of hope I feel we’ve all been spared
Sometimes when he’s on the TV in the back round you can spot his school logo
Krugman teaches at Princeton U so Krugman ought to know
He’s got that hang dog look about him Paul’s one unhappy pup
Krugman looks so downtrodden I wish he’d lighten up
And I know he wants to clue us in concerning our impending doom
But I got The Krugman Blues from all Paul’s gloom
Once I saw Krugman on a train Amtrackin’ to DC
I recognized his sad face cause I seen it on the TV
He looked up from his laptop when I said “Hello Paul”
Then I said “Keep up all the good work, Paul-you bring me down but way
to go, Paul!”

Very Good !