Krugman: "Galt / Gekko 2012"

[Hissyspit]

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/11/galt-gekko-2012/?smid=tw-NytimesKrugman&seid=auto

August 11, 2012, 3:45 PM

Galt / Gekko 2012

- snip -

There is, I gather, lots of horse-race speculation: It’s a disaster! No, it changes the conversation away from Bain and those missing tax returns! I have no idea who’s right.

What I do know is that anyone who believes in Ryan’s carefully cultivated image as a brave, honest policy wonk has been snookered. Mark Thoma reviews selected pieces I’ve written about Ryan; he is, in fact, a big fraud, who doesn’t care at all about fiscal responsibility, and whose policy proposals are sloppy as well as dishonest. Of course, this means that he’ll fit in to the Romney campaign just fine.

As I said, I have no idea how this will play politically. But it does look like a move from weakness, rather than strength; Romney obviously felt he needed a VP who will get people to stop talking about him.

[Berlum]

1. Nailed it.

[The Magistrate]

2. Give The Gentleman a Big Ceegar, Ma'am: We Have Our Winner!

"Romney loves America like a tick loves a dog."

[Viva_Daddy]

3. Grover Norquist famously said he wanted to drown the (Government) baby in the bath tub.

Once the American voters get a load of the details in the Paul Ryan budget, the Democrats will be able to use it as a noose to finally hang around the neck of the Right Wing Republicans and bring an end to their insanity. That's my hope and prediction regarding Mitt's pick of Ryan as Veep.

[Tennessee Gal]

5. Norquist also said:

Paraphrasing .... All Republicans need is a President with enough working digits to sign the Ryan tax plan.

Disgusting.

[Fozzledick]

4. This choice shows weakness in multiple ways.

First off in that it's simply a poor choice, not someone actually capable of doing the job, as if that's not even a consideration.

Secondly in that it shows inability to stand up for a serious choice in the face of political pressure from the party's extremists.

But mainly in that it shows that Romney's main concern is defending his crumbling right flank from his own party's base rather than even trying to capture the uncommitted middle.

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. If it shows weakness at all it's only the fundamental weakness of the Republicans...

as a party with no actual plans for governance or serious fiscal policy. Their idea of fiscal policy is tax cuts and eliminating spending on everything but the military. Because spending tax dollars on infrastructure and education is socialist but building more aircraft carriers and Joint Strike Fighters is patriotic! (Which reminds one of the old line about Prussia as "an army with a country", frankly; that doesn't seem too far off the Republican vision for America). Tax cuts and eliminating the Department of Education, the EPA, Medicare, Social Security, and any form of benefits/food stamps/welfare are not actually a governing policy. This pretty much throws into stark relief the essential and meaningful difference between Democrats and Republicans; the GOP has become a party of ideologues, in both their broad base and their elected officials and candidates' Democrats seem to be much more pragmatic in many respects (at least those in elected office).

[backscatter712]

6. Well said, Krugman! K&R!

[hifiguy]

7. Krugman just won himself a lady in

the balcony. This is going to be epic!

[alterfurz]

8. (via Daily Kos) Vulture/Voucher 2012: You People Are On Your Own

[IDemo]

9. Is Paul a DU reader

or is this already a common theme?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1113116

[Motown_Johnny]

10. Isn't it Gekko / Galt ?

[We are Devo]

12. My two crushes...

Paul K. and Matt Taibbi