Krugman: Not With A Bang But With A Whimper

[ProSense]

Not With A Bang But With A Whimper



When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. I thought that by ruling out any way to bypass the debt limit, the White House was setting itself up, at least potentially, for an ignominious cave-in. But it appears that the strategy has worked, and it’s the Republicans giving up. I’m happy to concede that the president and team called this one right.

And it’s a big deal. Yes, the GOP could come back on the debt ceiling, but that seems unlikely. It could try to make a big deal of the sequester, but that’s a lot more like the fiscal cliff than it is like the debt ceiling: not good, but not potentially catastrophic, and therefore poor terrain for the “we’re crazier than you are” strategy. And while Republicans could shut down the government, my guess is that Democrats would actually be gleeful at that prospect: the PR would be overwhelmingly favorable for Obama, and again, not much risk of blowing up the world.

<...>

A good day for sanity, all around.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/not-with-a-bang-but-with-a-whimper/

LOL!

Obituary (Hastert Rule)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022201871

[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[Cha]

2. Wow! This should be big news.. Paul Krugman admitting

the President and his Team were right and he was wrong. I'm impressed! Not that he wouldn't be capable.. just that not that many people do that!

Thanks Pro Sense.. for the Poker Face Kitty pic, too.

"A good day for sanity, all around."

[FreeBC]

3. I like someone who is able to concede when the other guy was right

Krugman is right about almost everything, so perhaps it's a refreshing change of pace for him.

[coldbeer]

5. Krugman is right about almost everything

I think so. But I think he is setting them up.
Probably telling Obama to say he is not going
to kick the can. Obama has them by the nuts
and now he has to squeeze. The house has a job
to do and are cowards.

[Playinghardball]

4. Kick!

[annabanana]

6. I'm sure that Krugman would have been more than happy to be wrong

on more than one occasion.

There are many many times when I wish that he had been wrong, that's for sure.

[DevonRex]

7. Why ProSense, why isn't this getting lots of joyful replies?

Seems like it would be, right? I'm happy! It turned out just the way I knew it would and just like anybody with a political brain knew it would. Krugman is great at econ but he really sucks at politics, poor guy. That's OK. Obama's got that part covered. But maybe PK needs to concede that after 4 years, eh?

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. Krugman is honorable enough to admit when he's wrong...some of our "progressive" friends lack that

quality.

It's too bad.

[DevonRex]

20. Yes he is. I think that is why he does it to begin with

to tell you the truth. Just like Obama does sometimes. PK pretends to be outraged, gets the progressives' attention, they're with him all the way, and then PK admits he was wrong and Obama was right. So, Obama and Krugman work together quite well for real progressives' political education. The phony progressives just ignore it when everything works out and move on to some other complaint.

That's why FDL can't be trusted. Good for a giggle though when they look so desperate.

[backscatter712]

8. I'd say Obama played it right.

By refusing to use the 14th Amendment, or the trillion-dollar coin, the President was keeping the pressure on the House Republicans.

If he'd averted the crisis with one of those two tactics, it would have removed any motivation for the GOP to change their ways, and the next hostage situation would be even worse.

Obama simply said "You're the House, the Constitution says you've got the purse strings, here are the bills that need to be paid, come up with a solution. I'm not going to let you extract concessions from me by your hostage-taking, so your choices are to raise the debt ceiling and come up with a budget, or let the government default and shut down. If you don't do your job, the consequences are all on you!"

The GOP's still smarting from last November's asskicking, and they know if they keep pissing off the voters, they're going to lose the House in 2014. They'll threaten, but they don't have the stomach for carrying out their threats, so it's all a bluff.

[Hekate]

9. Yes, Dr. Krugman, it is a BFD!

Thanks for being gentleman about admitting it worked, sir.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. Eliot's elision of the second "with" remains the better phrasing

[bluedigger]

12. Everybody is missing the big picture.

The Krugster just put a kitteh meme in the Opinion section of the NYT.

[ProSense]

14. .

[CitizenLeft]

15. OMG... I had to look to see that... he really did!

[demmiblue]

16. OK, that is too funny!

[caseymoz]

17. .

[MannyGoldstein]

13. Let's keep our fingers crossed nt

[caseymoz]

18. Krugman was right, but . . .

I think Repubs knew it was time to fold when the Koch Brothers abandoned the fight.

I don't know if that was Obama's doing or not.

They've kicked the can down the road another three months with the idea that their position might be stronger then. I think that's a bad gamble on their part.

[arely staircase]

19. the election is finally starting to sink in with these people

eom

[ProSense]

22. Yeah, the realization is causing discord.

[another_liberal]

21. Another great cat picture!

Another great cat picture, and a man with the personal greatness to admit he was wrong! Krugman is OK with me.