Krugman: The Fire Last Time

[highplainsdem]

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/the-fire-last-time/

Dean Baker has exactly the right metaphor for journalists asking the really dumb “are you better off” question:

Suppose your house is on fire and the firefighters race to the scene. They set up their hoses and start spraying water on the blaze as quickly as possible. After the fire is put out, the courageous news reporter on the scene asks the chief firefighter, “is the house in better shape than when you got here?”

Yes, that would be a really ridiculous question.

…

A serious reporter asks the fire chief if he had brought a large enough crew, if they enough hoses, if the water pressure was sufficient. That might require some minimal knowledge of how to put out fires.

Obama came to office in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. The question should be how well he dealt with that crisis — and in particular whether the man seeking to replace him would have done better.

-snip-

[ananda]

1. Good analogy!

nt

[reformist2]

2. Good answer. We should actually welcome the chance to talk about four years ago!

The more I think about it, the more I think the GOP is actually making a mistake of bringing Dubya and the financial crash back into the conversation. They have always been saying that we're blaming Bush for everything, but now we get to say, "well you keep bringing it up!"

[BootinUp]

3. correct. nt

[Purrfessor]

4. A good analogy but it could have gone further...

Imagine that Obama was the firefighter manning the fire hose, trying his best to extinguish the blaze. Back on the street, however, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor stood guarding the fire hydrant they had adjusted to keep the water pressure at barely a trickle. All the while they are screaming at the neighbors who had gathered to watch the fire, blaming Obama for his inability to put the blaze out fast enough to save a majority of the house.

[riderinthestorm]

5. Great addition. K&R nt