Paul Krugman: Who’s Serious Now?

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/opinion/15krugman.html?_r=1

Who’s Serious Now?
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: April 14, 2011


Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, sounds upset. And you can see why: President Obama, to the great relief of progressives, has called his bluff.

Last week, Mr. Ryan unveiled his budget proposal, and the initial reaction of much of the punditocracy was best summed up (sarcastically) by the blogger John Cole: “The plan is bold! It is serious! It took courage! It re-frames the debate! The ball is in Obama’s court! Very wonky! It is a game-changer! Did I mention it is serious?”

Then people who actually understand budget numbers went to work, and it became clear that the proposal wasn’t serious at all. In fact, it was a sick joke. The only real things in it were savage cuts in aid to the needy and the uninsured, huge tax cuts for corporations and the rich, and Medicare privatization. All the alleged cost savings were pure fantasy.

On Wednesday, as I said, the president called Mr. Ryan’s bluff: after offering a spirited (and reassuring) defense of social insurance, he declared, “There’s nothing serious about a plan that claims to reduce the deficit by spending a trillion dollars on tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. And I don’t think there’s anything courageous about asking for sacrifice from those who can least afford it and don’t have any clout on Capitol Hill.” Actually, the Ryan plan calls for $2.9 trillion in tax cuts, but who’s counting?

And then Mr. Obama laid out a budget plan that really is serious.

snip//

What happened over the past two weeks, then, was more about staking out positions than about enacting policies. On one side you had a combination of mean-spiritedness and fantasy; on the other you had a reaffirmation of American compassion and community, coupled with fairly realistic numbers. Which would you choose? 

[Dkc05]

1. Ryan the stooge......

Ha ha

[charmay]

2. I'm ashamed

of living in the same state as him. At least he not in my district.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Don't be ashamed. Use him as the poster boy and shame the Republicans.

If that is possible. At least shame those that voted for him.


Government is not the problem.
Republicans are the problem.

[LiberalFighter]

3. He needs to be stomped over and over.

[animato]

18. I secretly love this

though I am a pacifist!

[MannyGoldstein]

5. And the "compromise" will be Simpson-Bowles

Fabulous.

[babylonsister]

6. All your predictions have not panned out, Manny; I'll wait and see. nt

[MannyGoldstein]

7. My track record's not bad.

Once he named Rahm Emanual, Larry Summers, and so forth, it was clear that Obama would turn hard right.

Health care "reform" didd not include a public option.

Obama "caved" on the tax cuts.

And Obama is still calling for Social Security benefit cuts.

[ProSense]

11. No, it's horrible

Bowles-Simpson wasn't approved

Congress didn't pass it

The President didn't sign it

And the President didn't call for cuts to Social Security in his SOTU.

[MannyGoldstein]

12. Wrong, true so far, true so far, wrong.

Thanks for playing.

[Solomon]

14. Shoot. If you bet money on your many predictions you'd not only

be flat broke, but your deficit would be larger than the country's.

[MannyGoldstein]

15. Perhaps you can point to one example

Or apologize.

[BeyondGeography]

8. And now the true believer Pubs hate Ryan for weaseling out of voting against the unions

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2011/apr/14/congress-paul-ryan-didnt-read-the-damn-bill

He's done.

[ladjf]

9. It seems that somebody has been educating the President. He's

beginning to sound like a person that knows some things about Governing. nt

[Kber]

10. Just saw this on the NYT site and hoped someone had posted it.

Thanks!

[Johnny2X2X]

13. Wow

I was surprised that the Republicans will actually vote on the Ryan budget. Seriously? They want to go on record as wanting to dismantle Medicare? They want to go on record as wanting to give $2.7 Trillion to the rich on the backs of Seniors and the Poor? I didn't think it was a serious budget, but they want to vote on it. Wow, a bigger gift to Obama could not be given for next years election campaign.

My only question is do they really want to be on record like this? It seems to good to be true if you're a Democrat, maybe it's a trap.

[opihimoimoi]

16. GET PELOSI back into the Speaker Chair....she is First String...Boner is rookie

[animato]

17. This has been a great week in Democratic politics! n/t