Paul Krugman is not my cup of tea. Even when he writes things that I agree with, which is almost never, he manages to strike tones of smugness and condescension that make my skin crawl. Of course, just because I feel this way doesn’t mean everyone should.
Viewpoint
What’s Missing from the Obama Campaign’s Strategy Video
Michael Scherer noticed four things in the Obama campaign’s new video about its strategy for getting the President reelected in 2012. Let me add one more: At no point in the six-minute video does campaign manager Jim Messina even hint at a reason why the president ought to be reelected in 2012.
The Clown Candidacy
In the annals of political reportage, I thought perhaps we’d hit bottom last week with this: a fake journalist interviewing a fake presidential candidate about a campaign that will never exist. Meghan McCain and Trump banter …
Is the Fed Failing?
If Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke had a tank, I wouldn’t just be in it; I’d probably be the bouncer checking ID’s at the door. I wrote the 2009 Person of the Year profile that credited him with saving the global …
Time to Cut the Budget? AARP Is Your Enemy
I have been 50 years old for about ten weeks now, and already I have received five identical invitations to join AARP, the group formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons. This wasteful barrage would be enough to make me hate AARP, except for the fact that I started hating AARP 30 years ago and never stopped. Let me …
Poor Standards
The news that Standard & Poor’s has decided to issue a warning that the US government’s AAA bond rating might be in some jeopardy if a deficit-reduction agreement isn’t reached should elicit several responses from sophisticated readers. My own threshold response is: Hey, weren’t you the same guys who gave AAA ratings to the repackaged …
Obama’s Obsession With Tax Rates Belies the Real Issue
The long-term fiscal picture of the U.S. government is all kinds of crazy—that seems to be the one thing everyone in Washington can agree to. A full examination of every budgetary delusion, fantasy and mania would require a tome the size of the Bible, so for now I want to look at just one madness: The Democratic obsession with the top …
Stay Classy, TSA
Ever since the TSA started putting back-scatter devices into use at selected airports last fall, I’ve been waiting to have the chance to opt out and register a one-woman protest against the machines. (Jeff Goldberg doesn’t get to have all the fun.) However, most of my recent air travel has been with a tiny traveling companion, and I’ve …
