The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Glimmer Of Understanding From Ezra

Posted on | April 10, 2011 | 3 Comments

by Smitty

Even the eyes of the most deadened zombie can occasionally hint at understanding.

There is good reason to think that Boehner will be a much more formidable opponent for Obama than Gingrich was for Clinton.
So why were Reid and Obama so eager to celebrate Boehner’s compromise with his conservative members? The Democrats believe it’s good to look like a winner, even if you’ve lost. But they’re sacrificing more than they let on. By celebrating spending cuts, they’ve opened the door to further austerity measures at a moment when the recovery remains fragile. Claiming political victory now opens the door to further policy defeats later.

Yeah, don’t let the ocular sprinkler system fool you: Boehner would not have made it where he is without some savvy. Even Princess Pelosi has her low animal cunning.
Look at the tell: “it’s good to look like a winner, even if you’ve lost“. Hey, Ezra: Socialism is an utter, abject, systemic, historical failure. Utopia is simply not for sale at any price. If your ideas are fundamentally baked, then no amount of botox and makeup are going to bring more than a transient, superficial appearance of success. If you want to avoid losing, focus the fundamentals of winning. Crikey.
. . .opened the door to further austerity measures at a moment when the recovery remains fragile.
So we’ve paused in the drinking long enough to feel the first pang of the hangover to come. Now, we can reach for more tequila, or commence hydrating. “Claiming political victory now” is reaching for the former. And it’s not about “further policy defeats later“, Ezra: we’re talking about managing economic calamity. You seem stuck in theater mode, where it’s all about costumes, lighting, and dialogue. There is no spinning reality, Klein. Economic gravity is bringing the social welfare state crashing down, in the U.S. and in Europe.
The chief application of your writing seems to be a tool for rube identification. None of the people who have a clue, e.g. Sowell and Hanson, take you seriously. But keep paying attention. With age and sobriety, a clue may find you.

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