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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Get happy!

Get happy!

by | 50 Comments

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Like many of you, I come to this blog to avoid things like extended debates between non-economists about cash-for-clunkers. Right now, I fear that we may be one strained glibertarian analogy and a couple of order-of-magnitude errors away from getting heh-indeeded by Conor Friedersdorf (where heh indeed equals a thousand word post in which all parties are given the title of “mister”).

So I’m providing a respite: a news story about a new Time product aimed at adults and a brilliant Onion parody of a Time column about slashing Social Security via bipartisanship.

Reader Interactions

50Comments

  1. 1.

    beltane

    Sure, Doug. You’re just trying to distract us from the car wreck below by making us laugh. Are all these EDK postings intended to prove once and for all that libertarians are very silly people? If so, you have succeeded.

    Now if I could only find a copy of Atlas Shrugged to use as kindling in the wood stove….

  4. 4.

    Trinity

    Ok if DougJ is trying to lighten the mood around here should I just assume he is + something??

  5. 5.

    Robert Waldmann

    I am a fully trained economist with an actual PhD and, sir, I think that in the face of this sophomoric post all I can say is

    heh indeed.

  8. 8.

    MikeJ

    “None of my friends want to read a bunch of out of touch trend pieces about virginity pledges.”

  9. 9.

    schrodinger's cat

    Why are all these libertarians so long winded? EDK here, Conor F on Daily Dish, not to mention Ayn Rand, they go on and on and on. Zzzzzz….

  10. 10.

    Pangloss

    How can you admonish us to “Get Happy” when your post contains information that the beloved children’s character Joe Klein is leaving Time?

  12. 12.

    Balconesfault

    I’m particularly impressed on how Onion commandeered space on Time’s website.

    But the piece definitely goes over the top with the implied assertion that were Obama not talking about Social Security now, that the Republicans would actually work with him in January.

    That’s too silly for even Halperin to propose.

  15. 15.

    Shinobi

    Thanks doug, can we get back to worshiping the MUP and making fun of republicans in our happy echo chamber now? I’m tired of all this dissent.

  16. 16.

    Culture of Truth

    he sometimes can be tone-deaf to the human element required to change Washington’s acid culture.
    (See pictures of Obama signing the health care bill.)

    Bad Obama, bad!!

  19. 19.

    Culture of Truth

    Don’t you mean “achieving bipartisanship through slashing Social Security”?

  21. 21.

    Tractarian

    My sentiments exactly, Doug.

    Apparently Shinobi has no idea what you are complaining about. Here’s a hint: it has nothing to do with “dissent”!

  24. 24.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Balconesfault:

    But the piece definitely goes over the top with the implied assertion that were Obama not talking about Social Security now, that the Republicans would actually work with him in January.

    It is just amazing. From ‘death panels’ to re-writing the Constitution, there is nothing Republicans can do to convince the Liberal Media that they have gone off the rails, and if Obama would just reach out, seek honest, reasonable compromise….

  26. 26.

    burnspbesq

    Let me see if I’ve got this straight: Mark Halperin is ripping Obama a new one for putting partisanship ahead of the public interest?

    Mark Halperin?

    That IS funny.

  27. 27.

    kwAwk

    Like many of you, I come to this blog to avoid things like extended debates between non-economists about cash-for-clunkers.

    That is pretty funny. Like you think economists are enabled with superpowers bestowed upon them with a piece of paper at the end of a few years of subservience.

  28. 28.

    Stefan

    I love how the Times op-ed (it has to be an op-ed, right? It can’t really be a piece of sober news analysis) goes on for several paragraphs about how mean the mean old Democrats are for daring, daring! to suggest that Republicans would destroy Social Security, and then adds “Also, with some prominent Republicans still calling for a fundamental change to the system by adding private accounts, the GOP has opened itself up to political attack.”

    So, yes — I suppose the Republicans have, by calling for Social Security to be destroyed, given Democrats an opening to charge that Republicans want to destroy Social Security — but that simply can’t justify Democrats making this baseful, founded, sourced attack!

  30. 30.

    Comrade Javamanphil

    @schrodinger’s cat: When your entire philosophy is “I’ll do whatever I want!”, dressing it up in many many words is the only way to make it seem serious. Libertarians are just toddlers with better vocabulary.

  32. 32.

    Comrade Javamanphil

    I am actually surprised that Halperin piece didn’t include a graphic letting me know John McCain won the week.

  35. 35.

    Stefan

    Also, too:

    A bipartisan partnership on Social Security — as on every other tough issue, including Afghanistan, immigration, energy, education, deficit reduction and jobs — is going to require trust: trust between the President and Republican leaders to stand up jointly to the extreme forces in Congress

    Um, is there any difference at all between “Republican leaders” and “the extreme forces in Congress”?

    ….On Social Security, that means Obama will have to support raising the retirement age and cutting some benefits, while Republicans will have to back some increased taxation.

    Republicans backing some increased taxation. This will totally happen. Totally.

  37. 37.

    Anoniminous

    If Obama had been born a US citizen instead of a Kenyan IslamoBaby none of this would have been necessary.

    It’s a harsh world and someone has to state the harsh truths.

  39. 39.

    El Cid

    FWIW, used car prices had increased substantially before C4C. Before Obama was even elected, you should have gone looking for relatively recent models with good reputations and decent fuel efficiency, and you were looking at $10K.

    So just showing that used car prices increased doesn’t mean that C4C was the main variable in the increase in used car prices, unless someone more closely correlates that.

  40. 40.

    Culture of Truth

    Let me see if I’ve got this straight: Mark Halperin is ripping Obama a new one for putting partisanship ahead of the public interest?

    Yes, and (stop laughing) he defines excessive partisanship as not gutting Social Security

  41. 41.

    DougJ

    @jl:

    More entertaining because it’s like the anti-Atlantic: they are total pricks to each other when they disagree.

  42. 42.

    merrinc

    @cleek:

    Agreed. If offered the choice between reading an entire Halperin article or being smacked in the head, I’ll take the latter.

  44. 44.

    RareSanity

    I would have paid to hear this statement:

    I fear that we may be one strained glibertarian analogy and a couple of order-of-magnitude errors away from getting heh-indeeded by Conor Friedersdorf

    actually vocalized by DougJ when he thought it (hopefully after a few cocktails). Imparting all of the sarcastic contempt that the voice in head is using.

    Well done, sir.

    Well done.

  47. 47.

    And Another Thing...

    Oh, for crying out loud, Mark Halperin’s blaming the Dems for supporting Social Security and trying to victimize Repubs over SocSec. Effing clueless. The ex-senator (but still idiot) from Wyoming is characterizing SocSec as “a milk cow with 310 million tits!” Wow, that’s a productive negotiating strategy.

  48. 48.

    victory

    This debate does not belong on the front page. However, if E.D. would actually partake in the comments this would not be on the front page.

    It’s almost like E.D. is just spamming BJ, i.e. drive-by front page posting with no comment support what-so-ever.

    I can understand not getting into the trenches to debate a troll, but if the owner of this site makes a good faith comment on a post of yours I would think said author of post would owe it to the community, or the owner even, to respond and prevent what is happening now, a front page pillow fight.

  50. 50.

    Nick

    But if Obama just stood up strong and stood on principal, everyone would respect him and fear him and would write about how strong and principaled he is.

    oh wait,

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