If you haven’t checked out that James Pethokoukis atrocity that John linked to, here’s a taste from April, 2008:
As a movie buff, I keep looking for the right cinematic analogy for the American economy. Try this one: It’s like the Terminator. Not the Schwarzenegger one—the other one, the Terminator from the second film. You could empty a shotgun—or in this case, an imploding housing market, credit crunch, and high oil prices—into that morphing metal dude, and before you know it, the thing’s all healed and chasing you again.
Why would anyone listen to this douchebag opine about a government default? Why would anyone continue to employ this douchebag as a financial economist? He makes Megan McArdle sound like Joseph Stiglitz.
No wonder we’re in the shape we’re in.
Spaghetti Lee
I suppose there will always be a market for people who tell you that everything’s OK and you don’t have to change anything you’re doing or think to hard about it. That’s a part of libertarianism’s toxic appeal, certainly.
different church-lady
You know, I like this joint. I have fun here. Sometimes I learn stuff.
But I am beginning to wonder why, no matter what the topic, events, or circumstances, about 4/5ths of all the posts involve ranting about or reacting something some other blogger or political operative said.
jwb
different church-lady: blogs are as blogs do. You may as well complain about gravity.
El Cid
The only way to be right about the economy is to have been and still be spectacularly wrong about the economy; it’s an even more radical version of artificial selection than only including voices who supported the invasion & occupation of Iraq. Except it’s now OK to be against the Iraq invasion and occupation retroactively, although it’s still required that you believe that the SURGE avoided the Baghdad ethnic cleansing which actually took place. With economics, you have to continue to be wrong, as long as you don’t in any way suggest that the economics of ‘overstuff the rich’ and ‘gubmit cain’t do nuthin’ but pay the damn welfare cheats’ are wrong, you’re OK.
The Dangerman
His best GUESS is that driving at high rates of speed near that high, steep cliff shouldn’t be too dangerous. His GUESS gives me the warm fuzzies.
It’s 5:30 local and I’m still sober; this will change in short order.
scav
here, different church-lady, maybe you’ll like this non-blog factoid as much as I did. They’re not quite sure they can go after James Murdoch for lying to Parliament because they haven’t fined anyone for doing it since 1666. Based solely on that minor little detail, there’s a certain concern that the action has fallen into desuetude (disuse). Now there’s a government. Neat word too.
Ol' Dirty DougJ
He’s a “journalist”, works for Reuters.
different church-lady
Fine. Then add journalist to my litany of “complaint”.
Poopyman
@jwb:
Don’t get me started!
Mark S.
Being spectacularly wrong about the economy is okay as long as you advocate Tax Cuts for Job Creators.
Southern Beale
Grover Norquist to the rescue.
Jesus, I hate this country sometimes. I want to start dating other nations.
J.W. Hamner
He does realize that the T-1000 dies in that movie, right?
Mark S.
@Southern Beale:
Wha? Obama didn’t have Grover murdered and replaced with an impostor, did he?
Not that I’d be opposed to that.
Southern Beale
Just OH MY GOD.
Ruckus
Southern Beale
Jesus, I hate this country sometimes. I want to start dating other nations.
I’ve tried that. Most other nations are too smart to allow political refugees from the US.
Davis X. Machina
@Southern Beale: Well, you’ve already got a virtual statute against ‘driving while black’ — why not ‘not-driving while black’?
joel hanes, sp4
+ Abbey Affligem Dubbel
Say, for what were hop-yards meant,
Or why was Burton built on Trent:
Oh many a peer of England brews
Livelier liquor than the Muse,
And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God’s ways to man.
Ale, man, ale’s the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think:
Look into the pewter pot
To see the world as the world’s not.
And faith, ’tis pleasant till ’tis past:
The mischief is that ’twill not last.
Oh I have been to Ludlow fair
And left my necktie God knows where,
And carrried half-way home, or near,
Pints and quarts of Ludlow beer:
Then the world seemed none so bad,
And I myself a sterling lad;
And down in lovely muck I’ve lain,
Happy till I woke again.
Then I saw the morning sky:
Heighho, the tale was all a lie;
The world, it was the old world yet,
I was I, my things were wet,
And nothing now remained to do
But begin the game anew.
Mnemosyne
@Southern Beale:
Don’t worry — Timmy the troll will be along any second now to let us know that there couldn’t possibly be a race-related reason why a black mother was sentenced to three years in prison because her child ran into the street while the white driver who hit and ran is already out on probation despite his multiple drunk driving and hit and run convictions.