Cliffs Notes Krugman.

Save a bit of your time this Monday; here's the summary:

How goes the state of the union? Well, the state of the economy remains terrible. Three years after President Obama’s inauguration and two and a half years since the official end of the recession, unemployment remains painfully high.

But there are reasons to think that we’re finally on the (slow) road to better times. And we wouldn’t be on that road if Mr. Obama had given in to Republican demands that he slash spending, or the Federal Reserve had given in to Republican demands that it tighten money.

Why am I letting a bit of optimism break through the clouds?
...
We have failed to provide significant mortgage relief, which could have moved us much more quickly to lower debt. And even if my hoped-for virtuous circle is getting under way, it will be years before we get to anything resembling full employment.

But things could have been worse; they would have been worse if we had followed the policies demanded by Mr. Obama’s opponents. ...

And if this year’s election brings the wrong ideology to power, America’s nascent recovery might well be snuffed out.

He's primarily a Journolist, remember, who came up in the Ezra Klein school of factual analysis in his media writing.

Plus, like with the ladies, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Krugman was musically moved by that, "Good or bad, happy or sad ... I'll be loving you forever, together". Barry that tease. Turning it on 3 years in, just enough to give 'em a taste of what they might be missing out on, and surely this time he'll perform as promised, no? Crazy, sexxy, cool. ;-)

Hope springs eternal,
and Journolists like Krugman seem to time their opto-mism accordingly:
Find the data that support "Have to admit it's getting better..." happytalk; point out that no matter how low the bar, warmed-over mediocrity surely beats what the Republican fiscal conservatives have planned on the menu...