Friday, February 3

Economist ... or political pundit.

Today, Krugman shows his hand:

The jobs report was definitely the best news we’ve had in a while.

The usual caveats apply: it could be a blip, it might be an artifact of seasonal adjustment, etc.. Also, the gap remains huge. Suppose that we need 100,000 jobs a month to keep up with population growth, and that we’re 10 million jobs in the hole — both conservative estimates. Then we need about 7 years of growth at this rate to restore full employment.
...
Still, genuinely good news. And I’m surprised that there wasn’t more action on Intrade; I’d say that Obama’s chances are looking significantly better.

Shorter Krugman:
Goooooo Obama! Surely this means a November win!
So much for economics being an honest scientific study, eh?

Lol. And so much for caring about the ... little people. Nevermind all those who have dropped out of the job market, or don't count as unemployed because the benefits have run out. Spin, spin, spin: Everything's getting better folks. We'll just borrow our way to happiness.*

(It's just surprising, the partisanship, coming from the prizewinning economist. The political reporters at the Times, well they're reporting the White House is popping the corks already. I guess things are good back in elite liberal land, and they're going to promise government goodies to keep the "very poor" nicely cushioned and wrapped up snug in that permanent safety net...)

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* (and bail out the underwater mortgages, replace the missing parents, feed your kids breakfast lunch and dinner, and promise you the moon for little or no effort of your own, courtesy of fellow taxpayers. The promised Hope and Change rematerializes, just in time! ... Not.)