Krugman: The upper hand is on the other foot

[Fumesucker]

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/shorting-out-the-wiring/?_r=0

For the moment, at least, the shutdown and the general scene of insanity in Congress is clearly hurting the Republican brand. And there’s a whole small industry of crunching numbers on the 1995-6 shutdown, etc., to estimate the likely impact on next year’s elections. For now the conventional wisdom is that the impact will be small, not nearly enough to restore Democratic control.

I have no idea whether that’s right. But as I was reading the various news reports, it occurred to me that there’s a subtler but possibly profound form of damage the GOP is doing to itself, one that will cast its shadow for a long time.

It goes back to something Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo used to say — that Washington is, in effect, wired for Republicans. Ever since Reagan, the Beltway has treated Republicans as the natural party of government. Sunday talk shows would feature a preponderance of Republicans even if Democrats held the White House and one or both houses of Congress. John McCain was featured on those shows so often you would think he won in 2008.

And there was a general presumption of Republican competence. It’s hard to believe now, but Bush was treated as a highly effective leader who knew what he was doing right up to Katrina, while Clinton — now viewed with such respect — was treated as a bungling interloper for much of his presidency. Even in the last few years there was a rush to canonize Paul Ryan as a superwonk, when it was quite obvious if you looked that politics aside, he was just incompetent at number-crunching.

(...)

Read the entire piece at the link.

[Jefferson23]

1. K&R, well said. n/t

[Laelth]

2. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[myrna minx]

3. K&R - Excellent piece. n/t

[xchrom]

4. du rec.

[Democat]

5. Republicans are also further damaging their brand with young Americans

The Republican base is aging quickly, and the party appears intent on offending every young person in America.

[Snake Plissken]

6. Paul Ryan is a perfect example of the GOP Media Marketing Machine he was this financial super genius

until he could no longer avoid opening his mouth to answer a question.

The myth was alive and well as long as he limited himself to giving canned speeches at GOP fundraisers and was coddled and protected by the right wing media. He should have never accepted the VP nomination, but he was too stupid not to. Now he's just another one of the morons parroting the propaganda handed to them by the right wing think tanks who are commissioned to write their script.

[Stuart G]

7. Thank you for this great post..K and R.

Krugman has clearly made clear a change in the game. It is going to kill the teaparty for good.

[Gothmog]

8. Good editorial

Prof Krugman is in good form

[99Forever]

9. K&R

[mtasselin]

10. Ryan

As of now I think most people have figured that Ryan is behind this whole mess in Washington, he thinks he is right and in the shadows doing what he does best which of course is to lie.

[Lasher]

11. Washington is wired for Republicans and K Street is the electrician.

That electrician's name is Money.