Does Paul Krugman Give You the Blues?
The biweekly New York Times-columnist has his latest piece of despondent wisdom here where he writes about a policy "that will blight the lives of millions of working families" (the policy in question is fiscal austerity--cutting spending).
Liberals have never been fonts of American optimism, but Paul's deep-well seems to have run dry. American folk singer, Loudon Wainwright, sums up Krugman's sad-sack shtick on his latest album, Songs for the New Depression. His rip-roaring song The Krugman Blues is worth a listen—if Wainwright can make the dour Professor Krugman worth a smile, then he is a true master of his craft. Talk about making a purse out of a sow's ear.
If you listen to the whole album, you'll see that Wainwright obviously identifies with Krugman's lefty politics. Wainwright is, after all, a folk singer. But that doesn't stop him from getting to the essence of the "pissed off look on Paul's face," and revealing the sulking man behind the frown that is the NYT's beloved and bellowing pug.
I read the NY Times it's where I get my news
Paul Krugman's on the op-ed page that's where I get the blues
Cause Paul always tells it like it is we get it blow by blow
Krugman's got the Nobel prize so Krugman ought to know
When Paul goes on The News Hour to talk to old Jim Lehrer
He looks so sad and crestfallen it's more than I can bear
And all the other experts all seem way off base
And I guess that I identify with that pissed off look on Paul's face...
Once I saw Krugman on a train Amtrackin' to DC
I recognized his sad face cause I seen it on the TV
He looked up from his laptop when I said "Hello Paul"
Then I said "Keep up all the good work, Paul-you bring me down but way to go, Paul!"
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Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Does Paul Krugman Give You the Blues?
Eh, give me High, Wide, and Handsome, the Charlie Poole Project - now THATS a Wainwright album!
These folksy types always give me a laugh. They decry and lament the sad situation of things in their songs and then praise people like FDR who got them into this situation in the first place.
They listen to NPR and the NYT and follow their advice, then complain when said advice drives the economy down and 'folks' suffer in the aftermath.
Oh well, at least it makes for good songs.... You don't hear any folk songs called, "I'm well fed, my wife and dog didn't leave me, and everything is just great." Or, "Thank you free markets, you help make my dreams come true."
Jun '10
Re: Does Paul Krugman Give You the Blues?
From: Fannie, Freddie and You, by Paul Krugman, NYT, 7/14/08
But here’s the thing: Fannie and Freddie had nothing to do with the explosion of high-risk lending a few years ago, an explosion that dwarfed the S.& L. fiasco. In fact, Fannie and Freddie, after growing rapidly in the 1990s, largely faded from the scene during the height of the housing bubble. [...] Still, isn’t it shocking that taxpayers may end up having to rescue these institutions? Not really. We’re going through a major financial crisis — and such crises almost always end with some kind of taxpayer bailout for the banking system. And let’s be clear: Fannie and Freddie can’t be allowed to fail. With the collapse of subprime lending, they’re now more central than ever to the housing market, and the economy as a whole.
May '10
Re: Does Paul Krugman Give You the Blues?
A depressed Krugman actually has quite the uplifting effect on my economic spirits, folk song or none. When Krugman is down he's usually saying things like, "Ooooh bother, the government isn't spending enough of you saps' money."
When Paul Krugman is cheerful, on the other hand...