The Ryan Proposal: We Never Learn
From Paul Krugman’s blog:
In the time I’ve been writing for the Times, I’ve watched my colleagues in the commentariat, en masse, agree that:
George Bush is a nice, moderate guy, who will work in a bipartisan way.
George Bush is a heroic leader, who has risen to the occasion.
The case for invading Iraq is overwhelming; only a fool or a Frenchman could fail to be persuaded by Colin Powell.
John McCain is an independent-thinking maverick.
Paul Ryan is an honest, deeply serious thinker who really cares about the deficit.
The tax cut deal paved the way for a new phase of bipartisanship.
The Ryan plan sets a new standard of seriousness.
In each case, any educated citizen with internet access could quickly see overwhelming evidence that these things weren’t true. And you would think that people would learn something from the repeated failure of these kinds of consensus.
And yet LinusCharlie Brown keeps trying to kick that football, over and over again.
