Mid-term aftermath, in a nutshell
Germany, China, and Sarah Palin all agree: Ben Bernanke is buying too many bonds. Meanwhile, Paul Krugman prepares to launch a new line of bumper stickers that say: “Whatever you’re doing, it’s not enough.”
Obama goes to India , sells some planes, promises to support India’s bid for a permanent UN seat but declines an invitation to call Pakistan a “terrorist state”. He also lets drop that he is “constantly reading and studying” Gandhi, MLK, and Abraham Lincoln. (How long until someone notes the absence of JC on that list?)
The next Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has said of health care reform, “There’s a lot of tricks up our sleeves in terms of how we can dent this, kick it, slow it down to make sure it never happens.” That’s great, says Ross Douthat, but the election results have otherwise caught Republicans with their policy pants down.
Some defeated Democrats and the NYT are calling on Nancy Pelosi to give up her leadership job for the good of the party.
World Bank president calls for a return of the gold standard, prompting name-calling from the econoprofosphere.
Suze Orman triumphs: Americans continue to pay off debt instead of spending.
And note to on-line editors who want to drive web-site traffic and reader comments: Tell Americans they are not so special.