Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Reality shock spreads (Brad DeLong)

My estimable friend Brad DeLong ("What A Long Strange Trip It's Been...") thinks back to the days when economist Paul Krugman was attacked as "shrill" by right-wing spokespersons and their dupes for pointing out the pervasive mendacity, irresponsibility, and incompetence of the Bush administration--something that is now obvious to (almost) everyone. In those days, the Ancient and Hermetic Order of the Shrill was just a small lonely band crying out in the wilderness. Now it practically has to turn new applicants away, as even mainstream pseudo-pundits and right-wing journalists flock to join.
[....] back in those old days, as I was saying, few would ever have thought that we would ever have the privilege of being led in Evensong here at Order of the Shrill headquarters here at Miskatonic University by tonight's fine and harmonious quartet, made up of Newsweek's Howard Fineman, the Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan, Meet the Press's Tim Russert, and the New York Times's John Tierney.

Howard Fineman Is Shrill
Peggy Noonan Is Shrill
Tim Russert Is Shrill
John Tierney Is Shrill

Welcome, friends! We are happy to give you your robes and your copies of the Krugmanomicon as we formally induct you into the Order! It's been a long strange trip, and you are late to the party, but you are very welcome now that you are here!

For more new recruits, see Shrillblog .

Yours for reality-based discourse,
Jeff Weintraub