Today's Krugman

MANIFESTO

On the subject of the deficit vs. jobs, it's clear where Republicans ostensibly stand. Of course, it's a charade since whatever the Obamans are in favor of, the plutocrats will speak against.

Be that as it may, Paul Krugman this morning points out that the Obamans unfortunately have found a certain appeal in the Repubs' mantra, retreating from a strong position on job creation in the hope of ... making everybody happy? (It occurs to me that I've just subtly compared BO's governing style to that of the Constitution State's ridiculously ineffective governor. So be it.)

As the Nobel Laureate points out, this accommodation will surely hurt Democrats at the polls in the fall:

The best way for Mr. Obama to have avoided an electoral setback this fall would have been enacting a stimulus that matched the scale of the economic crisis. Obviously, he didn’t do that. Maybe he couldn’t have passed an adequate-sized plan, but the fact is that he didn’t even try.

And so goes American politics in the post-Bush era.

UPDATE — Isaac Chotiner responds to Krugman's article.