GOP Whistlers in the Dark

If you believe Peggy Noonan, Mitch McConnell has become a moderate, telling her the GOP is in great shape next year “if there's a jailbreak on the other side, so that the president is put in an awkward position with his own members demanding adjustments, it could happen."

Then again, moderate Mitch has even appeared lately on the PBS NewsHour, with no visible drool, as the Senate’s preeminent voice of reason. An impeding election can do wonders.

Still, the Wall Street Journal keeps pushing optimism, with Andre Kohut citing a recent Pew Research Center Poll, showing that a plurality of Americans “regard the Republicans as ‘better able to deal with the economy’ than the Democrats (44%-37%). Independents favored the GOP on the economy by a whopping 46%-30% margin in that survey.”

Such mania on the Right comes as the White House prepares to issue new rules requiring “insurers to cover care for mental health and addiction just like physical illnesses.” Such parity in benefits and treatment may come in time to help Rupert Murdoch’s minions get a better grip on reality.

For the rest of us, a somber Paul Krugman reports from a meeting of the International Monetary Fund experts finding that “weakness has already reduced America’s economic potential by around 7 percent, which means that it makes us poorer to the tune of more than $1 trillion a year...long-term damage: $1 trillion a year for multiple years.”

As McConnell, Murdoch and the GOP keep whistling their happy tunes, in the real world depression of all kinds is rampant.

Pass the bipolar pills.