Krugman on Lyin' Ryan, a Year Later

Just over a year since Paul Ryan fully revealed himself as 1) callow and 2) hollow in the vice-presidential debate, Paul Krugman at his blog reviews Lyin' Ryan's "compromise" proposal to end the shutdown and debt ceiling crisis this week. 

What Ryan offered was billed as a compromise; I do not think that word means what they think it means. It involved reducing the harshness of the sequester — which Republicans and Democrats both want — in return for Medicare and/or Social Security cuts, which only Republicans want. Oh, and it only postponed the debt ceiling crisis, setting the stage for further extortion attempts.

So: you give me something, I give you nothing, and I don’t threaten your wife and kids until next week. Compromise!

UPDATE   Paul also took on Peggy Noonan on TV today when she argued that the GOP shutdown was more or less "business as usual." Excerpt:

“That never happened,” Krugman shot back. “Nothing like this has ever happened before. All of the the alleged former examples, if you actually look at them, they turn out to be either — there was a budget deal that included a debt ceiling raise but the debt ceiling was not a hostage. Or once — once — [former Speaker] Tip O’Neill held up the debt ceiling for one day more as symbolism.”