Krugman: Shut Up and Vote Democrat

October 16th, 2006 12:13 PM

Give Paul Krugman credit for candor.  He could care less about a candidate's qualities.  He just wants you to vote Democrat.  As suggested by the headline - One-Letter Politics - of his pay-to-play column this morning, Krugman asserts:

"The fact is that this is a one-letter election. D or R, that’s all that matters.  It’s hard to think of an election in which the personal qualities of the people running in a given district or state have mattered less."

In a way, it's refreshing to see a Times columnist bare his partisanship in such bald-faced fashion.  And just what reasons make it so important that the Dems take back the majority?  Krugman offers two.  The first, which he describes as the lesser, is to bring "the G.O.P. juggernaut . . . to a shuddering halt."

But for Krugman, "the really important reason may be summed up in two words: subpoena power.  . . [W]hile the Democrats won’t gain the ability to pass laws, if they win they will gain the ability to carry out investigations, and the legal right to compel testimony."

So there you have it.  Shut up and vote 'D' - and let the subpoenas roll!