Playing dumb for an entire career.

Krugman on Jindal

Lee Atwater told Bush pere to impersonate a man much more vulgar and stupid than himself while on campaign.

That is what you need to do to win the presidency as a Republican.

But, as Bush 41 found out, you can’t stop playing dumb after you win and get to the White house.

He stopped long enough to agree to a tax increase.

One term.

Now back to Jindal, the Rhodes Scholar.

See the point?

Thing is, this is not reassuring.

To win as a Republican you have to not only talk as though you are stupid enough to drive the county into a depression every time there is a recession, you have to act the part if you get to the White House.

You have to actually do it to have a shot at that second term.

Though we may hope that if you actually did it you still would have no shot at a second term.

Not much consolation, though.