Clearly, the Republican descent into madness is a bad thing; if you aren’t terrified for America’s future, you aren’t paying attention. But the craziness has, perversely, helped smooth the path for Democrats’ economic and fiscal agenda. Oh, old-line senators are still mumbling the usual denunciations of bigspendingsocialistjobkillers, but the G.O.P.’s energy is focused on defeating imaginary satanic conspiracies, not blocking real Democratic spending plans.

Again, the big spending plans now on the table might still not pass. Democrats have a razor-thin majority in Congress, and failure remains an option. But right now, it looks as if big spending is making a comeback — and it’s doing so for all the right reasons.

-Paul Krugman in the NY Times