Is Morning Joe now turning slowly away from its austerity drumbeat?

[CTyankee]

I'm seeing some "green shoots." Today, the usually repulsive Leigh Gallagher reacted to the jobs report and the GDP report earlier by actually saying that reduced government spending hurts the recovery of the economy. Joe seemed to concur.

AND, thank goddess, they had the brilliant Ezra Klein (who is also adorbs) on, at long last!

If this is truly a turning point, then we have seen a real miracle on Morning Joe.

[JoePhilly]

1. I think Joe's torn because he loves defense spending.

But he doesn't want to say that the government creates jobs.

[CTyankee]

2. Actually, he "says" just the opposite. He may be lying, of course, but

I'm not so sure he loves defense spending.

Leigh Gallagher did say the words "government spending" in her plea for MORE of it not less. So she has been partially redeemed in my eyes. If she continues in this fashion, I will cancel the plans for her "re-education center" stay...

[JoePhilly]

3. I think I was listening to the same segment you heard.

Joe seemed to be reluctantly agreeing that the job numbers were pretty good, particularly the upward revisions in Nov and Dec. And that the small decline in GDP was not a big deal. But he did not sound enthusiastic at all.

Maybe my take is different because I was listening to it on XM radio and so I could not see him. The others sounded much more upbeat to me while Joe sounded to me rather tepid in his agreement. And I got the sense that there was a dance going on regarding whether to use the term "defense spending" versus "government spending" through out the portion I heard.

[CTyankee]

4. Yes, I got that impression...tepid from Joe...it was Leigh who seemed more upbeat.

And she was strong on not "shrouding the markets" with less government spending...

[malaise]

5. Well all empirical evidence shows that ReTHUGs have been wrong

about everything. Fugg austerity.

[CTyankee]

6. Paul Krugman nails it AGAIN in todays NYT!

He goes thru the whole sorryass list of examples of austerity that went bust, from Ireland to Britain and now conservatives are down to tiny LATVIA where they have "fewer inhaibitants than Brooklyn," says Krugman.

I savor Paul Krugman like a fine Belgian chocolate...

[malaise]

7. Indeed I'm a big Krugman fan

Off to read his piece