Kevin Drum becoming neo-Kausian

That’s as in, becoming more like Mickey Kaus all the time, and no, that’s not a compliment. If only it were neo-Kantian instead.

The latest assault on progressive-minded brains? Two posts today on Roger Lowenstein’s New York Times Magazine piece denoting the detailed contributions of Moody’s to the subprime crisis in particular and the credit crunch in general. For my in-depth take on Lowenstein’s article, go here.

Anyway, on to Drum’s offenses. It’s just Sunday, and he’s already written two pieces which will certainly tie for weakest post of the week.

In this first piece, he calls himself a “dissenter,” in the Kausian Puke Badge of Pseudocourage sense, I guess for standing up to alleged progressive orthodoxy. Then he quotes his favorite Kausfiles type economic shill, Brad DeLong, in support of the dissenting view, which he expressed in a rhetorical question at the start, “were they (Moody’s and others) innocent bystanders in a world gone mad”?

But then, he backs away from DeLong, in three paragraphs of turgid, or turd-gid, constipated writing that you can’t say for sure where the hell Kevin even stands.

Then, in a follow-up post, Kevin says, “Call me a rube,” with naïve incredulity that Moody’s has computer software that lets it “game” the ratings for CDOs, SIVs, etc. He finally comes to his Teddy Roosevelt-reminding, backbone of a chocolate éclair conviction that “Maybe the real bubble of the last few years has been a rating agency bubble.”

Hey, way to stick your neck out, Kevin.

Why don’t you ask one of your blogged cats, Inkblot or Domino?