NYT pundits weigh in on House GOP — and Paulson-Bernanke

It’s the revolt of the nihilists

Oh, we have some choice comments out there!

• Tom Friedman says he suspects some of them “can’t balance their own checkbooks.”

OTOH, Friedman leans towards giving Paulson and Bernanke somewhat of a blank check, so his column overall is hit-and-miss.

• Dave Leonhardt digs into the trust issue further, saying:

But there is good reason for the public’s skepticism. The experts and policy makers who so desperately want to take action have failed to tell a compelling story about why they’re so afraid.

In essence, he’s accusing the Dynamic Duo of scare tactics:

Almost no economist thinks that even a terrible downturn would look like the Depression.

• David Brooks calls recent events “the revolt of the nihilsts”:

House Republicans led the way and will get most of the blame. It has been interesting to watch them on their single-minded mission to destroy the Republican Party. Not long ago, they led an anti-immigration crusade that drove away Hispanic support. Then, too, they listened to the loudest and angriest voices in their party, oblivious to the complicated anxieties that lurk in most American minds.

That’s black-and-white thinking for you.