When “sensible centrist”, by which I mean that he some of his time trying to hew to the Washington, DC pundit consensus, Kevin Drum starts sounding like Leon Trotsky, something is amiss:

Like anyone, I’m pleased when I find someone to confirm my prejudices. And this is definitely one of them. Growth in a modern mixed economy is fundamentally based on consumer spending, and middle class consumers can increase their spending in only three ways: (1) real wage growth, (2) borrowing, or (3) drawing down savings. Only the first is sustainable. So if we want the American economy to grow consistently over long periods, we have to focus our economic machinery on median wage growth. We’ve done it before, we can do it again if we’re smart, and the result would be good for everyone: the rich would get richer, the middle class would get richer, and the poor would get less poor. The alternative is booms, busts, and continued social erosion. So let’s be smart, OK?

(emphasis mine)

He’s right, but the fact that he’s bucking the “Beltway Boyz” on this is telling.

Working for Mother Jones is good for Mr. Drum.