Wingnut Welfare Reform

Via Dennis G at Balloon Juice, we get Stephen Marche's take on the purpose of Niall Ferguson's recent excretion:

That number means that Ferguson doesn’t have to please his publishers; he doesn’t have to please his editors; he sure as hell doesn’t have to please scholars. He has to please corporations and high-net-worth individuals, the people who can pay 50 to 75K to hear him talk. That incredibly sloppy article was a way of communicating to them: I am one of you. I can give a great rousing talk about Obama’s failures at any event you want to have me at.

I especially liked Dennis' summation:

Perhaps our society needs Wingnut Welfare Reform to force some of these grifters to work for a living.