> On Jul 11, 2010, at 11:59 AM, SA wrote:
>
>
>>> But if he were really some sort of social democrat, how could he even serve as head of the IMF? Surely he'd have to know that the institution and the forces shaping it are larger than he is.
>>>
>> Because he has no principles
>>
>
> Oh, ok, that explains it
I can't tell if that's sarcastic. Which emoticon goes here?
But I was also going to say that for a centrist-leaning social democrat, there isn't necessarily a great contradiction, since countries coming to the IMF are in crisis, and in crisis the options tend to polarize. Either you have to do something savage or something radical (otherwise you're being "irresponsible," and DSK is all about being "responsible"). In such cases, a certain type of social democrat can rationalize more easily.
But it also helps that he has no principles.
SA