And yet, if this higher interest rate convinces even a few 18-year-olds not to take on huge debt for that Musical Theater degree, maybe it's not so bad. As college tuition costs rise and students' debt levels follow, a chorus of voices has come to defend the noble bachelor's degree against those willing to question the laughable notion that college is a good investment, period -- regardless of out-of-control tuition costs, stagnating wages or ominous federal jobs reports.

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While not unexpected, it’s an absolutely baffling, incredible position, noteworthy even when held by an admittedly slim plurality of the public. Considering the enormous damage the Republican brand has taken recently, it’s significant that voters still reflexively assume conservatives are “better at” or more “serious about” the economy than liberals. (At the same time, voters reflexively assume that liberals care more about “people like me.”)

Still, the notion that our economy would be healthier if it were managed by Republicans — who advocate implementing a ludicrous, crippling austerity package that falls disproportionately on the shoulders of the poor and middle class — the damning evidence notwithstanding, is left completely unexamined everywhere, the focus falling instead on the poll finding that showed bipartisan distaste for Republican intransigence.

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