Tuesday, February 15, 2005
This guy used to be a contender?
Paul Krugman used to be a front runner for the Noble Prize in Economics. Now he is a hack columnist for the New York Times. No writer in America is a better example of the angry ranting relative that you avoid on holidays. We all know the guy who knows half the story but has all the answers, and explains them to you as loudly as possible.
His latest piece is a defense of Dean as a “fighting moderate.” Let us rip this silliness apart. First off, Dean was a moderate Governor. He had a balanced budget, supported gun rights, created civil unions as opposed to gay marriage etc. But he ran for President on an anti-war platform. He has positioned himself as a liberal, or as he claims he is the representative of “the democratic wing of the Democratic party.”
Krugman writes that Dean is “squarely in the center of his party on issues like health care and national defense.” Sure. He wants nationalized healthcare and is anti-war. That may put him in the center of the democrats. But being in the center of the left party doesn’t make you a moderate. Lieberman is a moderate. And Dean is no Lieberman.
It is also mildly insulting that Krugman is trying to appropriate the “fighting” label for Dean. This was the New Republic’s term that they used to try and rally the party against people like Dean. But I guess Krugman just assumes that his readers are too dumb to read other news sources.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: What happened to this guy? Krugman used to be a liberal with a balanced view of reality. Really. Check out his book “The Age of Diminished Expectations.” It is dated and liberal. But he actually describes the views he disagrees with. In the 21st century, Krugman’s enemies are all greedy right-wing war profiteers. Where do I sign up?
His latest piece is a defense of Dean as a “fighting moderate.” Let us rip this silliness apart. First off, Dean was a moderate Governor. He had a balanced budget, supported gun rights, created civil unions as opposed to gay marriage etc. But he ran for President on an anti-war platform. He has positioned himself as a liberal, or as he claims he is the representative of “the democratic wing of the Democratic party.”
Krugman writes that Dean is “squarely in the center of his party on issues like health care and national defense.” Sure. He wants nationalized healthcare and is anti-war. That may put him in the center of the democrats. But being in the center of the left party doesn’t make you a moderate. Lieberman is a moderate. And Dean is no Lieberman.
It is also mildly insulting that Krugman is trying to appropriate the “fighting” label for Dean. This was the New Republic’s term that they used to try and rally the party against people like Dean. But I guess Krugman just assumes that his readers are too dumb to read other news sources.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: What happened to this guy? Krugman used to be a liberal with a balanced view of reality. Really. Check out his book “The Age of Diminished Expectations.” It is dated and liberal. But he actually describes the views he disagrees with. In the 21st century, Krugman’s enemies are all greedy right-wing war profiteers. Where do I sign up?
