Krugman: The NRA Is An ‘Insane Organization’

[ProSense]

Krugman: The NRA Is An ‘Insane Organization’

Liberal economist and columnist Paul Krugman said Sunday that the National Rifle Association has shown its true colors in the recent debate over guns since the Newtown massacre.

"The NRA is now revealed as an insane organization," Krugman said on ABC's "This Week."

"What strikes me is we've actually gotten a glimpse into the mindset, though, of the pro-gun people and we've seen certainly Wayne LaPierre and some of these others," Krugman said, referring to the NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. "It's bizarre. They have this vision that we're living in a 'Mad Max' movie and that nothing can be done about it, that America cannot manage unless everybody's prepared to shoot intruders, that -- the idea that we have a police forces that provides public safety is somehow totally impractical, despite the fact that, you know, that is, in fact, the way we live."

"There are plenty of gun-owners who are fine," Krugman said. "But the lobbying groups, the NRA is now revealed as an insane organization, and that matters quite a lot."

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/krugman-nra-is-insane-organization

What gave it away, the enemies list?

[MotherPetrie]

1. K&R

[longship]

2. And Krugman just made that enemies list.

Take that, Krugman!

[jazzimov]

3. Love Krugman. K&R

[freshwest]

4. Nails it right here:

"...the idea that we have a police forces that provides public safety is somehow totally impractical, despite the fact that, you know, that is, in fact, the way we live." [/i


Yes, they need to leave the conservative entertainment complex.

“Republicans have been fleeced and exploited, and lied to by a conservative entertainment complex,” Daily Beast and Newsweek contributing editor David Frum told Friday’s Morning Joe panel in a discussion on the outcome of the 2012 election.

“They’ve been lied to by people who engage in niche marketing and make tens of millions of dollars engaging in niche marketing,” Scarborough said. “I’m a capitalist, God bless ‘em…but that’s not an electoral strategy, that’s a business strategy for them.”

http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/11/09/frum-conservatives-fleeced-and-lied-to-by-conservative-entertainment-complex/

Gun manufacturers and demagogues have been the chief beneficiaries of these lies and mythologies.

[AlbertCat]

6. Gun manufacturers and demagogues have been the chief beneficiaries of these lies and mythologies.

C'mon! Everybody knows the NRA is concerned for YOUR RIGHTS!






or not.....

[harmonicon]

5. I'm surprised that an economist could get this so wrong.

The NRA is a lobby for gun manufacturers and resellers. That is all. It is their job to help these people make as much money as possible. Whatever they say to do that is just what they have to say to do that. It's not like they give a shit - they're rich. The normal rules don't apply to them anyway.

[WinkyDink]

12. What you wrote does not preclude NRA/LaPierre insanity.

[harmonicon]

18. I think it's very sane though.

That's not to say it isn't completely callous, but that's not the same thing as insane. What they advocate is insane, but the reasons for doing it are rational (though evil).

[Doctor_J]

27. Compiling and publishing an "enemies" list,

having board members repeatedly threaten the life of the president, advocating for armed guards in every school...sounds insane to me.

[harmonicon]

30. All of that gets rolled into the larger objective though:

making as much money as possible for gun manufacturers and sellers.

They've effectively convinced a bunch of fucking idiots to fork over their hard-earned money for a useless product which can sometimes kill people. There is nothing they won't do to keep that income stream coming. It's really quite brilliant.

[tex-wyo-dem]

21. Yep, you nailed it...

The gunnuts think the NRA is there to protect the 2nd Amendment, but they could really care less about somebody's rights except that it's conveniently good for business.

It's all about the money and protecting big gun and ammo makers.

[efhmc]

31. Don't know about their sanity but they are definitely inhumane, blood thirsty and god awful greedy.

NT

[harmonicon]

32. That's capitalism for you. (nt)

[efhmc]

34. Painting with a large brush. I know many small business owners (capitalists) who are

none of these things. Many provide goods and services which do not involve weapons which have the potential to kill. Many provide goods which help us with our every day life and they are definitly capitalists.

[harmonicon]

35. Are you sure you really understand capitalism?

Most small business owners probably aren't capitalists. Free/open markets, buying and selling, etc. doesn't have to involve capitalism. I guess we could argue semantics and various people would say "oh, but such and such is called x-adjective-capitalism," but I mean capitalism as the purposeful accumulation of capital for profit. Most small business owners I know are interested in making enough money to pay themselves and their employees. Capital accumulation is the last thing on their mind. Further, most are more interested in providing a quality product or service than making excess profit which will be invested outside of the business or wages at the expense of the product or service.

[Bonhomme Richard]

7. They, just like the repug party, tapped into paranoia as a marketing tool.

And that paranoid gunner will never have enough.
Create the illness then provide the solution.

[JoePhilly]

25. YUP ... Massacre as Marketing opportunity.

[WinstonSmith4740]

8. Pick me! Pick me!

How do I get on this list? I mean, I'm a teacher AND a DU member...that must count for something!

[nick of time]

9. Well look who just caught up.

This has been evident for a number of years now.

[bluedigger]

11. That's like chastising a sanitation worker for putting out a fire.

The Krugster fights the Good Fight for all of us, but he doesn't need to lead every one of our fights.

[nick of time]

13. +1000. nt.

[libtodeath]

10. Why is this man locked out of the administration,he is right on everything.

[RC]

16. You just answered your own question.

[Doctor_J]

28. Yeah, why have him when you can have Paulsen & Geitner

Maybe Krugman needs to work for Goldman for awhile. Then he'll be qualified to work in government. the Nobel prize isn't enough.

[RC]

29. Naa, they'd fire him for not understanding economics well enough.

[WillyT]

14. K & R !!!

[Recursion]

15. There is no greater threat to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms than Wayne La Pierre, at this point

Sigh.

[Left Turn Only]

17. Militia Madness

I remember a Mother Jones article about 15 years ago where it was shown that the NRA was actually run by its vice president with an agenda backed by militia groups. Why hasn't this stuff come up before?

[Heathen57]

19. I agree with Krugman

with the exception of one statement:

-- the idea that we have a police forces that provides public safety is somehow totally impractical, despite the fact that, you know, that is, in fact, the way we live."

After the cuts in Federal and State spending, combined with the local council being a bunch of teabaggers, our police force is about half what is needed. Unless there is a shooting in progress, they show up only after the fact, if they do at all. Most of the time, they expect us to go down to the station and file a report for insurance purposes, they don't have time to investigate any crime that doesn't involve assault.

So I'm sure others will gig me for this but the police no longer are working for public safety other than to catch the major criminals. You are responsible for your personal safety around here.

[Locrian]

23. you're right, that's why this is a deeper issue

People are missing the point that the NRA is doing what all good business do: privatize the rewards and socialize the costs. They are sociopaths, but the current winner take all capitalist system rewards that very well $$$

And the cuts in spending just play into their mad max fear scenario. Not to mention that the police in a lot of situations do less to protect the common citizen than to enforce the rule of the wealthy.

There was a quote from an article on how the republicans "fix" the government by metaphorically putting a brick on the pedal of a runaway train then jumping off. The point was they just have to break government to win.

[zipplewrath]

36. Not exactly

Krugman's larger point is that, for decades, we have relied upon the police forces, with a variety of success, to provide for public safety. The response to the NRA is that, if we are not yet fully successful, the answer is not to give up and take the Mad Max approach, it is to improve public safety.

The reason that there is such a significant diversion between "rural" and "urban" voters on this issue is partly connected to this. In rural areas, we have not provided alot of "public safety" via police or similar forces. Conversely, we have done much better in many urban areas. Many areas frequently show up on the "murder capital of the country" list at one time or another, only to work their way off over a period of years using various economic and policing techniques.

The answer for a "bad person with a gun" is not a "good person with a gun". The answer is fewer "bad people" and more importantly, "bad people with guns". And I might add this would start with and enlarged and enhanced middle class in the economic sense, as well as true national health CARE inclusive of a robust mental health CARE system. And yes, it also means having fewer unnecessary guns around for bad people to utilize.

[cantbeserious]

20. The Insanity Of America's Gun Culture Exposed For All To See

eom

[spanone]

22. k&r...

[Javaman]

24. "They have this vision that we're living in a 'Mad Max' movie"

close but more along the lines that "that they want that mad max movie" scenario sooooooooo bad.

It's as if they are hoping for that apocalyptic situation to prove to, whomever (themselves?), just how important they think they are.

The sad reality is: they are no more important than anyone else and that is the essence of what drives them crazy.

[callous taoboy]

26. Watching "Cops" the other night was scary:

An inebriated insane man had fired off four rounds into his door.

Two teenagers with dead eyes and absolutely no empathy are found to be carrying a pistol and a semi-automatic.

Fuck.

[Demeter]

33. Made in America

another perversion of a once-great claim.

[samsingh]

37. insane and evil

unpatriotic
anti-American