Paul Krugman: “Wingnut welfare” blinded the GOP establishment to the unpopularity of conservatism

[applegrove]

Paul Krugman: “Wingnut welfare” blinded the GOP establishment to the unpopularity of conservatism

by Sophia Tesfaye at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2016/02/26/paul_krugman_wingnut_welfare_blinded_the_gop_establishment_to_the_unpopularity_of_conservatism/

"SNIP.............


But Trump’s rise reveals that the Republican establishment is delusional about what its own voters are for, Krugman contends. “The Republican establishment still seems unable to understand that hardly any of its own voters, let alone the voters it would need to win in the general election, are committed to free-market, small-government ideology.”

Trump trumps conservative orthodoxy on the Iraq war, health care coverage, social security and a whole host of other supposedly standard conservative principles, yet still beats even the most well trained conservative cookie-cutter, Ted Cruz. Still, Republicans appear mystified by his popularity in their own party.

Over “the past couple of decades — becoming a conservative activist has actually been a low-risk, comfortable career choice. Most Republican officeholders hold safe seats, which they can count on keeping if they are sufficiently orthodox. Moreover, if they should stumble, they can fall back on “wingnut welfare,” the array of positions at right-wing media organizations, think tanks and so on that are always there for loyal spear carriers.”

It is this “wingnut welfare,” the Krungman blames for placing the Republican establishment in a hermetically sealed universe free from real scrutiny and the voice of their own voters.



..............SNIP"

[GoneFishin]

1. Wingnut welfare. Awesome. It's great to finally put a name to the phenomenon that makes right

wing media personalities rich and keeps liberal ones under a glass ceiling.

[applegrove]

2. Yup. Their ranks are filled with grifters or patsies. No wonder they got no great candidates. There

is no character left in that party.

[GoneFishin]

7. It's a good point. They have cultivated and bred the crazy into their party. Consider what would be

the prospects for a GOP candidate that had a level head and strong reasoning skills.

[Shandris]

3. Interesting that Krugman does not see the identical situation in us.

Almost too convenient, ね？ It's like he's actually trying to pretend the Bulwark Strategy exists for only a single side.

I wonder why that could be. I'm sure it's nothing. Pure coincidence.

[GoneFishin]

8. Thanks for pointing that out. Interesting thing to watch out for.

[edhopper]

10. It actually doesn't

There are not comparable Think Tanks and institutions on the Left.
What is the Left Heritage Foundation or American Enterprise Inst.?

[Shandris]

11. You're right. There is no organization that promotes leftist policy or has ever hired a former...

...leftist governmental official.

They've all gone on to good jobs like clerk at McDonald's, car wash attendee, and greeter at Longhorn Steakhouse.

[edhopper]

12. The garbage and

fraudulent work that comes out of those places has no correlation on the left.

As Krugman says,
"There is, by the way, nothing comparable on the Democratic side. Of course there’s an establishment, but it’s much more diffuse, much less lavishly funded, much less insistent on orthodoxy and forgiving of loyal incompetence."

[hifiguy]

4. He makes some very interesting and valid points.

[trof]

5. Confusing headline of the year.

Gets my vote.

[Trajan]

6. FUCK Krugman

screw the whole bunch of them ...

[NutmegYankee]

15. What's the issue with Krugman?

[underpants]

9. Definitive. Racists and polluters.

They use racism to create support to protect polluters.

[AxionExcel]

14. Wing nut Welfare: a way for Republicans to screw Americans, and fatten their fat cat cronies