Paul Krugman is your friend.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Paul Krugman is our foremost progressive economist. That doesn't mean he's the best but he's widely respected, just won the Nobel prize and has authored best-selling books to educate the public about liberal economics. (In the same way Stephen Hawking has written best-selling books to educate the public about black holes and time.)

In short, Paul Krugman is a treasure. He's one of our, meaning Democrats, greatest assets.

Some people don't like Paul Krugman because he was critical of Obama during the primaries. In actuality, he was critical of Obama's split-the-difference approach to some economic issues. That's not trashing. That's expressing a valid concern, and one that hasn't gotten any less valid.

There's a tendency to project primary madness onto others. If Krugman preferred Hillary's health care plan then he's a Hillary supporter and thus dismiss-able. Actually, Hillary's plan was slightly more to the left and was thus better from his perspective as a progressive economist. Had Obama favored mandates and Hillary not then Paul Krugman would have said, "Hillary's plan is too weak." The man has written about these issues for years and will tend to come down on the side of ideas that agree with his already fully developed thinking on these topics.

(I'm not a mind reader so I will concede that it is possible Krugman doesn't trust or have warm feelings toward Obama, but he doesn't hate him and is certainly not likely to push bad policy out of personal animus.)

If it seems like Krugman is always criticizing Obama, he is. That's because Obama is in the center of the Democratic party on economic matters and Krugman is a little to the left on economic matters. So Krugman's ideas will always be pushing Obama to the left.

And that's a good thing. There is no shortage of economic voices pushing him to the right. And "don't criticize" will lead to Obama being pushed to the right while the left sits respectfully silent.

Krugman doesn't want Obama to fail. He wants Obama to succeed as an economic progressive. Right or wrong, Krugman believes that is what works.

In his view the stimulus package is in serious danger of being ineffective. And the time to speak up is BEFORE the plan is drafted. He publishes this view because he wants a better plan, not because he wants people to dislike Barack.

So please set aside any primary-era pre-judgement, accept that Paul Krugman is a brilliant economist who genuinely wants the best for everyday people and read this column with an open mind. It's a very important voice.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/opinion/09krugman.html?_r=2

[LisaM]

1. EXCELLENT post.

Thanks.

The way some people here pilloried Krugman for preferring Hillary's plan was pathetic.

[KittyWampus]

10. actutally, the way Krugman pilloried Obama for preferring a plan that wasn't in synch with Krugman's

own opinion on health care was pathetic.

And it was really obvious that Krugman let his ego get in the way.

He couldn't handle the fact that those who dissented from his opinion on health care could have a valid point.

And that drove his coverage of Obama... and Hillary.

That said, he's still brilliant and very talented at explaining complex economic issues in easy to understand terms.

Been reading him for a very long time.

[Cha]

31. Everyone has their

flaws and that was certainly Krugman's. I didn't like him then because of his attitude but I don't hold a grudge unless it's the fucking bushites.

[Critters2]

2. Indeed. I wish Obama would pay more attention to him.

Better yet, I wish he'd give him a position in the administration.

[Uzybone]

6. Krugman doesn't want a position

he has said more than once that he is unsuited for such posts.

[Critters2]

9. Okay. Then, I hope Obama listens to him.

But I don't honestly expect it at this point.

[Confusious]

3. Its time

To dump all repug economic policies, the world bank policies, pee-on-your-head regonomics, anything they've said to do in the past 30 years, because that's what got us in this mess.

[jwirr]

22. Krugman would agree with you.

[Uzybone]

4. Good OP, but Krugman is already well respected

I don't see anyone on here bashing Krugman. Krugman should continue to write his Op-eds but also draft a detailed proposal that serious people can use in planning the stimulus.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

7. Well, we all read different threads and see different things

Krugman bashing is real and unfortunate because he really is on our side. All of our side.

[brentspeak]

5. Krugman has been a "free trade" cheerleader

His other views notwithstanding, we have academic enablers of job-offshoring like Krugman to thank for the destruction of our economy. He's only been slightly less-onerous than the free-market fundamentalists he butts heads with.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

24. Thank you.

He has relented a bit on free trade but not enough. That said, I enjoy reading him and especially appreciate his recent defenses of FDR.

[depakid]

32. Not lately- read his blog

He's been sounding a LOT more like a fair trader these days.

[Hippo_Tron]

37. Last I checked Krugman's work on trade generally clear up myths and hysteria

Such as the myth that literally all of our jobs will literally wind up in China one day. He never denies that free trade can hurt people.

[brentspeak]

38. It's a myth to claim the public believes that "literally all our jobs will end up in China"

I haven't heard or read that particular line.

The fact remains that Krugman, during the 80's and 90's, was cheer-leading for the exodus of American jobs to overseas. He even wrote a piece entitled, "In Praise of Cheap Labor". Now we have our "consumer economy", which has turned out - as anyone with any common sense could have foreseen - to be a phony economy.

[Hippo_Tron]

40. I never presumed that the public believed it, just that some hysterics with a microphone did

But whether or not you support free trade, Krugman is right about a lot of things. Even if we don't throw open our borders to cheap imports, as we have, American workers are always going to be competing against foreign workers so long as there is any trade whatsoever. The easiest and most effective way to increase the competitiveness of American workers is universal health care.

[KittyWampus]

8. Actually, Krugman has an ego that got bruised when other economists DARED point out Obama's health

care plan had just as much merit as Clinton's.

Krugman put a lot of his ego into that argument and couldn't accept that other economists just as knowledgeable and credible as himself were supportive of Obama's health plan.

Every time Krugman defended his argument, the other economists managed to counter his points.

He let it get to him. Which is petty but this is obviously Krugman's blindspot.

And frankly, I don't think you even realize that Krugman is a supply sider who supports outsourcing.

[ellacott]

11. Very true

He also didn't expend as much effort criticizing McCain's program as he did with Obama.

Thom as disagreed with him over the issue of taxes and the stumulation plan.

It's true that Krugman is our friend but Obama and Hartmann are our friends also.

It's very troubling that Dems have not been able to disagree but still work together.

It's not all or nothing.

[KittyWampus]

13. true, true. And I have lots of admiration for Krugman. Having an ego that gets bruised

is totally human.

And for someone as gifted as he is in economics, he's allowed to be sure of himself.

[ellacott]

16. True

I was actually surprised at him during the Primaries.

[joshcryer]

34. That's simply not true.

Please back that up. Krugman was right on the issue and most non-conservative economists were behind him.

[Avalux]

12. I agree and I agree with Krugman often (though not always). I was very pleased to hear

Obama say that if Krugman has a good idea, he will do it.

[NJmaverick]

14. Krugman is nothing more than another Hillary supporter

still trying to make a case that Hillary is a better choice than Obama.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

17. Sorry, group therapy is down the hall. Hope things turn around for you.

[NJmaverick]

18. lol! a swing and a miss by k and h

would you like to try again?:popcorn:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

19. Nah. Being a coward, I'll just put you on ignore rather than confront my manifest inferiority

:hi:

[NJmaverick]

well I will give you points for being honest and having a good self awareness

[firedupdem]

15. His negativity throws his arguments out of the window for me.

He may be brilliant but he's also part of the reason I don't have a job since the last two were sent overseas. He's smart but not a friend of mine right now. Outsourcing is never good.

[Uzybone]

20. He hurt his credibility a little in a recent OP-ed

when he criticized Obama for going on vacation in Hawaii. That was very un-Krugman like, but no one is perfect.

[joshcryer]

35. He didn't criticize Obama, he said that it would've been a better image if he didn't go.

Hugely different from telling Obama that he shouldn't have taken a vacation and that he was bad for it, merely a missed opportunity.

[jwirr]

21. I love Paul Krugman. He is my kind of political animal.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

23. A barrage of articles criticizing Obama on health care and ONE criticizing McCain

Since health care was supposedly so important to Krugman you'd think he'd have the energy to go after McCain's travesty of a plan a little more.

[Thrill]

25. Well then how about he offer solutions and not just criticism

Thats pretty much what Obama told him today too

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

26. He offers solutions all the time.

When you say something like, "This plan s bad because it needs to be 1.75 trillion" that is simultaneously a criticism and a proposal.

[Thrill]

27. Thats advice me and you could give

He wants ideas on how to spend it to create jobs. Not just a dollar figure. :)

[BrklynLiberal]

28. K&R

[amborin]

29. Krugman always was an excellent progressive economist...some posters

here will always hate him for his support of Hillary

this, from some of the very folks who before that endorsement, had only the highest praise for Krugman

go figure

[mucifer]

30. Bill Press interviewed Krugman a few weeks ago. Krugman was optimistic then

about Obama's economic appointments. He also said that he is in communication with them and that tho they won't say it publicly, they acknowledge things they did wrong under Clinton. It was a fascinating interview.

The reason he liked Hillary's health care plan better than Obama's was that her's covered more people. I couldn't argue with that.

[Beacool]

36. Her medical plan was and is still better.

That's why she had the endorsement of the AMA and the Nurse's Association. I'm just sorry that as SOS she won't be in the senate to help pass a healthcare plan and the other domestic issues she cares so much about.

:(

[anonymous171]

33. Paul Krugman is awesome. nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

39. Well said. n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

41. Paul Krugman is a better economist than Obama

And Obama is a better President (or is going to be) than Paul Krugman. Policy is usually written by academics and then watered down by politicians because the concerns of their constituencies. Academics hate this, but it is a reality of the political system. The President's job is to get the best policy passed that he can.

Krugman may possibly have a better health care plan than Obama. But I'd bet my life savings that he couldn't push it through congress. And thus, it remains nothing more than a plan. Meanwhile Obama's plan will pass and though it wasn't as good of a plan it will impact millions of peoples' lives.

The world has a place for both Paul Krugman and Barack Obama and it is in their nature that they should disagree. I have great respect for both of them.

[KittyWampus]

43. it's sensible and level-headed posts like yours that renew my faith in DU as a political forum.

have a great weekend.

[bertman]

42. Rec and kick.