As usual, I find Prof. Krugman’s column an invaluable guide to cutting through political spin in a nonpartisan way — though I wonder that Republicans in particular aren’t more embarrassed at routinely having their claims and accounting methods exposed as wildly unfounded and cynical deceptions by the astute Mr. Krugman (and others in the “Reality Community” — as one Bushie termed it).
Frankly, I depend on Paul Krugman (and a handful of others), because unlike so many of his MSM brethren he is not simply shilling for one party or the other. Unlike Rachel Maddow or Brit Hume, Krugman is consistently and reliably honest (and brilliant), cogently presenting his analysis, buttressed with impressive facts and shrewd observations.
Furthermore, Krugman frequently offers SOLUTIONS, which — over the past decade-plus of reading him — tend to be SPOT ON (re: the Iraq war; the rise of mortgage fraud prefiguring the housing bubble; the catastrophic effects of deregulation and tort “reform;” and (during the Obama presidency) the paltry, compromised “Stimulus” bill; the chorus of corporation-friendly failures Obama has surrounded himself with; and the Democrats’ pathetic excuses for financial and healthcare “reform” bills (weak tea, at best — though the health insurance bill actually does create a good skeleton for future Congresses to build a MUCH better system than the current one).
Rep. Ryan, you should hang your head in shame for your nakedly dishonest claims and your party’s accounting gimmicks. Speaker Boehner, too! (The CBO can’t just be “nonpartisan” and “reliable” when its numbers support your agenda!) You gentlemen need to bring the Republican Party back into the REALITY community!
Grown-up discussions about solving America’s problems will require both liberal and conservative ADULTS — not a bunch of spineless nincompoops too craven to contradict patently irresponsible loonies like Rush, Palin, and Benn Glock (oops — I mean Glenn Beck).
If I’m offending any conservatives out there, please revisit the Q&A from last year, with President Obama and the Republican leadership discussing the “Obamacare” bill (as you prefer to call it). Obama (the timid corporatist) DOMINATED the debate, humiliating the GOP leaders who were caught time and again with their false arguments exposed — right to their faces (and they had NO answers). Do you recall their guilty expressions when confronted with their loony, paranoid rhetoric in describing an approach to healthcare reform (Obama’s) modeled on the prescriptions of the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation and Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts law?!
It is time to de-politicize the conversation between our leaders. Americans need to insist on FACT-BASED arguments from our elected leaders. And we need to ridicule the politicians (even those we like) when they LIE — like Rep. Ryan just did. And we need to shun them when they invent ugly nonsense like “death panels” to incite fear, anger, and distrust in America (very dangerous). I’m referring now to the John Birchers (John “Birthers”?) who have bizarrely risen to the leadership of the GOP.
Fire Frank Luntz, Repubs (and every other slimy S.O.B. like him) — and this goes for the Dems, too! Screw the no-holds-barred politics of hate and division; America’s future is at stake! Obama was right to call this our “Sputnik moment” — even if he continues to disappoint when it comes to actual policy (the nation’s policies are STILL obviously dictated by the same corporations that owned and operated President Bush).
And thank you, Paul Krugman, for your constancy in providing a model for intelligent, principled, and rational discourse. What would I do without you?