Paul Krugman and the "Hillary Bros"
Krugman... Hillary's very own Judith Miller?
Do you remember the scandal back in 2003 with the way the Bush administration manipulated the media? Judith Miller from the New York Times got information from "American Officials" on materials being imported into Iraq and she wrote articles that told the dangers of Saddam's nuclear ambitions. Then prominent members of the administration went on television shows and pointed out the New York Times articles in support of their position. Most people considered it pretty underhanded.
Recently Gerald Friedman, an economics professor at the University ofMassachusettsAmherst, did some economic modeling on Bernie's proposals and
found it projected phenomenal results in the economy, with GDP growth rates of 5.3 percent per year!
Uh oh. Can't have that. After all, Hillary says the numbers don't add up. Every economist she talks to...
And then, suddenly, four former members of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, (of many former members),
issue a letter, saying Friedman’s claims were exaggerated, even grandiose, and undermines "the credibility of the progressive economic agenda". It also went after the Sander's campaign for citing from it! I guess Bernie can’t can’t quote from economists — Only Hillary can!
Enter Paul Krugman - the Nobel Prize winning economist much beloved by liberals everywhere. Having read the letter Mr. Krugman
blogged about it on Feb 17, conveniently one day before the Nevada Town Hall. He said this is a very big deal. He warned his readers about Bernies' Voodoo economics. He said that Sanders is engaging in a fantasy and treating these economists as "right-wing enemies".
Then, at the Nevada Town Hall, Hillary drops Krugman's name when she references her list of economists. That name carries some weight.
Bernie supporters take a lot of heat about being "Bernie Bros". But let's not pretend that Hillary doesn't have her Bros. Harry Reid for the longest time claimed neutrality. But Hillary would not have won Nevada without "Bro Reid"
stepping in at the last minute and mobilizing the casino workers.
Hillary said in her victory speech, "Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other!" Like Hell. Not five days previous Hillary was
trying to downplay Nevada as a state that was "a lot like Bernies' base". She knew she was in trouble, Reid bailed her out. This is the mark of an establishment candidate.
And then there's "Bro Matthews".
Chris Matthews has been dismissing Bernie since at least last November. Making a big deal distinction between Democrats and Socialists. He has consistently given Hillary softball interviews, agrees with her, belittling Bernies' followers for being impractical.
Chris Matthews convinced me his concerns were purely ideological. But no.
All along Chrissy had a conflict of interest. This is a big disappointment. I knew MSNBC had Scarborough on, but I always thought the station had standards. They put Brian Williams on probation for his tall tales. Keith Olbermann was fined and put on suspension for political donations. But somehow the "Bro Matthews" situation isn't even worth bringing up. As far as I know, neither the station or Matthews have bothered to address it.
Now we have "Bro Krugman". This is really sad. Krugman is a guy I would read on a daily basis. I didn't understand the really wonky stuff, but he could explain the flaws of trickle down, show why government spending can be a good thing and how the debt isn't as urgent a problem as Republicans like to insist it is. He helped me understand why inflation was not a current threat. Paul Krugman shows that economics can have a social conscience. That having a head isn't worth much without having a heart. Besides, I like his musical tastes. It's fun to be a fan of Paul Krugman.
But now he's calling Bernie supporters the problem. We're too passionate. We have no business casting doubt on these eminent economists. It just shows our cynicism.
Fouror
Fiveblogs
in a rowKrugman vented his frustration with "Bernie Bros" and the Sanders' campaign over this letter slammingProfessorFriedman. He warned us NOT to accuse these people of being corrupt or looking for a job!
And then Krugman did to Friedman exactly what he was warning us not to do with the eminent economists: He accused Friedman of being a shill for Bernie. Krugman implied Friedman was angling for a job with a possible Sanders' administration. He called it
the corrupting influence of being an outsider!
And then the clouds parted, a beam of sunlight shown through and Jamie Galbraith stepped onto the scene. Hey now - Mr Galbraith ain't no slouch. He's an "eminent economist" also. The son of renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, James served as Executive Director of the Joint Economic Committee for Congress back in the early 80's. Galbraith sent a letter to Krugman's eminent economists chastising them for unaccountable criticism of Friedman's work. They gave no details. The gave no analysis. No references at all.
You really need to read this letter. It's not complicated and very plain to see his point. (PDF)
Just two pages, and if you’re a Bernie Fan it is inspirational. If you’re not a Bernie Fan it is still something to ponder.
But I quote two remarkable paragraphs:
"What you have done, is to light a fire under Paul Krugman, who is now using his high perch to airily dismiss the Friedman paper as “nonsense.” Paul is an immensely powerful figure, and many people rely on him for careful assessments. It seems clear that he has made no such assessment in this case.
"Instead, Paul relies on you to impugn an economist with far less reach, whose work is far more careful, in point of fact, than your casual dismissal of it. He and you also imply that Professor Friedman did his work for an unprofessional motive. But let me point out, in case you missed it, that Professor Friedman is a political supporter of Secretary Clinton. His motives are, on the face of it, not political."
Krugman has yet to respond to this. Maybe he is actually looking at the research.
But isn't this curious: Hillary needs to slam Bernienomics. Four
former administration economists put out a letter slamming Bernie's plans without any documentation. Paul Krugman takes the bait and the next day Hillary is pointing to Krugman for support of her position against Sanders. Shades of Judith Miller. Is this what a Clinton administration will look like?
Once you're in the tank it's hard to get out. Judith Miller to this day defends her reporting. I hope Paul Krugman can rise above it.
The Clinton side makes it a past time to trash Sanders' proposals. They constantly remind us that Congress will be deadlocked and Bernie will get nothing done. They constantly ignore that Hillary will have the same problem, (Sorry, Hillary cannot have it both ways: She can't be the archenemy of the Republicans on the one hand, and then be the one to work with Republicans to get things done on the other. Of course, maybe she'll just adopt the Republican agenda like her husband did).
But this whole Krugman episode makes me wonder what responsibility Hillary has to the truth.
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/23/1489637/-Paul-Krugman-and-the-Hillary-Bros