Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Telling it Like it Is, Krugman Style

Here's Paul Krugman saying "I told you so!"
Same As He Ever Was

These days quite a few people are frustrated with President Obama’s failure to challenge conservative ideology. The spending freeze — about which the best thing you can say in its favor is that it’s a transparently cynical PR stunt — has, for many, been the final straw: rhetorically, it’s a complete concession to Reaganism.

But why should we be surprised? Here’s one from the vault. Two years ago, I was deeply frustrated with Obama’s apparent endorsement of the Reagan myth.

There was a lot of delusion among progressives who convinced themselves, in the face of clear evidence to the contrary, that Obama was a strong champion of their values. He wasn’t and isn’t.

That doesn’t mean that there’s no difference between the parties, that everything would have been the same if McCain had won. But progressives are in the process of losing a big chance to change the narrative, and that’s largely because they have a leader who never had any inclination to do so.
I admit that I didn't believe Krugman a year ago. But I now recognize he was right. As Brad DeLong likes to put it, there are two rules with regard to Paul Krugman: (1) Remember that Paul Krugman is right. (2) If your analysis leads you to conclude that Paul Krugman is wrong, refer to rule #1.

Obama has failed the people of the United States. He had a great opportunity to right the injustices of the past 30 years as the political right have ravaged the land with their fanatical ideology. But Obama has fallen far short. Bush liked to boast he was a "uniter, not a divider" and Obama claims to be able to "reach across the aisle" but the reality is that both have left the little guy abandoned while they have busied themselves looking after the interests of the rich and powerful.

Go read the Krugman original to get the links he provides. And while you are at it, go read this post by Krugman on the "supermajority" rule and how it is turning the US into a banana republic.

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