Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Paul Krugman makes....sense?

Paul Krugman goes all Public Choice on us.

...there are large differences among the candidates in their beliefs about what it will take to turn a progressive agenda into reality...And I have to say that Mr. Obama comes off looking, well, naïve...Do Obama supporters who celebrate his hoped-for ability to bring us together realize that 'us' includes the insurance and drug lobbies?...Anyone who thinks that the next president can achieve real change without bitter confrontation is living in a fantasy world. Which brings me to a big worry about Mr. Obama: in an important sense, he has in effect become the anti-change candidate. There’s a strong populist tide running in America right now...And there’s every reason to believe that the Democrats can win big next year if they run with that populist tide...

But the news media recoil from populist appeals...Let’s be blunt: pundits who say that what voters really want is a candidate who makes them feel good, that they want an end to harsh partisanship, are projecting their own desires onto the public. And nothing Mr. Obama has said suggests that he appreciates the bitterness of the battles he will have to fight if he does become president, and tries to get anything done." [Krugman, NYT op-ed]

The fact that Krugman inexplicably APPROVES of the populist crap doesn't make him
any less right about Obama's naivete.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mungowitz:

Isn't Krugman not being public choice ENOUGH! Yeah Obama is being going all populist on us...but it is NAIVE of Krugman (and you) to think Obama doesn't know he will have to crack a few eggs to get "change" done.

More importantly: Did you buy the Hitchcock Box yet?

Nathanael D Snow said...

Wouldn't it be nice if Obama did win, and then wasn't able to get anything done? I'm all for not getting anything done.

Anonymous said...

Don't want to leave the impression that I agree with anything Obama wants to do...just that he is politically savvy fella.

I mean, when I hear him speak on his agenda (whatever it is) I think of this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gzMu6ugTNfA