Greenfield: Bernie Sanders Touts Marxists Economists

FrontPage ^ | February 23, 2016 | Daniel Greenfield

[Louis Foxwell]

Bernie Sanders Touts Marxist Economists

America's most prominent Marxist economist backs Bernie

February 23, 2016

Daniel Greenfield

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.

In response to criticism of his financial proposals, the Bernie Sanders campaign posted a list of “economists and financial experts” who support his plans. 

Left-wing websites describe it as a list of the “nation’s top economists”, but it includes financial planners, some with no degree in economics at all, an instructor at Chemeketa Community College, and PhD candidates, including Mohammad Moeini-Feizabadi, an Iranian PhD candidate studying Marxian Political Economy. Also present is Michael Meeropol, the son of the Stalinist atom bomb traitors.

Not only isn’t this a list of the “nation’s top economists,” but the Sanders list is thick with economists defined by their interest in Heterodox economics, encompassing everything from Marxian economics to feminist economics. There aren’t many Austrians on Bernie’s list, but there are a whole lot of Marxists.

The Bernie list of economists who endorse his financial program includes Richard D. Wolff who has been listed as "America's Most Prominent Marxist Economist". Wolff is quite popular among the left, which pretended until now that it wasn't Socialist and is now busy pretending that it's not Marxist.

Wolff has been quoted as being thrilled that Bernie Sanders isn’t “shying away from the label ‘socialist’” which “raises questions of whether you are a Soviet agent”. In that same interview, he complains that “The left became lost in the kind of leftism in which Karl Marx became more and more irrelevant.”

Perhaps Bernie Sanders is meant to redeem the old monster and reintroduce him to the American left.

By putting up this list on his campaign website, Bernie Sanders is openly touting his support from "America's Most Prominent Marxist Economist." That should have been beyond the pale not too long ago, but once Socialism comes through the door, Marxism hitches a ride to America along with it.

The Bernie Sanders economist list is one where Karl Marx is extremely relevant. You might even say that Marx is the grand unifying principle of the list.

There’s Hans G. Ehrbar who teaches a class on Marx’s Das Kapital at the University of Utah. His webpage asks whether there are “alternatives to capitalism.” It includes Saule T. Omarova, whose thesis at Moscow State University was on “Karl Marx’s Economic Analysis and the Theory of Revolution in Das Kapital.”  Currently Omorova teaches financial regulation at Cornell University Law School.

The focus on Marxism is pervasive among many of the names on the Bernie Sanders economist list.

John Weeks is described as a Marxist who has called for the “nationalization of finance” so his appearance on the list is not terribly surprising. Weeks is a Sanders fan and wonders whether “his class-focused political message can realize the long term dream of American populist progressives.” 

Antonio Callari is the author of “Marxism in the Postmodern Age: Confronting the New World Order,” Nancy Folbre has been described as a Marxist and Yavuz YaÅŸar is the author of “Teaching Macroeconomics by Bringing Marx into the Classroom.” Ilene Grabel appeared at Marxism Now, a forum sponsored by Rethinking Marxism, a publication to which many on the Sanders list had contributed.

Xuan Pham teaches “An Introduction to Neoclassical and Marxian Perspectives on Inequality.” Anwar Shaikh contributed to “A Dictionary of Marxist Thought,” Wolfram Elsner wrote, “Marx, Veblen, and Contemporary Institutional Political Economy: Principles and Unstable Dynamics of Capitalism,” Philip Pilkington wrote the article, “Was Marx Right?”, Jon D. Wisman wrote his article on, “Why Marx Still Matters” and Matias Vernengo states that his view is partly based on that of Karl Marx. 

Beneria Lourdes was a Marxist feminist economist, as are a number of others on the list. Gary Mongiovi has been described as a Marxist. Spencer J. Pack is the author of Reconstructing Marxist Economics, Michael Nuwer authored “Harry Braverman's Marxism” and Mayo C. Toruño authored “Marxism, Institutionalism and Social Evolution”. William Darity is the author of “Contemporary Marxism: Ideology or Science?”, John F. Henry authored “Marx, Veblen and Contemporary Institutional Political Economy” and delivered a presentation on “Racism and the Economics of Privilege” at the Marxist School of Sacramento.

There is Radhika Balakrishanan, a feminist economist, who in a paper on “Sexual and Economic Justice”, writes that, “Capitalism was aptly characterized by Marx as a system that “overthrows the narrow parochialism of earlier society, destroys traditions, and disrupts personal dependence in favor of impersonal connection of the ‘cash nexus.’”

While not everyone who writes a book or article about Marxism, or who teaches Marxism, is necessarily a Marxist, it does indicate a certain interest in the subject of a totalitarian radical economic philosophy. And, along with Veblen fandom, it is shared by significant numbers of the economists whose support Bernie Sanders boasts.

Radical policy programs are ubiquitous among the list members. Pavlina Tcherneva has called on Bernie Sanders to offer job guarantees for all. Antoine Godin demanded guaranteed green jobs and John Weeks wants to nationalize financial institutions.  Richard Wolff has written that, "When regulation proves inadequate or insufficient, nationalization is often a logical next step."

Albena Azmanova complained that, “Not even leftist parties are proposing the de-privatisation of parts of the economy, thus failing to pursue a genuine left agenda exactly when the time seems to be ripe for it.”

All of this is at variance with Bernie Sanders’ attempts to claim that he is no more radical than Truman or Teddy Roosevelt. This list of economists whose support for his program he touts suggests that he is far more radical than we have been led to believe, that his jaunts to Communist countries were not mere amateur diplomacy, but support for ideological left-wing comrades on the red side of the map.

Bernie Sanders supporters are told that they will only be getting the same style of Socialism that has failed in Western Europe, but it is disturbingly possible that they will instead be getting the style of Socialism that had to be violently overthrown in Eastern Europe.

Larry Sanders, the brother of Bernie who had a huge influence on his politics, said that his brother will “flex his muscles” and go big, no matter what Congress or even the Democratic Party might say. According to him, Bernie Sanders believes that “the cause of socialism” is more important than anything else. He also describes turning on Bernie to his studies of “Marx and Hegel” to “help him get started.”

A discerning reader may have noticed that many of the names on the list of economists are foreign. There is an extensive organization abroad aiding the Bernie Sanders campaign. It includes the “Corbynists,” the worst elements of the radical left in the UK, who are openly supportive of Islamic terrorism, hate America and Israel, and promote a radical Marxist economic program. They are considered well to the left even within Labour. Their support means that Bernie Sanders isn’t just too radical for the Democratic Party, but for many European Socialists. 

There’s something fundamentally wrong with a campaign that boasts of its support by “America's Most Prominent Marxist Economist” and is fueled abroad by left-wing extremists that hate America. 

The media has given Bernie Sanders the image of a cuddly grandpa. His staffers describe an angry and impatient radical with no patience for people who was fanatically bent on his cause. Behind the selfies with smiling teens is a political radical opposed to the cause of human freedom coming into his own. 

[Louis Foxwell]

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[Louis Foxwell]

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.

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[ETL]

FEEL THE BERRRN!!!
(aka, adult diaper rash)

[ETL]

Bernie Sanders: Climate Change is Directly Related To Terrorism

by Michelle Fields
Nov 14, 2015

"In fact, climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism," said Sanders.

"And if we do not get our act together and listen to what the scientists say, you're going to see counties all over the world...they're going to be struggling over limited amounts of water, limited amounts of land to grow their crops, and you're going to see all kinds of international conflict."

Sanders said at the second Democratic debate in Iowa that climate change poses the biggest threat to America's national security and to security of the world. ..."

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/14/bernie-sanders-climate-change-directly-related-terrorism/

[TigerClaws]

I’m waiting for a journalist to ask Bernie about Karl Marx.

When will that happen?

[nascarnation]

Great pic...love the wife beater undershirt

[sparklite2]

Since Bernie is a Marxist, why would anyone
expect anything different?

[left that other site]

Bernie in his skivvies!

Oh My.....

[Billthedrill]

My first Economics professor told me that you don’t find any Marxist economists outside of academia because anyone who tries it in the real world goes broke. Shareholders tend to get cranky when that happens.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

it is commonly known as a “wife-beater”.
Your “undershirt” reference is redundant.

[mjp]

Bernie Sanders Touts Marxist Economists

Marxist exploitation theory is based on a wrong abstract conceptual framework, a wrong labor theory of value, and a wrong iron law of wages. With that kind of foundation,what could possibly go wrong?

[Son House]

reminded of the Stimulus bill con-job

10/21/2009

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123249646698200289.html

In normal recessions - the argument goes - an increase in discretionary government spending is unnecessary and even counterproductive. But in the event that a recession becomes a depression, a Keynesian stimulus package might work.

^
Transcript of Pelosi, House Democratic Leaders, and Economists' Press Conference Following Economic Forum
http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=1414

Speaker Pelosi.
"I am pleased that we had the benefit of the thinking of Dr. Mark Zandi, Dr. Alan Blinder, Bob Kuttner, Heather Boushey, Bill Hambrecht, and Allen Sinai."

Former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Alan Blinder
"...But what I want to say is this: the Congress and the Administration and the Federal Reserve have done already an enormously heavy lift in limiting what could have been a much worse economic outcome. That said, it's pretty bad as it is right now.

On the consensus forecast, I'm a little bit more optimistic than Mark. My personal view is a little bit above consensus, but that's a quibble. On the consensus forecast, the GDP is already growing, but jobs are still shrinking and are likely to shrink for a while yet and that makes it very hard for political leadership or for just economists to the extent that we talk to the public to persuade people that things are getting better because they don't look like they are getting better when jobs are a) still so scarce and b) are even shrinking rather than arising. So for that reason, despite the fact that we're looking at an absolutely horrendous long-term fiscal outlook, I, like Mark, and I think most of us around the table, believe that at least a modest, now this is where people will disagree, but at least a modest increase in the deficit is targeted very strongly on job creation. Not a scatter shot, but targeted very strongly on job creation would be appropriate.

I think this is a case where it is both good policy and good politics which you know is not always the case but in this instance it is the case. That said, we do have to be mindful of the long-run deficit problem. I have been taken recently in a number of venues to be quoting not quite correctly, paraphrasing St. Augustine who said something like, "Lord, make me chaste, but not just yet" We do need to become more chaste about the budget deficit, we do need to pay attention to the long-run fiscal hole, a lot of attention but in the short term, this is not the time to do it. 2009 and probably 2010 are not the times to do that.

One thing I spoke to the Members about knowing that it is very, very difficult to do, is to try to get some long-run commitment to greater fiscal responsibility while we are still trying to alleviate the job problem. I know this is a very, very difficult thing to do, I don't think it is quite an impossible thing to do. I think it is really quite remarkable that this many Members of the congressional leadership show up and spend several hours with the likes of us, talking seriously about the economy. This little session we're having right now notwithstanding, this was not a media event. We were behind closed doors and talking very, very frankly over a range of issues. I think that happens too little in Washington and it is a tribute to the Speaker and to the other Members that they took so much time out of their schedules to do this. I thank them. "

^
More (Democrat's) Economist that sold optimism about government stimulus...

Christina Romer, Paul Krugman, Jared Bernstein, Tim Geithner, Larry Summers, Austan Goolsbee

[Son House]

And yet FOXNEWS Saturday Morning Business block can usually only find Juan Williams, probably not a financial expert, for ‘fair and balanced’ Economic discussions on the Democrat side...

[Son House]

10/21/2009, same Press Conference Following Economic Forum as above, just to see what Zandi says after the meeting;

Mark Zandi. “Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to thank you for the opportunity, and all the House leaders, for the opportunity to be here today. I thought it was a very fruitful meeting, and I made three points in the meeting. First, I think the fiscal stimulus, the recovery package, is working. I don’t think it is any accident that the recession has come to an end just about the same time that the stimulus is providing its maximum economic benefit. I think it has been very successful, most importantly the benefits to unemployed workers, as well as to help state government. I think that has been key, along with the other aspects of the stimulus.

The second point is that the recovery is still very fragile and still very tentative. I think the risks to the recovery are quite significant and the possibility of the economy slipping back into a recession next year are uncomfortably high for a number of reasons - most important of which is what is going on the job market, the fact that businesses while they are curtailing their layoffs, they have not begun to hire more aggressively. I think that is a function of a number of things, a lack of confidence, a lack of credit, and therefore I think, this gets to point number three, which is that it is very important for policy makers to remain aggressive and continue to do more, and I listed a number of things which I think would be very helpful.

Most obviously, I think extended unemployment insurance benefits should be extended through the end of 2010. Right now under the current stimulus they expire at the end of 2009, and they need to be extended. I think the first-time homebuyer tax credit should be extended into mid-next year to help support the housing market which is still incredibly fragile. I think accelerated depreciation of net operating loss carryback, which also expires at the end of this year should be extended into the 2010 and the conforming loan limits that are temporarily higher through the end of 2009 should be extended through the end of 2010. So a number of things should be extended through 2010 to make sure that the economy, the recovery is going to evolve into a self sustaining economic expansion.

And let me say this: I think our focus on the fiscal situation and deficit is very important in the long run, but I think it is also very appropriate to run a larger near term budget deficit to make sure that this economy gets out of this situation and gets on a self sustaining economic track. Thank you.”