I think old Krugman has shot past the warning track and crashed through the Left field wall.
His economic recovery plan of bankster, union and auto bailuts, massive stimulous spending and money printing failed. He put his credibility on the line with that. His name will come up in history as being a main player in having pushed this economic recovery plan.
He does not want anyone advertizing in the same newspapers that he’s a stupid nitwit and that he failed. It will wreck leftist history revision that will desire to make him into a glorious socialist hero who helped the First Black President save US economy with the brilliant strategy of spending the US into outter space and socializing the economy.