Krugman's Cockroaches

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

In the wake of the Dem victory of November, Paul Krugman isn't merely doing a victory dance. He reminds me more of one of those ardent football fans up in the stands after his team scores the winning touchdown. Stripped to the waist, painted in team colors, getting up in the face of an opposing fan to taunt "na-na-na-na, goodbye" followed by a rousing chorus of "start the bus."

In his pay-per-view opus of this morning, "A Failed Revolution," Krugman proclaims that not merely has the Republican revolution of 1994 failed, but that it "was always based on a lie."

Just what is that lie? According to Krugman it was the belief expressed by Dick Armey at the time that: "most government programs don’t do anything 'to help American families with the needs of everyday life . . . and very few American families would notice their disappearance."

And how does Krugman prove that Armey was lying? By noting that "more than a few families would notice the disappearance of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid." No doubt. There's only one problem. Republicans never called for the abolition of any of those programs. So who's lying now?

After hurling some more invective Republicans' way - "utter failure," "failed revolutionary" movement, "web of corruption," "adversaries . . . harassed with smear campaigns and witch hunts," Krugman closes with this charming little analogy:

"Is that the end for the radical right? Probably not. As a long-suffering civil servant once told me, bad policy ideas are like cockroaches: you can flush them down the toilet, but they keep coming back."

Sore winner.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[NeoCaveman]

Krugman has predicted 9 of the last zero recessions.

[lucysmom]

Unless Krugman self-publishes, I doubt he can do much about the price.

[NeoCaveman]

So many falsehoods so little time. So instead of dealing with your latest cut and post rant I'll ask you to kindly retrieve the stolen national security documents from Sandy Berger's pants. Thank you very much.

[DanTheAdmin]

LOL!

Is that a female dog?

[Fresh Wind]

Isn't "neocon" a code word for "Jew"?

[Jimmy Valentine]

"the fallacy of a need for SS reform even though it is now running a surplus greater than $172 billion yearly"

That money is included (and spent-badly for the most part) in the general operating budget of The United States (Thank you yet again, Lyndon Baines Johnson).

"The Social Security Trust Fund" is a sham created to lull the jejeune and the uninformed; it consists of U.S. Govt. I.O.U's backd up by nothing.

Congress has waited twenty-five years too long to get this problem under control. What will happen eventually are unpalitable "solutions", e.g., means testing, benefits reduction, tax increases, and a dramatic upward push on the retirement age. All of this still will probably not be enough, which will tempt future governments to inflate the heck out of the economy in order to pay benefits with cheap dollars. This will destroy savings and investments of course but the Socialists will get another excuse for more government control.

If you would rummage around a bit for the facts rather than just drinking the Kool Aid (Jonestown Grape seems to be your favored tipple), you would not make the promouncements that you do.

[metesky]

Is that a female dog?

I dunno. Ask the kid scoping out the puppy package...
;O)

[sphinx]

the fallacy of a need for SS reform

Sheesh.

Even the 'rats admit that if we do nothing, benefits will have to be cut by a quarter or thereabouts. Their position is that this is preferable to investment accounts. This is a stupid position, but it is where your party is on the issue. You should be embarassed.

[3AngelaD]

EWWWW. It will take me all day to get the mental image of Krugman stripped to the waist out of my head. He has long been a nasty piece of work, and I try to avoid the "economic commentary" he spews. The guy is a Marxist in heavy denial who hates his own country.

[marlon]

I for one Welcome back MurryMom. I've missed her posts. She used to be quite a regular here, or was it on lucianne.com? Either way I can always count on a good laugh to start my day by reading her rants. So funny, yet so sad.

[okie01]

Excuse me, but are you Paul Krugman's mom?

[lonestar67]

Neoconservative is a term invented by liberals to cover up the fact that they have not had a foreign policy since Vietnam.

[rmgatto]

Congratulations on your nomination for FR's longest continuously running troll award. I am sorry to see that your argumentative skills have yet to improve lo these 8 years. However, you are always fun to watch--a liberal train wreck in action.

[y6162]

Nice thing about Krugman is that he's the coal mine parakeet of the left He has been wrong about virtually everything.

[3AngelaD]

Guess she's never heard of Acorn, either.

[Amelia]

Most families - the vast majority of families - wouldn't notice the disappearance of Medicaid, and that's a fact. Many might notice the disappearance of Social Security and Medicare, but that's not the majority of government programs.

Probably Finkelstein should have quoted the entire sentence, which gives a bit more to debate:

Somehow, I think more than a few families would notice the disappearance of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — and those three programs alone account for a majority of nondefense, noninterest spending.

Is that true, or not? I haven't researched it yet, but if it is true, that's a horse of a different color...

[Amelia]

welcome to FR and your views are welcome, what a breath of fresh air, take it now for it is thinking like yours that will get you a nice burkha in basic black and your tongue cut out by the islamofascists that you cannot see as the enemy that needs to be dealt with. the 'neocons' know the price of submission to islam, our way of life and individual expression will be doomed, for some here it has already been squashed.

Rather amusing that you're "welcoming" someone who's been here twice as long as you. MurryMom is, and has been for years, our resident liberal. (Most long-time FReepers know that.)

[Lx]

I really dislike Bill O'Reilly but he literally beat Krugman to death in a debate. Krugman looked like an emasculated wet poodle when BOR was done.

[MurryMom]

...even Obama in his new book admits SS is in trouble.

The only reason SS is in trouble is that Bush and other Republican politicians refuse to respect the existence of the SS trust fund. The trust fund is not funded by any gold or other hard assets, just like U.S. Govt. bonds held by China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and other U.S. creditors. Do Bush and the neocons really think we should pay interest on bonds held by Russia and China while at the same time refusing to pay off SS bonds held by the trust fund so that seniors can receive their monthly checks?

I'd like to see some enterprising reporters ask these questions of Bush and other neocon politicians at ever available opportunity.

[MurryMom]

Neoconservative is a term invented by liberals to cover up the fact that they have not had a foreign policy since Vietnam.

Neoconservativism is a term used by Iring Kristol and other Republcans to describe their system of political beliefs having much in common with fascism.