I just read an opinion piece which was slathered with invective against a sitting politician’s economic policies. The piece was titled, “The Flimflam Man” and described the politician as a charlatan and a member of the “audacity of dopes”. The politician’s financial plans were described as “leftovers drenched in flimflam sauce” and “a sham”.
At first I thought I must have been reading one of my own drafts on Obamanomics. But no. It was Paul Krugman’s Op – Ed piece from last Friday’s New York Times. You can read Krugman’s diatribe here, although you might need a free account.
Needless to say, Krugman was not pillorying his BFF (best friend forever) Barack Obama. No, he was busy personally insulting Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as well as ranting about Mr. Ryan’s proposed “Roadmap” budget blueprint. During his hissy-fit Krugman manages to construct one or two cogent thoughts. The first is that the Congressional Budget Office didn’t address the tax loses from Ryan’s proposed tax cuts. The second is that Krugman is disappointed that the reliably liberal Washington Post actually thinks Rep. Ryan’s plan may have some merit. Both are cardinal sins in the conscience of a liberal.
But just as the spittle is drying on his chin after what must have been a violent keyboard concerto, Mr. Krugman realizes that he really hasn’t bothered to read Mr. Ryan’s plan. So, he issues a preemptive attack in defense of his own sloppiness. You can read it here. Even the Washington Post can’t stand much more of Krugman’s infantile insults so Ezra Klein responds with this. Infuriated at being abandoned by his liberal buddies at the Post, Krugman fires off his third salvo in two days here.
Once again, Krugman fumes about the lack of a CBO assessment of the tax proposals. He asserts that lack of an assessment makes Rep. Ryan a flim-flammer. Only one teeny weenie problem – the CBO doesn’t score the tax impacts of proposed legislation. The Joint Committee on Taxation does that. Meanwhile, Ryan has asked for just such a scoring. Mr. Krugman would do well to read Megan McArdle’s article in The Atlantic here.
Fundamentally, Krugman doesn’t know what he’s talking about with this. However, as the First Lady parties in Spain and the President lines up his next putt the Fed is getting ready to downgrade its assessment of US economic prospects. Meanwhile, one of Obama’s snarling lap dogs has managed to bite himself three times in two days.
Anyone care to wager whether Krugman admits his mistake?
As for the Washington Post … first, a positive article on Ken Cuccinelli and then an intelligent discussion of Rep. Ryan’s plan? I may have to renew my subscription!
