Paul Krugman Is an Idiot

Generally, that is hard for me to say about anyone, most particuarly someone who has won a Nobel Prize for something other than the Peace Prize, but with his latest little diatribe, found here, I have no choice but to call Krugman an idiot and most importantly an influential idiot.

In the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Judge John Roll and the other men, women and girls who lost their life, Krugman is, like most media outlets, blaming the conservatives and/or Tea Party (I am not sure which).   So let's take a look at what Krugman has to write--about the right.

Last spring Politico.com reported on a surge in threats against members of Congress, which were already up by 300 percent.

Now that little gem comes with absolutely no link or any citation other than a general time frame and website--hardly the kind of documentation that a Nobel Laureate should be engaged in.  The New York Times editors didn't even provide a link (but they did find and include a link to a Homeland Security report about right-wing extremism and one of Krugman's own pieces about from 2008 about the campaign.) I have no idea if threats to members of Congress have increased 300 percent, but I do know this.  If you have 10 threats in one year and 40 threats the next year, that is a 300 percent increase.  While every threat is of concern, 40 isn't really all that much.  By the way if you go to Politico.com and run a search on "Threats," "Threats of violence" or "Threats to Congress" in teh time of Feb 1, 2010 to August 1, 2010, you don't get any reports of a 300 percent increase in the number of threats to Congress. 

The point is that there’s room in a democracy for people who ridicule and denounce those who disagree with them; there isn’t any place for eliminationist rhetoric, for suggestions that those on the other side of a debate must be removed from that debate by whatever means necessary.

OK so far.  Pretty fairly balanced.  Both parties have been guilty in the past of uncivil discourse (Krugman included).  There isn't any place in civil politics for the kind of vitriol that sometimes passes for political discussion.  So Krugman is okay here.

And it’s the saturation of our political discourse — and especially our airwaves — with eliminationist rhetoric that lies behind the rising tide of violence.

Here's where start seeing the punch coming.  "Espcially our airwaves" is Krugman speak for conservative talk radio and to a lesser extent cable shows.  The fact is that conservative talk radio dominates the airwaves because it connects to people in their everyday lives.  Air America sucked because it didn't entertain or enlighten people or make them think.  I would welcome more liberal shows, but they don't last because they can't draw an audience, which means they can't draw advertisers which is necessary to make money.  But I digress.

Where’s that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let’s not make a false pretense of balance: it’s coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. It’s hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to be “armed and dangerous” without being ostracized; but Representative Michele Bachmann, who did just that, is a rising star in the G.O.P.

And there’s a huge contrast in the media. Listen to Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann, and you’ll hear a lot of caustic remarks and mockery aimed at Republicans. But you won’t hear jokes about shooting government officials or beheading a journalist at The Washington Post. Listen to Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly, and you will.

And BAM!! There's the punch.  According to Krugman (and the rest of his leftist elitists mates), Rep. Giffords lies in a hospital and families are burying loved ones because of Michelle Bachman or Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh.  Make no mistake, that is exactly what Paul Krugman wants you to believe.  Some crackpot goes a-shootin and it is the fault of the political right.  

Of course, the political left would never do such a thing.  Nope, Keith Olberman would never says someon is the worst person in the world.  Oh, wait.  The political left would never compare a conservative leader with Hitler....oh, wait--sorry.  The political left would never forget that they regularly get called on the carpet for excessive vitriol.  Oops, forgot this little bit.  No the left doesn't hate.

Oh, forget being crafty with my language, just go check this not so little collection of leftist hate.

Are we as a nation politically divided.  Yep.  Is there too much hate in our political discourse--maybe.  But let's not forget, Mr. Krugman, it takes two sides to have a fight and perhaps it would behoove you to put those vaunted academic skills to use a d do a little research before spraying around such unsupported statements as leftist commentators would never spew hate speech.