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The Most Influential Liberal In The Media

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:08:58 PM EST
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I made fun of Forbes' list of "the 25 most influential liberals in the Media," mostly because Fred Hiatt was on the list. But they got the #1 on the list right - Paul Krugman. Krugman has taken his Times Op Ed perch, added a Nobel prize in economics and forced the progressive view into the Media conversation. He certainly did so on the stimulus bill. Via Jane Hamsher, Speaker Pelosi uses Krugman's words to fight for the House stimulus bill:

Kudos to Speaker Pelosi. And kudos to Paul Krugman for changing the debate.

Speaking for me only

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    The Most Influential Liberal In The Media | 25 comments (25 topical)

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    The problem with PK (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by progrocks on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:18:03 PM EST
    is that he is not one of them, he doesnt go to their parties, so they do not care what he has to say.  Never mind he is smarter than any of them (or maybe because of?), they only listen to those that can give them nice little pats on their backs.  DC is like a FLDS compound, so incestuous and outside voiced never get heard, especially if they have nothing to gain by listening (and getting it right is not considered a gain in DC).  

    And all this time I thought they were like (none / 0) (#11)
    by BernieO on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:01:16 PM EST
    a high school clique. FLDS. That's good!

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    more juvenile (none / 0) (#23)
    by BackFromOhio on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 08:59:28 PM EST
    more like junior high school clique

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    At last (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Demi Moaned on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:20:17 PM EST
    Pelosi is finally showing some admirable leadership. As a resident San Franciscan I've been dismayed over the years at how much she's done to enable the forces of darkness.

    For a nervous minute there (none / 0) (#4)
    by oldpro on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:25:19 PM EST
    I thought she was actually going to try to do the math and then thought better of it...."or...something less than that?"

    Whew.

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    Is BTD on that list?? (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by jbindc on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:22:43 PM EST


    So i guess we only fight (5.00 / 3) (#9)
    by lilburro on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:32:37 PM EST
    once we've lost a lot of ground??

    I did enjoy that clip.  We need this kind of leadership.  Ok Sen McCaskill?

    Maybe (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by lentinel on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:50:49 PM EST
    Krugman may have changed the debate, and Pelosi might be invoking his name, but Krugman doesn't think much of this stimulus bill.

    Krugman

    Krugman, in today's Times, ends his column with this:

    "For rather than acknowledge the failure of his political strategy and the damage to his economic strategy, the president tried to put a postpartisan happy face on the whole thing. "Democrats and Republicans came together in the Senate and responded appropriately to the urgency this moment demands," he declared on Saturday, and "the scale and scope of this plan is right."

    No, they didn't, and no, it isn't."

    What Krugman's doing, that I don't hear (5.00 / 6) (#12)
    by Anne on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:02:45 PM EST
    or see much of from anyone else, is explaining the rationale behind the need for a big bill, why we have to suspend our normal reaction to this level of spending, and he's doing it in a way that people can understand.

    I think, at times like this, what we need are the genial policy wonks, who can take us by the hand, and make us feel less like we're on the verge of a panic attack, and more like the people who know what they're talking about are in charge, and we can calm down a little.

    This is where people begin to realize that, in the cold light of day, all that inspirational rhetoric is "just words," and the comfort of those words lasts as only as long as it takes to say them.

    I listened to Susan Collins arguing on the Senate floor for the Collins-Nelson amendment, and could only shake my head.  She was explaining why it made no sense to include certain items in the bill - that they would not create jobs; I don't know what planet she lives on, but where I live, if funds are allocated for this program or that project, there have to be people behind them - in other words: jobs.

    Obama has really missed the boat in not making as much use of Krugman as possible - whether in structuring a bill, or explaining why overloading it with tax cuts is not stimulative - but then I have to think that maybe that boat isn't going where Obama wants to go.

    As for Pelosi, I am reluctant to believe that she "gets it" enough to fight tooth-and-nail for a Krugman-style plan, but will be happy if she can prevail over what is likely to come out of the Senate.

    The question mark is Rahm - will he end up sinking the ship, or will he get behind Pelosi?

    And will someone please, dear God, relegate the Collins-Nelson-Lieberman-Specter-whomever contingent to a place where they can do as little damage as possible?

    I still can't believe it. We win convincingly (none / 0) (#13)
    by Teresa on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:17:03 PM EST
    in November and we have one nearly/partly D, two R's and one I leading the way. Unbelievable.


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    Back in the '90's when (none / 0) (#22)
    by hairspray on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:36:26 PM EST
    we had a big deficit and national unemployment of about 8%, I always felt so relieved to hear: WJC..
    "at times like this, what we need are the genial policy wonks, who can take us by the hand, and make us feel less like we're on the verge of a panic attack, and more like the people who know what they're talking about are in charge, and we can calm down a little."


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    Rahm work for (none / 0) (#24)
    by BackFromOhio on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 09:02:20 PM EST
    .....
    Obama

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    Anne, I generally (none / 0) (#25)
    by BackFromOhio on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 09:06:03 PM EST
    agree with you wholeheartedly. And I am behind putting back the aid to states, funding for Education, healthcare, etc. that the Republicans were allowed to take out.  And I think Krugman is the best.  My only issue here is that even Krugman does not know for sure how this will play out -- we can spend big, and we are on our way, but if the next iteration of the bank bailout (coming soon) does not require the banks to lend and regulate their other spending, etc., who knows what all this spending will do other than put the noose of enormous debt around future generations.  I am also worried that there may not be buyers for our paper -- so who will fund the bailout and big spending fix?  Social Security, and when that fund is exhausted, then what?  

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    Way To Go Paul! (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by Alegre on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:21:09 PM EST
    And fair play to Pelosi for recognizing the brilliance of Krugman's words.

    "He's Just Not That Into You" .... (5.00 / 0) (#16)
    by Robot Porter on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:31:00 PM EST
    is the name of the film that topped the box office this weekend.

    It's also a good explanation of Obama's attitude toward progressives.

    After keeping thye sane, sane (5.00 / 2) (#17)
    by pluege on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:33:11 PM EST
    during the darkest days of the bush nightmare, offering the only oasis of sanity in an otherwise completely demented society led by the MSM, Krugman still rocks as much as ever and best yet, a lot more people are listening.

    Krugman is the repug/conservative (5.00 / 2) (#18)
    by pluege on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:35:54 PM EST
    slayer in the MSM with the cred to make the people take notice - probably the only one.

    I love me (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by kmblue on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:46:32 PM EST
    some Paul Krugman.
    Talk about a voice in the wilderness.

    Paul Krugman kept me sane during the 2000 election (5.00 / 2) (#21)
    by jawbone on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:35:17 PM EST
    campaign. I didn't have internet connection at home and did not dare use it for personal reasons at work, so I got information from newspapers, magazines, and PBS/NPR. Loved C-Span! I remember watching BushBoy make his announcement that he was running for president; I spent the time yelling at him that he was copying Bill Clinton's programs, except for the tax cutting and lying about what he would actually do.

    Krugman made absolutely clear in his columns just how bad BushBoy's silly economics and tax cut proposals were. He was dead on.

    Bless him and keep him well -- at first he wasn't that good on talk shows, but, he has certainly learned how to play that game. Thank you, Prof. Krugman!!

    Paul Krugman a liberal? (none / 0) (#5)
    by ThatOneVoter on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:26:20 PM EST
    He's the definition of  a centrist, don't you think?

    I do (5.00 / 5) (#6)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:28:12 PM EST
    Liberal is Centrist now. Didn't you get the memo?

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    Then I'm off to TalkCenter (none / 0) (#15)
    by ThatOneVoter on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:27:54 PM EST
    ..see you over there!

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    Funny you should use the "c" word. (none / 0) (#20)
    by chezmadame on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:02:08 PM EST
    Professor Krugman gives his own definition in his column today.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/opinion/09krugman.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

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    What is that purple thing (none / 0) (#7)
    by Dr Molly on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:29:57 PM EST
    around her neck??

    It's to represent post-partisanship (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by jbindc on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 05:31:18 PM EST
    We are all purple now.

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    The Most Influential Liberal In The Media | 25 comments (25 topical)

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