"No one has as big a megaphone as I have," Krugman says.

[FrenchieCat]

From the Newsweek article which features the cover of Krugman simply stating that "Obama is Wrong".

It's an interesting article....although it doesn't help us in our fight for passage of the Budget, or garnering support for regulatory rules from Congress.

Krugman is having his 15 minutes and enjoying it, although at moments, as I followed him around last week, he seemed a little overwhelmed. He is an unusual mix, at once nervous, shy, sweet and fiercely sure of himself. He enjoys his outsider's power: "No one has as big a megaphone as I have," he says. "Aside from the world going to hell, it's great." He is in much demand on the talk-show circuit: PBS's "The NewsHour" and "Charlie Rose" on Monday last week, ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" this past Sunday. Someone has even cut a rock video on YouTube: "Hey, Paul Krugman, why aren't you in the administration?" A singer croons, "Hey, Paul Krugman, where the hell are you, man? We need you on the front lines, not just writing for The New York Times." (And the cruel chorus: "All we hear is blah, blah, blah.")

Krugman is not likely to show up in an administration job in part because he has a noble—but not government-career-enhancing—history of speaking truth to power. With dry humor, he once told a friend the story of attending an economic summit in Little Rock after Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992. As the friend recounted the story to NEWSWEEK, "Clinton asked Paul, 'Can we have a balanced budget and health-care reform?'—essentially, can we have it all? And Paul said, 'No, you have to be disciplined. You have to make choices.' Then Paul says to me (deadpan), 'That was the wrong answer.' Then Clinton turns to Laura Tyson and asks the same questions, and she says, 'Yes, it's all possible, you have your cake and eat it too.' And then says, 'That was the right answer'." (Tyson became chairman of Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers; she did not respond to requests to comment.) Krugman confirmed the story to NEWSWEEK WITH a smile. "I'm more tolerant now," he says. But at the time, he was bitter that he was kept out of the Clinton administration.

Krugman has a bit of a reputation for settling scores. "He doesn't suffer fools. He doesn't like hauteur in any shape or form. He doesn't like to be f––ked with," says his friend and colleague Princeton history professor Sean Wilentz.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/191393/page/1

[Deja Q]

1. Oh yeah? Well mine's bigger!!

[FrenchieCat]

3. You wish!

His was really, really small when he was approving of Obama's budget, or when he was demanding a larger stimulus.

Since then, however, it has grown in size. Must be something in the water!

[960]

32. I really want to see it. Please?

[firedupdem]

2. Yup...

Krugman has a bit of a reputation for settling scores. "He doesn't suffer fools. He doesn't like hauteur in any shape or form. He doesn't like to be f––ked with," says his friend and colleague Princeton history professor Sean Wilentz.

[Cha]

6. THat's why he called Obama supporters during

the primaries, "cult like"..he percieved we were "fucking with him". He hasn't seen anything yet.

[FrenchieCat]

21. We are a cult called the majority of Americans.

[Cha]

25. Yeah, and the demeaning "cult" says more

about krugman than anyone.

[Hansel]

27. Yes it does.

He's just a little ego-centric and a lot of what he is spouting lately has more to do with Obama having the audacity to win the primary, then the election after he predicted he couldn't, than anything else.

[Cha]

46. krugman "doesn't like

to be fucked with" but he sure doesn't mind fucking with them.

[Kalyke]

44. Actually, the majority of America would support Krugman's ideas

if you consider polling that indicates Americans' stance on financial situations.

[geek tragedy]

34. Wilentz was a rabid anti-Obama hater during the primaries.

Now Krugman's behavior makes more sense.

[PopSixSquish]

36. This Statement Really Stood Out for Me as Well

Here's another interesting one from today's This Week on ABC

It's a plan to rearrange the deck chairs and hope that that keeps us from hitting the iceberg," the Nobel Prize-winning economist said of Geithner's bank plan. "They've done some things very fast, but they've been very small things ... There's no way this could be enough."

So it's wrong, or it's not enough or it's wrong because it's not enough or it's not enough, therefore it's wrong? Pick an argument and stay with it.

:sarcasm:

[high density]

40. Isn't everything based on "hope" when we're in uncharted waters?

Or does Paul Krugman have some sort of crystal ball we don't know about?

[PopSixSquish]

41. I Don't Know How it's Going to Work Out and Honestly...

neither does Paul Krugman. Sure, he's got more experience in the field of economics than I, but just as folks say we shouldn't summarily dismiss all of his ideas, he shouldn't do the same with Obama's.

That's not cheerleading, it's just commone sense...

[Kdillard]

4. Very interesting. I am sure his cheering section not to mention Repubs will be happy

while Obama's budget and his ideas for regulatory reform get watered down in the process. At least Krugman will be right. Yippee. The man will take no administration position if offered one and will not bear the responsibility for any policy that will affect the lives of everyday americans but he has no problems being used to try to undermine the President who does have the responsibility and who is trying to pass a budget that Krugman himself largely agrees with not to mention an agenda that most people on the left would be happy with given the mess that Bush left behind.

[Cha]

5. "As big a megaphone"/and

EGO. The fetid breath coming out of the megaphone isn't too classy, either.

[DJ13]

7. Krugman isnt interested in the budget

His focus seems to be to force Obama to take a step back and reexamine his approach of thinking that helping Wall Street is the answer to dealing with the fiscal crisis.

[MarjorieG]

9. More like helping Wall St help us with toxic assets, while we do more, later.

Too bad he wants to be right, now, or blow up the system and do nothing else. World-wide system, that is, that we brought down by gambling.

[PBS Poll-435]

8. Wow. Krugman is enjoying his celebrity status

I am just shocked.

What an ego-maniacal bastard.

[FrenchieCat]

11. I don't believe that he is an ego-maniac......

but I do feel that he is being used.....

as there was not any ink wasted on his stance on Obama's current budget push, Obama's regulatory proposals, nor on his original loud call for a bigger stimulus.

That tells me that the agenda of Krugman and that of Newsweek only meet at one point, and yet, Krugman is made to appear as though there is little he sees good in any of what Obama has proposed or done. I have a problem with that one sided approach made by newsweek, as it enlists Krugman's aid as their poster boy.

[Odin2005]

13. IMO the MSM are trying to make his constructive criticism look like an attack on Obama.

And many DUers are falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

[FrenchieCat]

14. I think that Krugman has brought some of this upon himself.....

as he has had very little to say on Obama's budget, other than initially and from that point on in passing. Same for the regulatory framework proposed. There seems to be very little coming out from Krugman on that.

In otherwords, I'm not sure that Krugman is helping us in a long run, considering that his point of focus is consistently negative as it relates to this administration.

I hope that his next columns will be pushing this budget and the regulatory measures Obama wants to put into place....considering that Krugman's megaphone is bigger than anyone elses.

We shall see.

[genna]

33. OK I get it now. You are saying that he is being used consciously.

If it is a profile piece about his fight with Obama, what could Krugman say to stave off the belief his criticism is beyond the stimulus and/or parts of the budget?

[Political Tiger]

10. ...or ego. n/t

[Hansel]

26. Amen. n/t

[ErinBerin84]

12. Thanks for posting- interesting.

I was kind of hoping it would be more about Krugman/debate for nationalization, but it was more a profile of Krugman. I wish they had used the picture of him in the umbrella for the cover, that was cute. I don't like the cover they chose for him. Didn't we learn a couple of months ago when Obama invited several columnists to discuss things with him, that Krugman was invited but chose not to attend? I figured that maybe Krugman was busy or he thought it was just too much of a symbolic thing (even though other columnists seemed to think it was pretty interesting) than one based on substance, so the part where Krugman says that the administration hasn't reached out to him at all was weird. Especially since, at the end of the article, you learn that Summers and Krugman had been playing phone tag last week, intiated by Summers. And the part where Krugman says that Obama pronounced his name wrong was kind of strange too. I disagree with the characterization that Obama sounded irritated when he said if Paul Krugman had a good idea, he'd be willing to take a look at it. I didn't think he sounded dismissive, I wonder if Krugman did. I'm not sure what to think of the article. They try to make it balanced, but at the end, I'm not sure if it entirely does a service to either Krugman or Obama.

[EmilyAnne]

28. Is that true that Krugman turned down an invitation to meet with Obama? Months ago?

That was before Geithner was confirmed, before the toxic asset plan was revealed, before the budget came out. Why would he not want an opportunity to discuss such things with Obama?
Because he was asked along with other columnists, therefore he would not receive the president's undivided attention?

This really does sound personal. It doesn't mean that Krugman isn't right about Obama's economic policies, but it still sounds very personal.

[ErinBerin84]

30. supposedly

According to Marc Ambinder. I thought maybe Krugman had his own reasons for not wanting to go, but it seems a little disingenuous for Newsweek to make it seem like Obama aides are bending over backwards to reach out to Brooks, while completely ignoring Krugman. I was surprised that they had never met though.


http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/obama_meets_with_the_centerlef.php

"The Times's Paul Krugman was invited, but did not attend."

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. I thought he was "being silenced"

:eyes:

[ErinBerin84]

16. heh

I guess some people here will be relieved to know that he doesn't feel that way.

[Thrill]

17. It appears the Lefts worship of him is going to his head.

[ecstatic]

18. Egomaniac much?

:shrug:

[DrToast]

19. Is Krugman still pissed Obama beat Hillary?

Is that what all this crap is about?

[FrenchieCat]

20. It is a multitude of sins Obama has committed,

some possibly justified, some not.

It has cumulated in a cover that simply states that Obama is wrong, signed Paul Krugman.

The timing of his newfound celebritydom is simply coincidentally scheduled to correspond
with the timing of debate on the budget. Stranger things have happened. :sarcasm:

[BlooInBloo]

31. In fairness, I believe Krugman approves of Obama's budget.

[HopeOverFear]

37. Then why the hell doesn't he say that more often

instead of going around talking trash about Geithner (anger not directed at you, but at Krugman).

:)

[BlooInBloo]

45. Because Krugman hates Obama.

[EmilyAnne]

29. The more I read, the more personal it seems. nt

[SemiCharmedQuark]

22. I like Krugman and I look forward to reading this article.

Thanks for posting.

[ErinBerin84]

23. let me know what you think of it

It wasn't really what I was expecting. I thought it was kind of weird.

[BlooInBloo]

24. I love ya Paul, but... um... you may wanna dial it back just a little bit.

[Jennicut]

42. Ya think? He clearly loves the attention

Really, Krugman likes Obama's budget but a lot of it is not left enough for him. Pushing to the left is okay but he is clearly looking for something out of this rather then some other just as intelligent and powerful economists who disagree with Obama are.

[AZBlue]

35. "No one has as big a megaphone as I have," he says. "Aside from the world going to hell, it's great.

What an ASSHOLE.

[depakid]

38. Be nice to see that megaphone divvied among some others- like Joseph Stiglitz and Dean Baker

[high density]

39. I think Krugman's going to come out of this looking like an idiot

Just like he did with the Hillary BS a year ago.

[WeDidIt]

43. Long story short

he's a prick.