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Ear to the Ground

Krugman on Bybee and the ‘Apparatchiks’

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Posted on Apr 27, 2009
Krugman
Wikimedia Commons / Prolineserver

Clearly, Paul Krugman, pictured at right, is no fan of federal Judge Jay Bybee, legislative enabler of the “enhanced interrogation technique” that’s become one shameful symbol of the past eight years: waterboarding. You know it’s not good when Newt Gingrich is held up as a paragon of a bygone, and preferable, brand of Republicanism.

Paul Krugman in The New York Times:

And here’s the thing: most prominent Republicans are just the same. We wonder how someone as hapless as John Boehner could be minority leader, why one Congressman after another abjectly apologizes to Rush Limbaugh, and so on; the answer is that they’re hollow men, careerists who thought they had a safe ride. If someone like Newt Gingrich seems like a giant in his party these days, that’s because, say what you like about him (and I don’t like much about him!), he got into the business when doing so involved taking some actual risks.

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By Purple Girl, May 6 at 11:55 am #

Beware the Wolves in Sheeps clothing. I have serious concerns about the agenda of the legion of Clintonites and their Blue ‘Conservadem’ lap dogs, including Krugman.
The Clinton Legacy is not only marred by a sex scandal, it is neck deep in economic betrayal- NAFTA,Modernization Act…
In fact the Clinton era not only failed to defend the Carter years, but help solidify the misnomer about his ‘weakness’ and ‘ineptitude’. The Recession was in full swing before Carter, and the Iran situation was brewing as soon as the Shaw was handed Power. Not to mention the fact that some back room deals were going on which undermined his authority- aka Iran Contra, something that was never fully investigated to expose who really was pulling the stirngs before that election.Something Clinton could have revisited.
As for the Greed Doctrine openly practiced and flaunted on Wall Street- no concept of ethics or foresight into the ramifications- Who was teaching these students of Economics and Business which laid not only the Ground work, but Developed the shortsighted operating mission statements.Who failed to teach ethics and deductive reasoning, making both obsolete concepts when their theories were applied in the real world?
Having a neice with a PhD in Economics- This culture of greed and apathy is a learned behavior, a form of indoctrinations, and it’s started in our insitutions of Higher Learning. Mr. Krugman would you be willing to share with US your cirriculum for the last 3 decades? Do you expect US to believe you were swimming against the pervasive current of Supply side and Trickle Down economics?when it has been shown to be the mainstay theory which guided Reagan, HW and Clinton?Two admins of which you had affiliations with?
Seems to me ‘youngsters’ like Geithner were students after this ideology had already taken root in our Universities.Essentially the finger pointing at the Wall Streeters and Bankers is a way to deflect blame away from the mentors and on the backs of the proteges.
Until Krugman can prove he was not part of the problem which was created over 2 decades ago- I will continue to take his opinions with a grain of salt- ‘Thou Protest too much’

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By DWIGHTBAKER, April 29 at 1:03 am #

Has a voracious unawareness reduced some to ruthless ruins?

And has some innate clear conscience protected their innocence in acts of virtue?

Has the clearness gone out of many eyes?  To not be able to tell right from wrong and is it in them to muddy the water for others needing to swim?

Thus here we stand in our generation of time with many things that have gone undone and many looking in have not a clue what to do. So instead of thinking it through many just think FIGHT if not winning FLIGHT. Therefore where is that common fabric that links one to another?

Could it be a generation with lacks of acts in common decency that has led to their degradation?

When in the scales of justice how will we individually weigh in?  Were we one who took personal pride when making others suffer? Or will the ones who used a sense of personal power to let a lot slide in order to make a cohesive group that in turn lead the way out of this dismal state that we find all of us in?

THE VOICES FOR WE THE PEOPLES ADVOCATES—-WTPA for Grass Roots Actions needed for forming our own truth filled lobby in Washington DC to power punch our VOICES and VOTES of the people for our rights to life in acts of equity with Justice.
Dwight Baker Chairman Contact E-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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By Hulk2008, April 28 at 10:56 am #

I listened in amazement to the testimony Mr. Gingrich provided in opposition to the cap-and-trade energy bill.  Basically he denied all science that suggests the earth is in any kind of ecological danger, even to the point of stating that half of Antarctica is actually getting colder these days.  I imagine that there were many political giants in the days of Noah proclaiming that a serious drought was on its way.  But realistically, I suspect Newt was merely providing his typical obstructionist attitudes rather than presenting anything scientifically concrete.  In his mind, it’s more important to block all progressive action than considering any remotely useful commentary.

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By G.Anderson, April 27 at 4:16 pm #

I wonder during this time of trials of our nation, why so few of our so called leaders are echoing what Mr. Krugman is saying?

They seem always to look for the easy way out, to placate and sooth, and therapize our reactions.

Has our nation grown so tepid in it’s love for freedom that this is the depth of it’s response?

If this is the case then, our troubles with the right have only just begun.

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