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Krugman: Progressives worry about being “respectable”

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:15:00 +0000

In the realm of media elites, Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and winner of the Nobel Prize for economics, occupies a rare position: that of progressive hero -- the guy who speaks truth to power. I met up with Krugman at an event at the national headquarters of the AFL-CIO, hosted by Richard Trumka, the federation’s president.

It was just a day after Krugman’s debate with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough on the Charlie Rose show had media, social and otherwise, abuzz, especially after Krugman blogged that he wasn’t quite as sharp as he’d like to have been, unprepared, he said, for “the blizzard of misleading factoids and diversionary stuff” uttered by the cocksure, blown-dry, blustery congressman-turned-TV-host.

While the right has legions of mouthpieces reading from the same economic playbook, Krugman has emerged as the go-to guy for mainstream shows when they seek a progressive voice. So I asked him to assess, as a communicator, what progressives need to do to even up the score. Here’s his reply:

The politician vs. the economist

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

It was billed like a prize fight -- “one night only!” Politico wrote -- with liberal New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman versus conservative-esque MSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough. The venue: Charlie Rose. FIGHT!

While Krugman was the early favorite among liberals, he seemed unprepared for Scarborough’s aggressive debate style. While the economist seemed to expect an academic and substantive discourse, the former congressman came prepared with opposition research on Krugman’s past statements and debated his foe like he would an opposing candidate in an election. Scarborough was on the attack from the beginning and didn’t let up, even mocking the Nobel laureate at times, and occasionally misrepresenting his own or Krugman’s arguments to make a point.

"Why don't we try to argue about the substance and not play gotcha?" Krugman said exasperated.

Al Gore jokes about 2000 election: It was either let it go or “violent revolution”

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:07:00 +0000

In an interview at the 92nd Street Y, Charlie Rose asked Al Gore about the 2000 election and Gore's decision to stop fighting after the Supreme Court ruled against him. Gore joked that he had limited options: “In the U.S. system, there is no intermediate step between a final Supreme Court decision and violent revolution.”

Gore continued: “If we as Americans honor the rule of law, then we obey the law ... The fact that it was taken up by the Court and decided by the Court in those circumstances meant that it had the force of law. And ultimately that is not an easy choice, but it's a choice to which there is no viable alternative. And I decided to honor the rule of law.”