The marginalization of liberal icons continues..Krugman, meet Nadar

[Peacetrain]

And elements of the left are as clueless as to what the rabid right is up to.

We have had icons, real icons in our party. Men and women who had ideals, have ideals that are worth emulation.

These are also human beings, as easily turned by flattery as the rest of us.

They did it to Ralph Nadar, kneecapping him with money and then leaving his legacy forever tarnished because he was all too human in wanting his place in history.

I have been watching them do the same thing to Krugman. This morning, on the George Stephanpolous program, Newt Gingrich was playing Krugman, to such a degree, that I had to turn it off. There was this economic icon being set up by the right, once again, finding his Achilles heel.

How do we deal with this? The right is so good at it. These are human beings as easily swayed as the next person by "pretty words"

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Ralph Nader marginalized himself.

And Krugman isn't exactly a "liberal icon." He's an economics professor and newspaper columnist who has a particular opinion about how the banking crisis should be resolved. Neither Nader, who did admirable things as a consumer advocate but let his ego get the best of him, nor Krugman, who is a smart guy with good ideas but is still just an econ professor, are iconic at all.

Liberal icons are people like Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and Paul Wellstone.

[Peacetrain]

2. Well put it this way.. to some they are icons of thought..

And they are hated on the right with a dismissive vitriol. Sad to see it happen. Again, they are just human beings fallible to their own egos.

[enlightenment]

14. Perhaps 'public intellectual' would be a better phrase?

Icon does refer to something that elicits an emotional reverence (which they may, for some), but really both Ralph Nader - in his day - and Dr. Krugman are more in line with the true public intellectual.

Very smart and informed people who usually function inside academia, but have the ability to translate that academic knowledge to understandable fare for the general public. They are, in a sense, arbiters of ideas.

In Europe, public intellectuals often hold a position of respect, but in the US they are rarely recognized as holding that 'title' and the phrase itself is not really part of our common language. I suppose it could be American anti-intellectualism but I think it is due more to the American mythology of our 'classless' society that has to deny difference. We are all equally capable, according to the myth (dangerous myth, but that's a different subject).

Prospect magazine created an international list of the people they (and others) consider public intellectuals - Dr. Krugman is number six. Keep in mind, they aren't necessarily liberal!

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/topintellectuals.html



*edited to correct a particularly egregious split infinitive - I know, my grammar and syntax are a nightmare. Apologies.*

[WI_DEM]

3. Well on DU Krugman became a "liberal icon" to some when he started attacking Obama

Some of what Krugman says is right. I think Obama should have had a bolder recovery plan, but he isn't infallable. With some here the only reason they have embrassed him is because he is an Obama critic.

[Fovea]

9. I paid attention to Dr. Krugman

when Obama was considering the Senate.

Yeah, that's Dr. Krugman, 2008 Nobel prize winner in Economics.

His vilification is further evidence of how deep anti-intellectualism runs, even here, IMO.

[malaise]

7. Nader will always be an icon for me

What he did for seat belts in cars should have been more than enough.

[jwirr]

11. He also alerted us to chemicals in food in his "Chemical Feast". I

for one have followed Krugman for many years now. That he sees problems with some of the things President Obama has done is not a bad thing. Do we want another president who has only "yes men" around him? I for one want to hear that my president is willing to hear all sides.

[malaise]

13. Some people on both sides are sheeple

They only want yes men and women.
Are you watching Amy Goodman on CSpan right now. Tell them Amy.

[Luminous Animal]

16. Cool. All we get is dead people.

Actually, Krugman was cited on DU quite often when his target was the Bush admins economic policies. His Nobel was celebrated here and around the liberal blogosphere with nary a peep elsewhere.

But proving the OP point, you use personal attacks rather than addressing the message.


And as for Nader, your bile would be better addressed to the 6 million (300,000 in Florida) of your fellow Democrats who voted for Bush in 2000, vast voter suppression engineered by the Republican Party, and the totally corrupt Supreme Court decision.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

21. I didn't personally attack anybody.

To suggest somebody is't quite worthy of icon status is neither a personal attack nor an expression of "bile." I like Krugman and mostly agree with him, and I respect Nader for his consumer advocacy. But it you want to get your panties in a twist because I don't think the sun shines out of either of their asses, feel free.

[babylonsister]

4. When did Krugman earn the mantle of 'liberal icon'?

He has an opinion, just like everyone. As for newt, why is he allowed to be on my tv? He's a serial misanthrope who hates women in particular (judging from his actions) and I don't care what his opinion is.

And ftr, that show is on here in about 45 minutes.

[Peacetrain]

5. Good luck, with watching it.. After about 10 minutes in the middle

of the program, (I tuned in late) I had to turn it off.. Hopefully it was not a whole hour of that

[babylonsister]

6. Well, I've banned mtp from my house, so a girl's gotta watch

sumthin'. I imagine they yanked newt eventually.

:)

[jpak]

8. Fuck Nader

n/t

[ThomWV]

10. On the day Krugmann won the prize I looked everywhere on the news for mention - there was none

I saw it as at least the equal to a Gold Medal win at the Olympics, but not a damned word. Even now he is not properly introduced in my mind. The man is of a class of Economists as rare as air on the moon. His qualifications are insurmountable. But do we listen to him? Hell no, we marginalize him.

Its my opinion that if Krugmann says one thing about appropriate steps to fix the economy and President Obama or anyone else says something different - my money is on Krugmann's version.

[blondeatlast]

12. I long for the days when Nader cared for the rest of us.

No one ruined Nader but Nader himself. Krugman's got good ideas but is not a good self-promoter.

[sellitman]

15. Nader has done more good for Republicans than Liberals.

Sad fact but true.

He brought himself down


F him.

[FLAprogressive]

17. No -- it's the "left" throwing them under the bus not the right.

That is the "left"-leaning True Believers here.

[Uzybone]

18. I disagree..Newt clearly tried to play Krugman

Krugman slapped him down several times. Krugman was WAY more muted in his criticisms (mostly because the doomsday he had predicted has not occured). He was good Paul today.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. What is Krugman's Achilles heel, in your opinion?

And what did Gingrich do that was so clever that you thought he was winning the argument (and what was the argument)?

Did it have something to do with 'pretty words'?

[cali]

20. what codswallop.

Your first mistake is creating icons. some of us don't engage in that nonsense.

[Peacetrain]

22. I did not create anything..

God it must be good to be you