In the first three years of the Bush presidency, we liberals had it tough. We lost the presidency. We had next to no voice in the media, but were still accused of being behind a vast media conspiracy. We had to stand idly by and watch good, honest Americans get sucked into the right-wing noise machine by Ari Fleischer, Sean Hannity, and Bill O’Reilly. We had no outlet, we had no focus, and we had no hero…
But then, out of the fetid chemical baths of the Garden State, arose a man bearing our standard, who has since taken on the Bush administration and right-wing peddlers of misinformation everywhere. He is a hero; he is a singular point around which all concerned liberals should gravitate; he is… an economist. Paul Krugman has taken the lead role in the fight against the conservative ballyhoo.
He has, since 1999, been chipping in his professional opinion on American economics as an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, and subsequently drawn the ire of right-wing pundits everywhere. But to write about economics is, as my editor put it, pretty boring and dry, so I won’t do it. I will instead show you how Mr. Krugman has significantly widened the scope of his investigations as of late, and, in doing so, become the liberal voice of truth in this season of uncertainty.
Enter the Franken. Mr. Krugman, in expanding his bailiwick, has moved beyond the printed word and taken his message to the airwaves. Of course he is still writing his column and promoting his books, but he is also now a weekly regular on The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio. Krugman fits the show’s profile perfectly. His breadth of knowledge and gravitas simultaneously complement and offset Mr. Franken, who is both remarkably knowledgeable and profoundly silly. Mr. Krugman does, at times, get a few laughs himself, which is a remarkable achievement for a professional economist. The two discuss economics quite a bit, but they also point out the administration’s failings with regard to Iraq, and the threats facing the fairness of the upcoming election. They have also delved into the prevalent media bias in this country, which brings us to what has probably been one of Mr. Krugman’s finest moments. He is a widely respected intellectual who bases his ideas on extensively researched evidence, and who comports himself in a manner that is determined and defiant, but measured and respectable at the same time. It is therefore very difficult to dismiss him as a wacko or a smear artist. In thrusting himself to the media forefront, he is quietly emerging as the strongest voice in defense of liberalism, and as its most potent weapon against the deceptions of the right.
http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/contributors/krugman_we_trust_new_york_times_828.htm
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