How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Paul A. Rahe ·
Jan 14, 2011 at 6:10am
Ah, the glories of Photoshop! Ed Driscoll poses the question that Pinch Sulzberger does not have the wit to ask himself; and, to make his point, he takes an old Newsweek cover, matches it with another, and then rejiggers the two in the following fashion:
This is obviously a question for the wizards at Ricochet. Pinch is in a pickle. Krugman has made The New York Times a public embarrassment. What should the Grey Lady do to get out of the mess they are in? One wag has suggested that they give this clownish Nobel Prize Winner a cooking column. Ricochet to the rescue!
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Oct '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Arrange his retirement. Offer a generous pension benefit for retirement. Seriously, Krugman has lost his credibility with economists, the public, and I suspect even his bosses at the Times.
Time away from politics and groupthinking will do him good.
Jun '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
If we're worried about the rise of China, we could send Krugman there, to become their principal government economic adviser, but on second thought, they might catch on, and end up considering our sending Krugman an act of war.
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Paul, I love the magazine cover, and I agree that Krugman ought to be an embarrassment for the Times, but is there any evidence that the Times leadership is unhappy with him? He doesn't strike me as much further removed from reality than the average member of the editorial board of NYT. And the fact that he's such a lightening rod for criticism probably drives readership.
Edited on Jan 14, 2011 at 7:11amMay '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
The question is an echo of Oscar Hammerstein's lyric for The Sound of Music, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?", so we could do the opposite of what was done for Julie Andrews and banish him to a monastery. The fact that he is Jewish and not Catholic may pose a problem, though.
And this is the same Krugman that a year ago began his column with these words, "A message to progressives: By all means, hang Senator Joe Lieberman in effigy."
Yep, the soul of civility, that one.
May '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Require him to write his own articles.
Aug '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
I think this is really the trick. Apparently the transformation from reasonable, witty, and intellectually honest economics columnist with vaguely center-left views (along the lines of James Surowiecki) to rabid doublethink far-left partisan hack (along the lines of Markos Moulitsas) was driven by the second Mrs. Krugman.
Aug '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
I guess I have been watching too many cooking shows and they have incited me to violence. So I say, and with a good dose, actually a cup and a half , of malevolence - Cook Krugman !
I think braising him first to retain the bile, and then brown your onions, carrots, and tannus leaves for fifteen minutes until lucid, add two cups of lamb's blood libel, bring to a boil, then reudce to simmer, add Krugman, his Enron earnings, and cover. Cook in a crucible for four hours, checking occasionally for signs of shame. Be sure to add vinegar to sweeten .
Serve with the remains of the duranty reputation. A hearty red wine, perhaps a Ukraine Bone Wine 1938.
Serves 310,000,000
Oct '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Nominate him for an Ambassadorship to a small Third World country on the backside of the wilderness. After all, it worked for Hillary.
Edited on Jan 14, 2011 at 7:52amSep '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Krugman does what he does extremely well as evidenced by your post. I believe you are the 2nd contributor to pick him today. Next to O and Palin I would guess he is the most written about on Ricochet. That may be an over-statement. He tries to be provocative and garner attention and succeeds. His economic work is frequently insightful. I don’t agree with the paradigm from which he works, but I am often enlightened by some of his insights. He did see the financial crisis long before most of the supply-side economists did. Many of the latter insisted Krugman was not in touch with reality when he wrote about it. As far as his Times column; the saying, I don’t care what you write about me as long as you write and spell my name correctly, explains everything. I am sure the Times is pleased with him and the fact conservatives are writing about him only serves to intensify their pleasure.
Sep '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Krugman should retire from the NYT and become Obama's campaign manager for 2012.
Oct '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
It is Pinch who has made the New York Times the embarrassment that it has become. Krugman is merely the mascot for the team.
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
flownover: I guess I have been watching too many cooking shows and they have incited me to violence. So I say, and with a good dose, actually a cup and a half , of malevolence - Cook Krugman !
I think braising him first to retain the bile, and then brown your onions, carrots, and tannus leaves for fifteen minutes until lucid, add two cups of lamb's blood libel, bring to a boil, then reudce to simmer, add Krugman, his Enron earnings, and cover. Cook in a crucible for four hours, checking occasionally for signs of shame. Be sure to add vinegar to sweeten .
Serve with the remains of the duranty reputation. A hearty red wine, perhaps a Ukraine Bone Wine 1938.
Serves 310,000,000 · Jan 14 at 7:47am
What a hoot!
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
I do not doubt that Krugman likes attention, and Pinch is certainly to blame for the decline of the Times. But that newspaper was once known for its gravitas.Who provides it now? Not Krugman. Maureen Dowd?
May '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Exactly. Aggressively foolish writers like Krugman, Dowd and others are not "the problem", neither for the Times or for the Democrats. They are just the outward expression of "the problem", like buboes on a plague victim.
Bad ideas built on a flawed understanding of people and of our world will die out if not aggressively spread and fed. Krugman and his paper are the latest outbreak.
May '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Pay him in New York Times stock...we'll see how good an economist you can be when you file bankruptcy.
May '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Adam Freedman: Paul, I love the magazine cover, and I agree that Krugman ought to be an embarrassment for the Times, but is there any evidence that the Times leadership is unhappy with him? He doesn't strike me as much further removed from reality than the average member of the editorial board of NYT. And the fact that he's such a lightening rod for criticism probably drives readership. · Jan 14 at 7:10am
Edited on Jan 14 at 07:11 am
Precisement. I was amused and somewhat concerned to read Commentary, supposedly the home for sober thought, and disdainful of those such as the Divine Sarah who play on our emotions, saying that finally, Krugman is finished. Because, um, Krauthammer wrote a (very good) column refuting him.
I don't think it works that way, really.
Sep '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
Paul A. Rahe
I do not doubt that Krugman likes attention, and Pinch is certainly to blame for the decline of the Times. But that newspaper was once known for its gravitas.Who provides it now? Not Krugman. Maureen Dowd? · Jan 14 at 8:34am
The Times was placed on an altar, worship and protected from competition. They were more venerated than challenged and suffered the inevitable decline. The Times history is not all laudable and they would have benefited from being held more accountable for some of their missteps. The Times is certainly regarded with less seriousness now, which I believe says something about both the lack of gravitas at the Times and the enlightenment or the public. I think Krugman plays a provocateur role at the Times. He reduces his image by doing this, but he has a good mind and I believe I benefit form seriously considering some of his thoughts.
Nov '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
I should make that: require him to READ his own columns!
May '10
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
The first step in recovery is recognizing you have a problem. Clearly the NYT has not arrived at this stage.
The Krugman/MSM/Left Wing Hysteria/arrogance is progressing down the same route as AGW. Gradually and progressively, people will (are) stop paying attention & will move on to other priorities, leaving them to wail about the stupid masses that do not understand. It won't be a smooth transition to oblivion but I do not believe the final destination to be in serious doubt. Would that it happen sooner rather than later, but it will happen.
Unfortunately, 20 or 30 years after the time that we recover from the mess created, we'll have to do it all again. Asi es la vida. historia tiene muchas vueltas.
Re: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Paul Krugman?
I would hardly be called a defender of the New York Times, as I employed by its archrival. And I agree that it has really gone downhill, not only in the opinion columns but also in its news practices and in the practices and pathologies well charted by Bill McGowan in his book Gray Lady Down http://www.amazon.com/Gray-Lady-Down-Decline-America/dp/1594034869#_.
What I don't understand is this: If you look at those red state/blue state maps -- especially if you break down by county -- you see that the blue is heavily urban and accounts for perhaps half the country's population. In other words, contrary to those who believe its liberalism is necessarily deadly, surely there is a large, ripe market for a national liberal newspaper.
Perhaps the Times' brand of liberalism is so New Yorkish (e.g., there are plenty of liberals in the rest of the country who go hunting) that it is just too parochial for too many people who might even incline to share their political beliefs.