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PAUL KRUGMAN
Are Centrists in the Thrall of Right-Wing Propaganda?
Sept. 23, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/23/opinion/democrats-biden.html
By Paul Krugman, Opinion Columnist
"SNIP.......
Everyone who paid attention during the Obama years knew that Republicans would also try to undermine Democratic presidencies. Some of the G.O.P.s actions notably, the efforts of governors like Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott to prevent an effective response to a deadly pandemic have shocked even the cynics. Still, a Republican attempt to make President Biden fail, no matter how much it hurt the rest of the country, was predictable.
More surprising, at least to me, has been the self-destructive behavior of Democratic centrists a term I prefer to moderates, because its hard to see whats moderate about demanding that Biden abandon highly popular policies like taxing corporations and reducing drug prices. At this point it seems all too possible that a handful of recalcitrant Democrats will blow up the whole Biden agenda and yes, its the centrists who are throwing a tantrum, while the partys progressives are acting like adults.
So whats motivating the sabotage squad? Part of the answer, Id argue, is that they have internalized decades of right-wing economic propaganda, that their gut reaction to any proposal to improve Americans lives is that it must be unworkable and unaffordable.
Of course, this isnt the whole story. We certainly shouldnt underrate the influence of money: Both wealthy donors and Big Pharma have been nakedly throwing their weight around. Nor should we discount the importance of simple innumeracy: $3.5 trillion sounds like a lot of money, and you shouldnt assume politicians understand (or think constituents understand) that this is proposed spending over the course of a decade, not a single year. It would amount to little more than 1 percent of gross domestic product over that period and would still leave overall government spending far below its level in other wealthy democracies. It also ignores the fact that the true cost, after net savings and new revenue, would be much less than $3.5 trillion.
.......SNIP"
msongs
(67,360 posts)rickyhall
(4,889 posts)Budi
(15,325 posts)Centrists, moderates, liberals, anyone with D behind their name & any R who opposes the 'New Republican Party...er..Regime"
leftstreet
(36,098 posts)They and their corporate donors know exactly what they're doing, which is to shift election strategy away from the black vote, the impoverished vote, etc and grab the euphemistic "white working class" vote
Pretty soon they'll be running ads about CaRAvaNs at teh BorDEr
Doremus
(7,261 posts)Sewa
(1,250 posts)💀🤙