Krugman Over the Edge: He Should Apologize for Smearing Bernie Sanders With False Charges

[Uncle Joe]

Danny Glover

Paul Krugman has been waging a one-man war against Bernie Sanders, lobbing bombs and missiles from his perch at the New York Times, in column after blog post after column. It is interesting that has chosen to repeatedly smear Bernie, ad nauseum, rather than try to promote some positive qualities about Hillary Clinton or her record, about which he has said very little. Perhaps it is because for Krugman, who is neither a moderate Republican nor a conservative Democrat, nor a neoconservative militarist on foreign policy, it’s not so easy for him to promote Hillary.

But on Friday he really went “over the edge,” to use his own words. And this time, he really owes Bernie and his millions of voters and supporters an apology.

In his column, he argues that Bernie does not consider African-Americans to be “real Democrats,” which implies that Bernie is a racist. What is the evidence that he offers for such a serious charge?
Just these two sentences in his column:

Over the past week, Mr. Sanders has declared that Mrs. Clinton leads only because she has won in the “Deep South,” which is a “pretty conservative part of the country.” The tally so far, he says, “distorts reality” because it contains so many Southern states.

(snip)

But this is nonsense. There is an obvious way to understand Bernie’s statement that is consistent with what any historian or political scientist can tell you. The white voters who would vote for a progressive, populist candidate like Sanders are lacking in the Democratic primaries in Southern states. This is a reasonable observation and does not imply in any way that African-American voters are not “real Democrats.”

Of course, these states are conservative, by most measures — no secret there. Now, white people are still the majority of the country, including in the South, and some white people are not conservative — 40 percent of white voters voted for President Obama in 2012.

(snip)

It is outrageous for Krugman to smear Bernie Sanders in this way, on the basis of Krugman’s own personal, and not very believable, interpretation of a couple of sentences stated by the candidate. Bernie has been fighting for civil rights and against racism since the 1960s, including his arrest for protesting racial discrimination in housing at the University of Chicago in 1963.

Krugman has repeatedly attacked Sanders for rude comments or emails he has received from people that he describes with the media-invented pejorative “Bernie bros.” If some random pro-Hillary internet trolls criticize me for this piece, rest assured that I will not try to attribute blame to Hillary Clinton, or to her campaign.

It’s not surprising that Krugman has to go to such great lengths to discredit Bernie. Someone who has been in politics for 40 years and has no dirt on him; who is not getting a dollar from corporations or Super-PACS, but is funding his campaign with a record 6 million contributions averaging 27 dollars each; who has been fighting consistently for the same progressive goals throughout his political career — this is a rare politician indeed, and not so easy to tarnish.

But really, Krugman should apologize this time. He has gone too far.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-glover/krugman-over-the-edge-smearing-bernie-sanders_b_9721316.html

[Skwmom]

1. He'd have to have a kernel of integrity for that to occur. Since he doesn't, that isn't going to

happen.

[Broward]

2. Turns out Krugman is a corporate toady shilling for Hillary.

[Chasstev365]

11. Either the Clintons have incriminating photos of him or he has lost his mind

[Broward]

17. At least we now know he's a fake liberal. I'm done with him.

[silvershadow]

3. Paul Krugman should stick to his profession, as he is not a very good pundit.

[AzDar]

4. K & R

[Bluenorthwest]

5. I strongly agree with Danny Glover and I'd like to add that this concept that the South is not

conservative is a homophobic trope. The entire region has legal discrimination against LGBT, continues to pass more such legislation and much of that including the recent NC law had Democratic votes in the State House. Conservative, even many of the Democrats. This is fact.

Krugman needs to apologize and go back to talking about economics.

[CTyankee]

6. This is excellent. What has happened to my beloved Paul Krugman? Has he lost hismind?

there is something the matter with this guy and I don't know what it is? Why does he go at it this way? I am confused, deeply depressed and angry...all at one time...

[Uncle Joe]

7. Krugman's total flip has blown me away as well, I used to respect him.

Peace to you, CTyankee.

[hollysmom]

8. It has to be he is angling for a job much as he denies it.

nothing else explains going to this extreme, he was not such a invested supporter before.

[Ferd Berfel]

19. beat me to it

Has Krugman always been a neocon and I just missed it?

[hollysmom]

22. nope,

He usually writes about ideas, not tearing them down with invalid arguments.

[passiveporcupine]

9. This sounds familiar

It is outrageous for Krugman to smear Bernie Sanders in this way, on the basis of Krugman’s own personal, and not very believable, interpretation of a couple of sentences stated by the candidate.

Sounds just like some of the members here talking about Popegate.

[Dragonfli]

10. K&R

[Luminous Animal]

12. Thank you, Uncle Joe. Glover is the real deal when it comes to activism and

I am proud to have participated in events with him in the SF Bay Area.

[Uncle Joe]

14. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Danny but I would like to.

Peace to you, Luminous Animal.

[Skink]

13. Not even sure why he is weighing in on this

And it would be ok for him to trumpet Hillary. Just keep exposing the real frauds in that other party.

[bvar22]

15. That is not even a dog whistle.

That is blatant Racism.

Krugman owes America TWO apologies:

1) For helping Bill Clinton sell NAFTA to a gullible Working Class

2)For his racist comments about Sanders, and The South.

[2banon]

16. Apologize? He should be Righteously and Publicly Spanked and Frog Marched out of the Editorial

Arena for good.

[snagglepuss]

18. Krugman has an irrational hatred of Bernie. His attacks are simply bizarre. nt

[farleftlib]

20. He has become such a hack and a toady

that I can't even get upset by his totally desperate and transparent attacks against Bernie. He's become a caricature.

K & R

[cherokeeprogressive]

21. Fuck Paul Krugman.

If he were such a great economist, maybe we'd have a better um... economy? Nope. He's a child of academia. Published in a world where "peer review" is nothing more than pats on the back by people who go along to get along, but not accomplished otherwise.