Krugman: Ignoramitocracy

[n2doc]

Harold Pollack points out that everything I said about Elizabeth Warren applies, with even more force, to Donald Berwick, a highly qualified technocrat who can’t even get a confirmation hearing on his nomination to run Medicare and Medicaid. And then there is, of course, Peter Diamond, an economist’s economist with a sterling reputation, who is being blocked at the Fed.

Part of what’s going on here is simply opposition for the sake of opposition. But as Pollack says, the underlying problem is that anyone with actual expertise and any kind of public profile — in short, anyone who is actually qualified to hold a position — is bound to have said something, somewhere that can be taken out of context to make him or her sound like Pol Pot. Berwick has spoken in favor of evaluating medical effectiveness and has had kind words for the British National Health Service, so he wants to kill grandma and Sovietize America.

So what lies down this road? A world in which key positions can only be filled by complete hacks, preferably interns from the Heritage Foundation with no relevant experience but unquestioned loyalty.

In short, we’re on our way to running America the way the Coalition Provisional Authority ran Iraq.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/ignoramitocracy/

[Bragi]

1. Good piece, but sadly predictable

In a country where 40 per cent of the population thinks mankind was created in the last 10,000 years by an invisible entity, and where another 38 per cent think man evolved over time according to "guidance" from the same invisible entity, how can ignorance not prevail?

[RufusTFirefly]

2. Too true. (Shaking head in sad resignation) n/t

[n2doc]

4. Except that this has probably always been so

See Scopes monkey trial. I doubt that the average American in Roosevelt's time or Lincoln's time was more educated. The difference is that the people we elect now are idiots as well, or sniveling cowards who won't fight for qualified candidates.

[TacticalPeek]

3. Not forgetting the conspiracy of R governors, let's make that Coalition Provincial Authority.

Like in the good old days.

:smoke:

[orwell]

5. See the film...

...Idiocracy to get a good idea of where this is all headed...

[99th_Monkey]

7. Yes. Love that movie. ~nt

[xxqqqzme]

6. Started happening w/ the Justice Department

positions being filled by 'attorneys' from Liberty University. Bet there is still more than a few still there 'guiding' policy.