Paul Krugman Tells 'Net' Activists: Obama Will Win -- But Then Press Will Slam Him

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor&Publisher: Paul Krugman Tells 'Net' Activists: Obama Will Win -- But Then Press Will Slam Him
By Greg Mitchell
Published: July 19, 2008

AUSTIN Speaking at an afternoon panel at the enormous Netroots Nation convention in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Paul Krugman, The New York Times columnist, predicted, with seeming confidence, an Obama victory in November -- but added that "within three months of taking office, no, less than three months" the media would be out to get him, as much as they had at the high point of anti-Bill Clinton bashing.

Krugman was responding to a questioner who had stated that the media was "in the pocket" of the "government." Krugman pointed out that this was hardly the case when Clinton was in the White House and would be proven again when Obama took over. "Get ready for it," he warned.

He pointed out that this was not necessarily the case when a Republican came to power. In fact, much of his presentation was based on the alleged lack of "symmetry" in how the media goes after Democrats and Republicans. Look at the most recent example of "outrage" over Nancy Pelosi saying that President Bush had totally failed, he said. Would the media, he asked, have batted an eye if a conservative had said the same of a Democratic president?...

Other panelists included Duncan Black of the Eschaton blog and Rick Pearlstein, author of "Nixonland," along with the blogger known as "Digby." They all added insights on the title of the panel, which was "How the Media Learned to Bend Over Backward to Please the Right."...

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003829537

[Diamonique]

1. So what else is new? They always do that to Democrats. n/t

[anonymous171]

2. I have used this line of argument while convincing a conservative to vote for Obama

Basically, that the media won't hold President McCain accountable but that they will hold President Obama accountable.

[Jazzgirl]

3. And Paul's gonna help them.

Paul Krugman has disappointed me so much the last few months. First with his bashing of Obama in his NYT editorials and then his half assed concession after Hillary dropped out. I'm sure Paul will interject his own digs.

[depakid]

7. In every column except for one- Krugman simply and honestly analyzed the policies

and like many critical thinkers, found quite a few of them lacking.

In my book- that's hardly "bashing" -though as you may remember, that's what Republicans have ALWAYS call criticisms of their policies these past 8 years. Bush bashing.

[Cha]

20. krugman has already helped them..

krugman has 0 credibility with me. He's so fucking full of his 0 self.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. 3 months? More like 3 days.

The badgering and hectoring will be endless and remorseless. So what? Obama seems to be up to the task, is not an idiot, and surely has studied the Clinton presidency.

[BlooInBloo]

5. Uh.... he's one of them.

[Cha]

21. Exactly...I don't know what

his fucking agenda is but he's nothing but a slime ball, afaic.

[BlooInBloo]

24. On economics, Krugman = wonderful. On campaign stuff, Krugman = worthless.

[Cha]

25. Go figure..

that's why it's a mystery as to what is his agenda?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

26. Not really. Krugman hearts outsourcing.

He's Milton Friedman Lite. IOW, in comparison not as horrid, but still not terribly progressive.

[MGKrebs]

6. So the lesson here is...

We can't "retire" if/when he is elected. We need to stay involved, still writing letters to the papers, calling Congress, avoiding bullshit shows like pretty much anything on Fox, make the internet stronger by writing CREDIBLE stuff whenever possible, support progressive groups, etc.

The fight never ends. I figure I got about another 25 years. I wonder where we'll be then.

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. ". . .From A Viacom Standpoint, The Election Of A Republican Administration Is A Better Deal."

-Sumner Redstone, Viacom CEO (2004)

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005669

[1Hippiechick]

16. Just for you: scenario of O's campaign going up in flames.....

All this time I have been believing that Obama would be the better president. And here, this ViaCom CEO has finally dispelled the myth! How could I have been so blind!?! :sarcasm:

I guess this is their scenario of the O campaign 'going up in flames.'

Newsreel reporter: It's practically standing still now. They've dropped ropes out of the nose of the ship, and it's been taken a hold of down on the field by a number of men. It's starting to rain again; the rain had slacked up a little bit. The back motors of the ship are just holding it, just enough to keep it from...


Newsreel reporter: It burst into flames! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get this, Charlie! Get this, Charlie! It's fire and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my! Get out of the way, please! It's burning, bursting into flames and is falling on the mooring mast, and all the folks agree that this is terrible. This is the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world! Oh, it's crashing... oh, four or five hundred feet into the sky, and it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. There's smoke, and there's flames, now, and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast... Oh, the humanity, and all the passengers screaming around here!


Newsreel reporter: I told you... I can't even talk to people... around there. It's... I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen. Honest, it's just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage, and everybody can hardly breathe and talk... I-I'm sorry. Honest, I can hardly breathe. I'm going to step inside where I cannot see it. Charlie, that's terrible. I... Listen folks, I'm going to have to stop for a minute, because I've lost my voice... This is the worst thing I've ever witnessed..."

(Apologies to the Hindenburg crash victims and any survivors or their family members)

[Cha]

23. And that's the way the greedy monsters

still feel.

[givemebackmycountry]

9. I've been saying this for quite some time, even posted about it here...

Let's face it, if the monkey was a Democrat (not that it's possible) he would have been jailed on September 13th 2001.
Possibly, even sentenced to death.
He IGNORED THE PDB!!!??? He STAYED ON VACATION!!!???
A Dem would have been toast.
But, it wasn't a Dem it was a Republican so it's OK to excuse and ignore.
Bush fucks up every time he appears in public.
He can't string a coherent thought together on his own.
He's raped the constitution and authorized horrible atrocities and not a peep.

They will come after Obama with a fury and a viciousness the likes we've never seen.
EVERY word, action, speech, proposal, idea, appointment, visit will be over-analyzed to death.
The criticism will be immense and relentless.
There's a reason why the vile Pig-boy just signed a new multi-year contract that rivals many first round draft choices in the NFL.

President Barack Obama is that reason.
And his wife and kids.

[1Hippiechick]

17. How is this any different from what MSM has been doing for years? They are puppets of corrupt

corporate PuppetMasters whose intent is to "divide and conquer" the masses.

Look at how the SUPPORTED going to war! As soon as we were at war, they did an about face and started criticizing - it's a pattern, and an obvious one to me.

Look what they are doing now: The stations normally identified as left or right are now running pieces that demean both candidates.

People in ths country have to wake up and tear the scales from their eyes! Pay attention to what is happening in this country! The corrupt puppemasters want to retain their position where they become richer while the rest of us become poorer. ALSO, it is in THEIR best interest to keep "we, the people" divided. Divided, we have NO power, United, we HAVE all the power to demand change, take this revolution to the next level, etc. And that SCARES the corrupted corporates who sit in their ivory towers.

[butterfly77]

10. We know..

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pnwmom]

13. Why are you still insulting Hillary and her supporters?

Seems like a dumb way to get her supporters more involved in supporting him.

:shrug:

Krugman preferred HRC's health plan, for rational reasons -- even if you happen to disagree. That doesn't mean that he was slamming Obama. He's an economist who could see the economic flaws in Obama's plan.

HRC's plan was almost identical to Edwards, by the way. A lot of people preferred theirs to Obama's.

[BeyondGeography]

14. Yeah, I remember, except you left out the part about Obama "embracing right-wing arguments"

and undermining the entire universal health care cause in the process because of he had the gall to point out his narrow difference on mandates with Hillary, Edwards and, most important, His Krugnaciousness.

After dedicating about ten critical columns to Obama and, incredibly, his meany supporters who sent the sheltered little professor critical e-mails (HORRORS!), I can think of few people whose views on Obama matter less to me than Paul Krugman.

[adoraz]

12. I fully expect this to happen

Obama will be tough enough though. ;)

[1Hippiechick]

15. Typical MSM ploy - create confusion, incite and divide the masses

God forbid that the masses should unite.

We would have too much power that could be used against those in their ivory towers.

[Overseas]

18. WHAT LIBERAL MEDIA? by Eric Alterman explains conservative takeover of media very well.

Eric Alterman's book is helpful in explaining what we can expect to happen when a Democrat takes over. His book explains, in well sourced detail, how conservatives gradually took on more and more media control and manipulation. Once you've read that, you can see what a huge hurdle we are up against even with a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic landslide.

David Brock's BLINDED BY THE RIGHT, is a memoir of right wing smearing from the inside. It showed how well-funded right wing campaigns to get the Clintons were managed. If you haven't read it, check it out in advance of Obama's victory. It will help us prepare for outlandish 24-hour smear campaigns.

Krugman's comments are also understandable in light of the extreme softballing that BUSH, CHENEY AND JSM III have gotten for several years already. The occasional highlighting of Bush's klutzy verbal gaffes doesn't count for serious criticism of his war on false pretenses, overt acceptance of violations of the Geneva Conventions, destruction of our constitutional rights.

Sites like MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA or FAIR can fill us in on the disappointingly obvious conservative bias of so-called liberal pundits on the So-Called Liberal Media like CNN or MSNBC and others.

[Cha]

19. Of course, the fucking mediawhores weren't in the

pocket when Clinton was in the white house, krugman:silly:..but, they are now and they gave us bush and the War ON Iraq.

How was the media when reaguns and bush 1 were in the white house?

[SOS]

22. Krugman is off by two months

The Wall Street puppet media will be "out to get him" in September.