EZRA KLEIN: What do you think about the argument that’s playing out on the left between the vision of the Democratic Party represented by Hillary Clinton and the vision represented by Elizabeth Warren? Do you think they’re that different?
PAUL KRUGMAN: I would say at this point it looks mostly like symbolism. Among liberals in America, there’s actually fairly widespread dismay over actually what I think of as Clinton-Blairism; the kind of ‘90s liberalism that is not really taking on economic inequality, not really taking on Wall Street. And there’s a sense that Hillary Clinton might be a return to that. But I don’t think Hillary Clinton is going to try and make it 1999 again. I remember in 2008 — as a Times columnist, I can’t do endorsements, so you have no idea which party I favor in general elections — but I was skeptical of Obama at a time when a lot of people on the Left were very, very high on him. I heard a number of people saying, oh, god, if Hillary is elected, she’s going to bring in the old Rubin crowd, people like Larry Summers, to run the economy. And then Obama got elected and did exactly that. I think, if anything, he was more conventional on economics than she was. I think at this point, Elizabeth Warren is now the visible embodiment of the wing of the Democratic Party that’s determined not to return to Clinton-Blairism. That makes her useful even if she doesn’t run, as — I don’t know — a ghost or something looming over Hillary.
Neurotics build castles in the sky. Psychotics live in them.
More at Newsbusters
While Mr. Krugman always seems to have a virtually non-existent sense of humor, doesn’t this sound like an attempt at humor/sarcasm?
Krugman never seems to learn that his view is not very common among people who have to work for a living. Here, he was certain to get a resounding endorsement of socialized medicine, proving the wisdom of heading full speed towards Obamacare…. much to his embarrassment.
He, like any professional liberal, never imagine people being smart enough to see through their pronouncements based solely on wishful thinking. Yet, like Gruber, they rely heavily on those who don’t.
Obviously, with him, Obama and Gore all getting Nobel Prizes, these are now handed out in lieu of a free cup of coffee.