Paul Krugman - Opinions

Gern Blansten

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/opinion/how-republics-end.html?WT.mc_id=2016-KWP-AUD_DEV&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=AUDDEVREMARK&kwp_0=299460&kwp_4=1147911&kwp_1=526748&_r=0

...Why is this happening? I’m not asking why white working-class voters support politicians whose policies will hurt them — I’ll be coming back to that issue in future columns. My question, instead, is why one party’s politicians and officials no longer seem to care about what we used to think were essential American values. And let’s be clear: This is a Republican story, not a case of “both sides do it.”

So what’s driving this story? I don’t think it’s truly ideological. Supposedly free-market politicians are already discovering that crony capitalism is fine as long as it involves the right cronies. It does have to do with class warfare — redistribution from the poor and the middle class to the wealthy is a consistent theme of all modern Republican policies. But what directly drives the attack on democracy, I’d argue, is simple careerism on the part of people who are apparatchiks within a system insulated from outside pressures by gerrymandered districts, unshakable partisan loyalty, and lots and lots of plutocratic financial support.

For such people, toeing the party line and defending the party’s rule are all that matters. And if they sometimes seem consumed with rage at anyone who challenges their actions, well, that’s how hacks always respond when called on their hackery.

One thing all of this makes clear is that the sickness of American politics didn’t begin with Donald Trump, any more than the sickness of the Roman Republic began with Caesar. The erosion of democratic foundations has been underway for decades, and there’s no guarantee that we will ever be able to recover.

But if there is any hope of redemption, it will have to begin with a clear recognition of how bad things are. American democracy is very much on the edge.

Interesting take....I actually have had this opinion for awhile. When the party of the rich and powerful gains the acceptance of the poor and middle class (or enough of them to become the majority) we're fucked.

One would think that the policies themselves would guide the votes...but when the misinformation is strong enough and the low information voter is influenced by shit on the internet (like morons attracted to pizzagate) their desires are so skewed they vote against their own self interests.

JC29856

https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/818815387907293186

Check out the thread of tweets