![]() ANSWERING KRUGMAN! Wallace and Crowley were thoroughly flummoxed by the worlds dumbest idea: // link // print // previous // next //
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010 Naming Sean Hannitys name: Something unusual, and very constructive, occurs in todays New York Times. In a detailed news report, Sheryl Gay Stolberg provides a chronology of the Shirley Sherrod matterand in one part of Stolbergs chronology, she names Sean Hannitys name! We start with paragraph 10 of a 21-paragraph report, as it appears in our hard-copy Times:
If we were Stolbergs editor, we would have dumped that telegraphing a talking point language; stating a framework would have conveyed the same facts in a less argumentative way. Beyond that, we think Stolberg overstates OReillys performance on Monday night; on Monday, he only mentioned the Sherrod story in passing, in a brief segment at the end of his program. (On Tuesday night, he doubled down hard in a grisly performance, long after it became clear that this story had been miscast. Last night, OReilly repeatedly apologized to Sherrod. This fact appears in Stolbergs on-line report.) Stolbergs report could be improved. But good God! She named Sean Hannity by name, engaging in a rare practicedescribing the actual role played by Fox in this unfolding affair. Unheard of! New York Times readers got to read about the actual role played by Fox, a highly influential player in our national discourse. Good lord! They got to see the Times report on the work of another news org! At the same time, they learned that Fox wasnt quite the prime mover in this affair, a fact which may have escaped MSNBCs viewers over the past few evenings. As readers can see in the quoted passage, Stolberg reports that Foxs pursuit of this case only began on Monday night, after Sherrod had been fired. As far as we know, that is accurate. (On Monday night, Sherrod wasnt mentioned by Glenn Beck at 5 PM; by Brit Baier at 6 PM; or by Shepard Smith at 7 PM. The coverage didnt begin until late in OReillys program.) Its good to see Stolberg naming names and describing the coverage on Fox. Big newspapers like the Times have tended to avoid such reporting, failing to inform their readers about the work done by people like Hannity. Last week, NASA reported that the first six months of 2010 have been the hottest globally since measurements began in 1880. That quote comes from Nicholas Kristofs exceptionally formulaic column on this important subject. Times readers would have been better served if this very cautious fellow had named Sean Hannitys namehad reminded viewers of the way this consummate fool clowned during last winters snowstorm. That clowning, like the work Stolberg described, was performed for at least three million people. Its news when broadcasters function that wayand the New York Times should report it. Back to Sherrod. Fox wasnt the prime mover in this affair, a fact which Stolberg reported. (The prime mover was Andrew Breitbart. We hope the New York Times does further reporting on him.) Last night, MSNBC did some good reporting on the Sherrod matterand the channel also did some work which was utterly foolish. The liberal world should try very hard to avoid getting turned into dopes, a la Fox. Thats why we think its worth considering what Melissa Harris-Lacewell said. Harris-Lacewell appeared on Countdown, speaking with guest host Lawrence ODonnell. What follows is the first Q-and-A. ODonnells question was utterly foolishand the answer was worse:
ODonnell doesnt quite get why this bogus story gained purchase? Good God! As Paul Krugman notes in this post, the press has been relentlessly fooled in this sort of way, going back through the Clinton years; indeed, American discourse has virtually been defined by the widespread acceptance of such bogus tales over the past several decades. Whats actually new in the Sherrod case? The remarkable fact that a bogus tale has now been widely rejected! Of course, since ODonnell played a major role in pimping such tales about Clinton, then Gore, the fraudulent fellow has a stake in pretending this history doesnt exist. But the answer ODonnell received was even more absurd than his question. Like ODonnell. Harris-Lacewell seems to be newly arrived from Neptune; she seems completely unaware of the patterns of the past twenty years. Why did the story about Sherrod gain purchase? It must be because shes a black woman, this big dope from Princeton now said. What a ridiculous notion! Reagan toyed with his welfare queen back in the 1980s. From that point forward, Harris-Lacewell is able to name three examples (including Sherrod) of black women getting unaccountably trashed, one of them being Sister Souljah! For ourselves, we hope Souljah is doing well; it seems that she is now a novelist. But might we remind you of the remarks for which Souljah was criticized by Candidate Clinton, when he found himself sharing a forum with her? This is part of what Sister Souljah had said, just one month before:
One month later, Clinton found himself sharing a forum with Souljah! Do you recall the way politics worked in that era? Do you understand how monumentally stupid Clinton would have been had he had failed to challenge these comments? Today, all good liberals feel free to name-call the New Black Panthers. We wouldnt be inclined to do that ourselves, but Souljahs remarks were right in line with the remarks which have most liberals batting the New Black Panthers around. Were really dumbing the liberal world down when we present patent nonsense like this. Cant we just say a prayer for those poor Princeton kids, but keep their professor off our liberal TV shows?
Shirley Sherrod got crucified, just like Sister Souljah before her? As the Times takes a creaking step forward, will MSNBC insist on dumbing the liberal world down? PART 3ANSWERING KRUGMAN (permalink): Just try to fathom the deep inanity of the long-standing American discoursean inanity built on one teams lying, another teams feckless incompetence. In November 1999, Candidate Bush unveiled a tax cut planthe largest budget proposal in Campaign 2000. For the next eighteen months, Candidate Bush, then President Bush, kept promoting this plan. And in all that time, Bush never suggested, not even once, that federal revenues would somehow increase because of his large tax cuts. For eighteen straight months, the candidate/president said the same thing: His tax cuts would reduce federal revenues by $1.3 trillion over the next ten years. (Calculating a bit more rigorously, Candidate Gore said the actual cost would be $1.6 trillion or $1.9 trillion. Correctly adding in one more factor, the true projected cost of the cuts computed to $2.2 trillion.) Bush said it again and again and again: His tax cuts would reduce federal revenues. (This was OK, the candidate said, because of projected surpluses.) But so what? Ten years later, Mitch McConnell suddenly said that Bushs tax cuts had increased federal revenues. This contradicted everything Candidate Bush ever said about his own brilliant plan. McConnell had voiced the worlds dumbest idea: If we lower tax rates, we get higher revenue! But in the face of this dumbest idea, we liberals were reduced to tearing our hair, trying to figure what facts we could cite to prove that this claim wasnt accurate! When we reacted this way, we showed how thoroughly we still dont know how to argue these kinds of issues. We showed how thoroughly were outdone by the skilland the sheer gumptionof those on the other side. How can this dumbest idea persist? You just cant kill it, Paul Krugman said, quite correctly tearing his hair. Indeed, this dumbest idea has roiled our discourse for thirty years, making a joke of American life. And we liberals, who love to announce that were the smart ones, still dont know how to defeat it! How does this dumbest idea persist? Krugman asked a very good question. And in part, this dumbest idea cant be killed because of the mainstream press. Consider what happened on last weekends Fox News Sunday when Mike Pence voiced this dumbest idea. Chris Wallace got off to a decent start, asking a perfectly sensible question about two Republican budget proposals. Congressman Pence, why is it that extending unemployment benefits has to be paid for, according to Republicans, but extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, which would cost $678 billion [over ten years], that doesnt have to be paid for? Good question! In his answer, Pence predictably wandered off-topic, so Wallace asked his question again. In response to this second attempt, Congressman Pence seemed to voice a version of the dumbest idea:
Say what? Like Senator McConnell before him, Pence seemed to have voiced the worlds dumbest idea! When Bush imposed his tax cuts, they expanded tax revenue, the congressman dumbestly said. In this manner, Pence made a claim for Bushs tax cutsa claim which contradicted everything Candidate Bush ever said in his run for the White House. Bush had said, again and again, that his tax cuts would reduce federal revenues! In a rational world, a major broadcaster might have challenged Pences assertion, noting that his strange assertion flew in the face of Bushs own claims. Surely you arent trying to say that the Bush tax cuts paid for themselves this host might have said. As a candidate, Bush himself said theyd cost $1.3 trillion. In a rational world, you could picture that question. Instead, Wallace raised a largely irrelevant point, giving Pence the opportunity to recite even more standard cant:
At this point, Wallace gave up, as the press corps typically does. Bushs tax cuts expanded federal revenue! The triumph of the worlds dumbest idea had been recorded again. For the record, Pences statements to Wallace were basically true; they just werent especially relevant. In part, the deficit did grow under President Bush due to increased federal spendingbut that has nothing to do with the consummate dumbness of the worlds dumbest idea. Second claim: Did revenues really double under Reagan after his tax cuts went into effect? Actually, no (though revenues did go up)and certainly not when it came to income taxes, where the major tax cuts occurred. (Reagan raised tax rates for payroll taxes.) Again, though, thats not the relevant question. Revenues almost always go up, in part because of increased population and in part because of inflation. The relevant question in this matter involves a different consideration. (How much would revenues have gone up if tax rates hadnt been changed?) When Candidate Bush said his tax cuts would cost $1.3 trillion, he meant the following: The government was going to take in $1.3 trillion less than if his tax cuts hadnt occurred. And here, a terrible fact must be noted, a point well examine tomorrow. A rumination of that type is simply too complex for the men and women of Americas press corps. Our press corps simply cant keep up with a rumination of that complexity Theyve proven this fact again and againin the long debate about Medicare cuts in the mid-1990s, for example. Why does the dumbest idea still exist? In part, because liberals dont know how to attack it. In part, because its rather simple structure is too complex for the people who pose as the press corps. This morning, weve looked at Broadcaster Wallace, fumbling badly with Congressman Pence. But people! What about Candy Crowley? On CNNs State of the Union, Crowley interviewed McConnell himself! And it was McConnell who had set off this flap, voicing the dumbest idea! Republicans could extend Bushs tax cuts, he had said, because the tax cuts pay for themselves! Every Republican believes that, the senator had seemed to say. It would be OK to extend the cutsbecause these tax cuts increase federal revenues! On Sunday, Crowley conducted a long interview with McConnelland guess what? She never asked a single question about this, the worlds dumbest idea. Go aheadclick this link, then start reading! In a long, one-on-one interview, you wont see a single question about the worlds dumbest idea! How does this zombie idea stay alive? Krugman asked a very good question. Crowley gave part of the answer.
Tomorrowpart 4: What Ezra said
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