Joe Biden wants to unify his nation. But, Paul Krugman writes, he faces a tough slog:
Some, perhaps most, of the opposition he’ll face will come from people who are deeply corrupt. And even among Republicans acting in good faith he’ll have to contend with deep-seated cluelessness, the result of the intellectual bubble the right has lived in for many years.
Take Ted Cruz, for example:
Cruz is, or used to be, a smart man — ask him and he’ll tell you (although in my experience people secure in their intellectual bona fides don’t boast about their academic credentials). But he has spent many years pursuing power by trying to appeal to the worst instincts of the Republican base. Most notably, he has been among the leading voices pushing the false narrative of a stolen election and bears significant responsibility for the sacking of the Capitol.
Cruz isn’t stupid, he just imagines that voters are. What he’s really doing is offering us an early taste of the unprincipled opposition Biden can expect from the anti-democracy wing of the G.O.P., which appears to be most of the party.
And even Mitt Romney could well be a problem:
After the inauguration, Romney expressed opposition to a new economic relief package, declaring: “We just passed a $900 billion-plus package. Let’s give that some time to be able to influence the economy.”
Now, Romney has earned the presumption that, unlike other Republicans opposing relief, he’s honestly trying to do the right thing. But that’s an utterly clueless remark, indicating that he doesn’t understand what Biden’s proposed package is all about.
While coronavirus relief legislation is often called “stimulus,” that’s not what Biden is trying to do. The economy in 2021 isn’t like the economy in 2009, depressed because there isn’t enough demand; we haven’t fully recovered because we’re still on partial lockdown, with some activities curtailed by the risk of infection.
The goal of policy in this situation isn’t to pump up spending, getting people to eat out and travel. It is, instead, to help people, businesses and local governments get through the difficult period until widespread vaccination lets us go back to business as usual.
Both Cruz and Romney are not stupid men. But they illustrate what happens to those who join the Republican Party. They become intellectual zombies.
Image: ABC News
4 comments:
"... even among Republicans acting in good faith" - I notice that Krugman doesn't name any. There's a long-standing pattern of Republican leaders handing Democrats a government in smoking ruins then complaining in bad faith that the cleanup isn't happening fast enough or is costing too much. At this point, it's safe to assume that all Republican arguments are made in bad faith. It's up to them to establish otherwise.
Cruz is a gutless disgrace. Trump slandered Cruz's father and wife yet Cruz continued to act as Trump's toady long after it was clear that Trump lost the election. Cruz's academic accomplishments in no way make up for his total moral rot. The man is poison and the senate ought to expel him. Romney, OTOH, makes bad faith arguments when it suits his purpose, but he at least has enough vestigial morality to be the only Republican to vote for Trump's impeachment. That took guts and puts him in a totally different category from Cruz.
Cap
What is deeply disturbing is that both men know better than to support Trump. But knowledge does not guarantee a wise decision, Cap.
Romney is simply out of touch with the reality of life in the U.S.A.
Cruz will stop at nothing, in my opinion, to achieve his political goals. Any one who can support Trump after what Trump said about Cruz's family just isn't fit to be a senator or a dog catcher.
After what happened at the Capitol, both of these men should be able to read the writing on the wall, e.a.f.
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