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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI think Krugman may have just proven Reasonable Republicans cannot exist
QED
Reasonable Republicans?
Several commenters have asked that I provide examples of Republicans making reasonable economic arguments; some of them seem to be saying that Im proving my bias if I dont provide such examples.
But it doesnt work that way: if all Republicans are saying unreasonable things, then its a distortion indeed, a form of bias to insist that there must be reasonable Republicans.
Now, what you can quite easily find are examples of people who used to be Republicans, or even still consider themselves Republicans, saying reasonable things say, Bruce Bartlett or David Frum. But the very fact that theyre reasonable has led to their excommunication from the movement!
Its kind of the treason never prospers argument (for if it prospers, none dare call it treason); if someone declares that tax cuts dont pay for themselves, or that printing money when youre in a liquidity trap isnt deeply inflationary, or that fear of Obamacare isnt holding the economy back, he ceases to be considered a member in good standing of the GOP. There are, therefore, no reasonable Republicans on these issues.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/reasonable-republicans/
Several commenters have asked that I provide examples of Republicans making reasonable economic arguments; some of them seem to be saying that Im proving my bias if I dont provide such examples.
But it doesnt work that way: if all Republicans are saying unreasonable things, then its a distortion indeed, a form of bias to insist that there must be reasonable Republicans.
Now, what you can quite easily find are examples of people who used to be Republicans, or even still consider themselves Republicans, saying reasonable things say, Bruce Bartlett or David Frum. But the very fact that theyre reasonable has led to their excommunication from the movement!
Its kind of the treason never prospers argument (for if it prospers, none dare call it treason); if someone declares that tax cuts dont pay for themselves, or that printing money when youre in a liquidity trap isnt deeply inflationary, or that fear of Obamacare isnt holding the economy back, he ceases to be considered a member in good standing of the GOP. There are, therefore, no reasonable Republicans on these issues.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/reasonable-republicans/
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I think Krugman may have just proven Reasonable Republicans cannot exist (Original Post)
phantom power
Aug 2012
OP
The Wizard
(12,547 posts)1. Republican and reason
are no longer operable in the same sentence. There are no normal Republicans to be found.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)2. False equivalency rears its ugly head.
Thanks for standing up to that, Dr K. Every story does NOT have 2 equally feasible sides.
ailsagirl
(22,898 posts)3. "Reasonable Republicans" = oxymoron
Fozzledick
(3,860 posts)4. Jim Jeffords and Linc Chafee were the last two.
They got pushed out of the party for being reasonable. Now there are none left.