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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKrugman: Rosie Ruiz Republicans
Rosie Ruiz Republicans
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Remember Rosie Ruiz? In 1980 she was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon except it turned out that she hadnt actually run most of the race, that she sneaked onto the course around a mile from the end. Ever since, she has symbolized a particular kind of fraud, in which people claim credit for achieving things they have not, in fact, achieved.
And these days Paul Ryan is the Rosie Ruiz of American politics...an apt comparison even before the curious story of Mr. Ryans own marathon came to light...In a statement issued by a spokesman, Mr. Ryan tried to laugh the whole thing off as a simple error. But serious runners find that implausible: the difference between sub-three and over-four is the difference between extraordinary and perfectly ordinary, and its not something a runner could get wrong, unless hes a fabulist who imagines his own reality. And does suggesting that Mr. Ryan is delusional rather than dishonest actually make the situation any better?
Which brings us back to the real issues of this presidential campaign...nobody cares how fast Mr. Ryan can run, and even his strange marathon misstatement wouldnt be worth talking about in isolation. What makes this incident so striking is, instead, the way it resonates with the essential Rosie-Ruizness of Mr. Ryans whole political persona, which is built around big boasts about accomplishments he hasnt accomplished.
For Mr. Ryan, as you may recall, has positioned himself as an icon of truth-telling and fiscal responsibility, while offering policy proposals that are neither honest nor responsible. He calls for huge tax cuts, while proposing specific spending cuts that, while inflicting immense hardship on our most vulnerable citizens, would fall far short of making up for the revenue loss. His claims to reduce the deficit therefore rely on assertions that he would make up for the lost revenue by closing loopholes that he refuses to specify, and achieve further huge spending cuts in ways that he also refuses to specify.
- more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/opinion/krugman-rosie-ruiz-republicans.html
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Remember Rosie Ruiz? In 1980 she was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon except it turned out that she hadnt actually run most of the race, that she sneaked onto the course around a mile from the end. Ever since, she has symbolized a particular kind of fraud, in which people claim credit for achieving things they have not, in fact, achieved.
And these days Paul Ryan is the Rosie Ruiz of American politics...an apt comparison even before the curious story of Mr. Ryans own marathon came to light...In a statement issued by a spokesman, Mr. Ryan tried to laugh the whole thing off as a simple error. But serious runners find that implausible: the difference between sub-three and over-four is the difference between extraordinary and perfectly ordinary, and its not something a runner could get wrong, unless hes a fabulist who imagines his own reality. And does suggesting that Mr. Ryan is delusional rather than dishonest actually make the situation any better?
Which brings us back to the real issues of this presidential campaign...nobody cares how fast Mr. Ryan can run, and even his strange marathon misstatement wouldnt be worth talking about in isolation. What makes this incident so striking is, instead, the way it resonates with the essential Rosie-Ruizness of Mr. Ryans whole political persona, which is built around big boasts about accomplishments he hasnt accomplished.
For Mr. Ryan, as you may recall, has positioned himself as an icon of truth-telling and fiscal responsibility, while offering policy proposals that are neither honest nor responsible. He calls for huge tax cuts, while proposing specific spending cuts that, while inflicting immense hardship on our most vulnerable citizens, would fall far short of making up for the revenue loss. His claims to reduce the deficit therefore rely on assertions that he would make up for the lost revenue by closing loopholes that he refuses to specify, and achieve further huge spending cuts in ways that he also refuses to specify.
- more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/opinion/krugman-rosie-ruiz-republicans.html
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Krugman: Rosie Ruiz Republicans (Original Post)
ProSense
Sep 2012
OP
Atman
(31,464 posts)1. Hey! He stole my line!
LOL! Or, considering we both wrote the Rosie Ruiz comparison on September 2, perhaps we were channeling...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1254307
I had not seen Krugman's column when I posted this. GMTA!
Martin Eden
(12,875 posts)3. K&R for PK
Paul Krugman is the skilled carpenter of ommentary -- the man inerrantly hits the nail on the head
Snarkoleptic
(6,002 posts)4. Not only did he take credit for something he never did,
he also nearly dislocated his shoulder patting himself on the back for helping take care of his elderly grandmother who had Alzheimer's.
Only in GOPland does one parade around asking for extra credit for doing what any reasonable and prudent person would do.*
*Disclaimer- This WAS at the RNC and there weren't a lot of reasonable and prudent people in the venue.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)5. Love the disclaimer. LOL! n/t