What? You don't believe it? Why not? Paul Krugman is the left-wing Nobel prize winning economist and Op-Ed writer for the New York Times. In the August 18, 2018 online edition of the Times was an article by Mr. Krugman titled "The Slippery Slope of Complicity." Krugman starts out his piece by claiming that "Trump is every bit as much a menace to the republic, as some of us warned when all the cool kids were busy snarking about Clinton's emails." The "slippery slope" in his title refers to the Republicans having tolerated some of Trump's behaviors, to the point where they now "acquiesce in Trump's corruption, his incitement to violence, and his abuse of power."
Krugman then makes this outrageous assertion, based on nothing, which the New York Times - the self-described "paper of record" - happily publishes online: "Make no mistake: If Republicans hold both houses of Congress this November, Trump will go full authoritarian, abusing institutions like the I.R.S., trying to jail opponents and journalists on, er trumped-up charges, and more - and he'll do it with full support from his party." Then, Krugman went even further with this contention: "And some of them (Republicans) are making a coldblooded calculation that the demise of democracy is worth it if it means lower taxes on the rich and freedom to pollute."
It is hard to believe that this was not an "April Fool's" online edition of the Times. It was Obama who actually used the I.R.S. to target conservative 501(c)(3) organizations. It was Obama who spied on journalists, and sought to prosecute more people under the Espionage Act than other presidents. Where is Krugman's evidence that Trump wants to jail opponents and journalists? If there is no evidence, how dare he say it, and how dare the Times put it up online. And if there is evidence - and I am sure there is not - he should tell us what it is in the article.
One can only feel scorn for the claim that Republicans are willing to see an end to our democracy in exchange for lower taxes and pollution. Then again, Krugman also tells us that "Republican politicians are (not) serious, honorable people who care about policy." This sounds quite similar to Hillary's "basket of deplorables" - the racists, sexists, homophobes, xenophobes and Islamophobes. Only Krugman has taken it to the next level. Now, the deplorables (i.e. Republicans) want to lock up opponents, lock up journalists, and bring about an end to democracy just to get lower taxes and pollution.
In case Krugman's, and the Times, left-wing readers were not clear on the point of this trashy Op-Ed, Krugman makes it quite explicit: "democracy really could die just a few moths from now." In other words, with a Republican victory in the midterms, our democracy ends. So, Krugman, and presumably the Times, justify this garbage because the goal is to rally the base to get out and vote in order to prevent...fascism, jailing journalists, and lower taxes and pollution.
Here's how I look at it - if Krugman can make all these scurrilous comments about Trump and Republicans, then why can't I claim that Democrats will seek to imprison Republicans? Maybe Democrats will force Republicans into slavery and prostitution. Don't blame me. It's a time honored Democratic approach to the opposition - demagoguery and name-calling instead of true debate with facts and logical argument. Just ask Hillary. And Obama. And Pelosi and Reid and the rest of them.
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