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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump’s (Don the Con's) Fellow Travelers - Krugman
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/03/opinion/trumps-fellow-travelers.html?ribbon-ad-idx=6&rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=article<snip>
Trumps Fellow Travelers
Donald Trump has just had an extraordinarily bad week, and Hillary Clinton an extraordinarily good one; betting markets now put Mrs. Clintons odds of winning almost as high as they were just after the Democratic convention. But both Mrs. Clintons virtues and Mr. Trumps vices have been obvious all along. How, then, did the race manage to get so close on the eve of the debate?
A lot of the answer, Ive argued, lies in the behavior of the news media, which spent the month before the first debate jeering at Mrs. Clinton, portraying minor missteps as major sins and inventing fake scandals out of thin air. But let us not let everyone else off the hook. Mr. Trump couldnt have gotten as far as he has without the support, active or de facto, of many people who understand perfectly well what he is and what his election would mean, but have chosen not to take a stand.
Lets start with the Republican political establishment, which is supporting Mr. Trump just as if he were a normal presidential nominee.
Ive had a lot of critical things to say about Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, and Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House. One thing of which I would never accuse them, however, is stupidity. They know what kind of man theyre dealing with but they are spending this election pretending that were having a serious discussion about policy, that a vote for Mr. Trump is simply a vote for lower marginal tax rates. And they should not be allowed to flush the fact of their Trump support down the memory hole when the election is behind us.
This goes in particular for Mr. Ryan, who has received extraordinarily favorable press treatment over the years portrayed as an honest, serious policy wonk with a sincere concern for fiscal probity. This reputation was never deserved; his policy proposals have always been obvious flimflam. But in the past, criticisms of Mr. Ryan depended on pointing out hard stuff, like the fact that his numbers didnt add up. Now it can be made much simpler: Every time hes held up as an example of seriousness, remember that when it mattered, he backed Donald Trump.
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Trump’s (Don the Con's) Fellow Travelers - Krugman (Original Post)
malaise
Oct 2016
OP
apcalc
(4,465 posts)1. Yes, he did. And let's not let anyone forget all those who have backed Trump.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)2. Great article!
Thanks for posting!