Krugman: "President Pushover" has "never won a tough election."

[ProSense]

President Pushover

<...>

OK, I’ve never won a tough election. But neither has Obama! The 2008 race was looking close until Sarah Palin and Lehman came along. And as far as I can tell, this assessment both of what 2010 was about and what matters for 2012 is just ludicrous.

<...>

Lucky thing Obama was able to sneak into the Presidency.

[bluestateguy]

1. Oh yeah, the '08 election was just a cakewalk for Obama

Krugman is veering dangerously close to FiredogLake/Jane Hamsher territory lately.

[young but wise]

14. Sounds like a PUMA.

[MessiahRp]

75. LMAO Obama supporters sure love to toss PUMA out there at every opportunity.

2008 was not a difficult election. McCain even before Palin was struggling in all the key swing states badly enough that he was desperate for Palin to bring some star power to his ticket. She gave him a solid two weeks of numbers and then sank his chances completely.

It was not exactly Bush-Gore, Bush-Kerry.

Rp

[damonm]

76. Only because it's absolutely true. n/t

[MessiahRp]

77. Every Obama enemy is a Hillary loving PUMA. Apparently we're fighting the 2008 primaries forever.

Obama has earned plenty, PLENTY of haters or people who no longer support him in the Democratic Party or on the left... most of these people supported him wholeheartedly in 2008 but feel betrayed by him now. Also most of these people wanted nothing to do with electing Hillary. So take off your tin foil hat. Obama is disliked because he's pulled a lot of backstabbing bullshit on Democrats and has earned their wrath. Maybe not your wrath so you haven't come to terms with why other people feel betrayed but the betrayed feeling are legitimate and warranted from others.

Rp

[ClarkUSA]

83. Not "every" one. There are plenty of freepers, teabaggers and right wing astroturf as well.

Not to mention Lyndon Larouche fans.

[karynnj]

63. I suspect that he was thinking just of general elections, obviously

forgetting the tough election that Obama did win in 2008 - the elections that picked the Democratic nominee. I do agree that the Democrat was highly likely to win 2008 - even before the economy tanked. However, I do not think it was as sure a thing as 1992.

I don't think Krugman is in FDL territory, but he clearly he is frustrated that we are in the situation we are in. Krugman was one of those who early on argued that it was necessary to fight for the bigger stimulation package - arguing that if it was too small, we would not get another. He was not unaware that it was near impossible - if not impossible to get that through Congress.

I hope he is wrong in his assessment that Obama does not have a super strong connection to SS and Medicare and is more concerned with doing something "transformational". I think it was mostly others who labeled him as transformational. On the economic side, one sign that he himself was not going for "transformational" was that nearly his whole economic team consisted of Clinton people, who were already experienced and likely anticipated the President following their collective judgment.

[DFLforever]

2. The 50+ primaries he ran in were slam dunks too!

How can someone so brilliant in economics be so stupid when it comes to politics?

[msongs]

3. IMO he is right in saying adding Palin sank McCain's chances. tough or not? they are all tough nt

[jaxx]

4. This is why I called Krugman a whiner the other day.

It's all he does anymore. Pathetic.

[rfranklin]

6. Most of the time he's correct...

and many here agree with him.

[jaxx]

8. Many here also think the President is a republican.

That's their problem. It sure doesn't make them right.

[rfranklin]

15. That makes no sense...

I think that's what they term a non sequitur.

[jaxx]

19. You're right, the ones saying it make no sense.

But I know you can read and see it here all the time.

[Fire1]

82. If you're not progressive you're not a democrat. So says

DU.

[Left of the Left]

5. The financial collapse made the general election easier

there really is no question on that point. Polling pretty much confirms that.

The 08 primary has been his toughest "election" to date, 2012 is going to be killer.

[aaaaaa5a]

7. Has never won a tough election?????

I'm sorry but wasn't there something like a historic, one for the ages, Democratic Primary fight that was so close it stretched to all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and even had me up counting delegates from Guam one night!


Simply amazing!

[dogman]

10. All it took was another theft of votes in FL

and MI this time to win that.

[AtomicKitten]

26. I assume you are talking about the Dem primary election.

And in that case, the phrase "theft of votes" is ridiculous and quite frankly the only people parroting that nonsense are PUMAs.

HClinton and all the other Dem contenders agreed beforehand in writing that Michigan and Florida primaries did not count because they had jumped the gun in the nomination process. It was only when she realized she had lost the primary did she start going after the votes in Michigan (where Obama wasn't even on the ballot) and Florida, fallaciously comparing it with the 2000 election.

Hillary Clinton's Fuzzy Delegate Math: Michigan and Florida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8qE_RajmTc&feature=related

Hillary Clinton's Fuzzy Delegate Math: Popular Vote Fallacy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgsM3LYlcCs&feature=related

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) at Rules and Bylaws Committe
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F73qitQJ5MI&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tal1PRvIV8k&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0m7XiGTqTo&feature=related
Rep Wexler smacks down Harold Ickes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H00mg4KE_uI&feature=related

President Obama won the Democratic primary fair and square and I must say it's surreal to see the sour grapes revisionist history still stinking up these boards. Ugh.

[alcibiades_mystery]

31. You got your ass beat

And you're still whining about it.

Pathetic. Maybe you and your people should have hired somebody better than that imbecile Mark Penn and you would have understood the rules of the contest you were engaged in. Unfortunately, you hired (for unspeakable sums!) a dumb racist idiot, and he lost you the primary. Quelle dommage!

:rofl:

[dogman]

79. No democracy was lost.

Awarding votes arbitrarily is not democracy. At least I gained my independence from the Democratic Party. I am not still hoping for change. My ass is fine, the country's ass is beaten. The only racism in the primary was the race card played by the Obama campaign. Now it has run rampant and no one is even held accountable. Your victory is known as Pyrrhic. Congratulations

[aaaaaa5a]

36. Actually I once did some work on the likely delegate count from Michigan and Florida

And even if Michigan and Florida had legit contested primaries, Obama still would have held the lead in the delegate and popular vote count. PUMAs are irrational, illogical revisionist, hypocritical, crybabies.

Its been 3 years. You lost. Get over it.


Plus we are going to need a united front for another team victory in 2012.

[Bunny]

58. LOL!

"Its been 3 years. You lost. Get over it.


Plus we are going to need a united front for another team victory in 2012."

You lost so STFU and get over here and join our united front. :rofl:

[dogman]

80. Good luck with that.

I lost nothing. Your statement makes no sense. How could Obama have won an election when he was not on the ballot? I don't root or work for teams that cheat. PUMA

[Whisp]

86. if it wasn't Michigan and Florida...

it was those caucuses!

yes, thats the ticket.

or something.... it's just not fair that Hillary lost her throne!

[AtomicKitten]

87. *

----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBvYICKJ3TI

[Vattel]

11. self-delete

[joshcryer]

21. Haha, once FL was won we knew the outcome. 2 hours before they called it.

They had to wait until the polls closed in CA before they'd call it, but everyone and their mother knew who won.

The 2008 elections was going to be a Democrat, the Bush years were too tough on America. And it was going to be historical. That's why the Democratic Primaries were the toughest primaries we've ever had. Now if you want to talk tough then yes, they were certainly tough (though the outcome was also known early on DU pretended the outcome was questionable until, again, CA voted).

[txlibdem]

67. There wasn't even a shadow of a doubt that a Democrat would win in 2008, after BuchCo

You'd have to be dense to think any Repub had a snowball's chance of winning the Presidency in '08. They put up "the Maverick" McCaine to give them a snowball-and-a-half but then he brought on Palin who took it back down to half a snowball's chance in hell of winning. Psycho idiot trumps Maverick by a mile.

Barrack won the Dem primaries by talking like a FDR Democrat. Then after the election, he dropped the facade and we got what we got: a third term for Bush.

[alcibiades_mystery]

28. Black dude named Barack Obama won the Presidency of the United States of America

Krugman, who has, at best, been elected to an associate membership of the invited lecture luncheon series committee of the Princeton University economics department, thinks that was pretty easy.

Krugman is making a fool of himself, and you can show me a hundred Nobel prizes and I'll say the same thing.

What a buffoon.

[Empowerer]

35. :-)

[dogman]

81. Nobel prizes are pretty meaningless.

Look at the Peace prize.

[CakeGrrl]

9. What an asinine (and inaccurate) thing to say. -nt

[Pirate Smile]

12. This is really turning into an assholes on the left on parade. The GOP House is literally running

the economy off a cliff based on a manufactured crisis and people supposedly on the left are spending all their time attacking President Obama. We should never wonder why Republicans manage to hold on to power longer.

[Logical]

68. One reason is because the honor and respect and fear their base! n-t

[Peacetrain]

13. This is a joke right? The 2008 all out for blood election. WHAT is he drinking? NT

[gateley]

16. I have to laugh at myself that I actually hoped Obama might choose

Krugman as head of Treasury! :rofl:

We sure NEED him, though!

[rug]

17. His toughest fights have been against Democrats.

Bobby Rush and Hillary Clinton.

[grantcart]

18. lol and Willie Mays never made a tough catch

The pros always make it look easy.


Somehow I don't think the Clintons would agree with that statement.


Krugman is trying harder and harder to become the shock jock of the left.


Instead he is getting more predictable and trivial.

[Azathoth]

20. I guess it's just a matter of time until he insinuates that Obama only won because he's black

Obama Derangement Syndrome follows a predictable progression.

[ThatPoetGuy]

22. I don't know a term for baselessly suggesting a liberal is racist,

but that's what you just did here.

Yeah, Krugman's statement was stupid, but he's never set foot in the territory you just said.

[CakeGrrl]

23. That seems to be where he's headed, what with the snarky name calling and such

I guess he wants to be known more for soundbites than credibility.

[rhombus]

25. Look beneath the surface. Krugman has always displayed a PUMA attitidude towards Obama

Bill Clinton was as DLC as they come yet you never read or hear Krugman making these snide and petty ad hominem attacks against Bill Clinton the way he does for Obama.
It's almost like a reflexive hate for Obama. Sad.

[frazzled]

24. Krugman has never won ANY election.

A bit disingenuous of him to say "OK, I've never won a tough election." He's never run for office period, nor held any elective or even appointed office.

Look, I respect Paul Krugman for his academic career. He's a Nobel Prize winner for goodness sake. But like most economists he's purely a theorist. He has absolutely no clue about how things run in the real world. Really and truly none whatsoever.

[alcibiades_mystery]

27. I don't believe Krugman has ever won ANY election

Much less a tough one.

Oh, did he win some election for Department Chair?

No, no, I know. He was elected as a member of the Academic Integrity Review Board when he was still junior faculty! That WAS a close one. My bad.

[Akoto]

29. This guy's opinions seem to shift with the wind.

I swear, I've seen a post here every day with him saying something different. All of his remarks tend to be against the President, of course.

[alcibiades_mystery]

30. He's utterly disgracing himself

It's embarrassing. The NY Times column went to his head. It's clear that he's an opinion maker for some various fringe operators on the left, and he's playing it to the hilt. No doubt his colleagues are cringing.

[Beacool]

32. Krugman is correct.

The only tough fight he ever had was winning the nomination and he only achieved that win thanks to the super delegates. One candidate was in the eyes of the Democratic leadership more "historical" than the other one.

In 2008 it was almost a foregone conclusion that a Democrat would win the WH after 8 years of Bush, the war in Iraq and the collapse of the economy in late 2007.

:shrug:

[rhombus]

34. Yep, the fight against Hillary and the Clinton machine wasn't tough in any way. Yep.

What was Hillary's toughest campaign fight? Against Rick Lazio? Please. Without her last name, let's not mince words, Hillary would not even have gotten on the NY ballot. And that's a fact.

Obama was a complete underdog and whipped both Hillary and McCain. And no, McCain was no pushover.

[Beacool]

37. Obama was carried on his shoulders by the media.

Most of them had tingling legs for him, not just Matthews. They liked his oratorical skills and his different background. They were more enamored with the image of the candidate than the actual person.

As for Hillary, she was the star in college when the Clintons met, not Bill. She would have accomplished a public career of her own much sooner if she hadn't moved to Arkansas.

;-)

[rhombus]

40. Yep, diminish Obama's accomplishments, and ALWAYS elevate Hillary's

Yep, like Hillary, who had all the major financial donors from the Clinton apparatus on her side, a first class Clinton tried-and-tested political team on her side as well, didn't have any major advantage. If Obama was a dummy, do you think he could have assembled a first-rate political team and raised as much money as he did?

It always astonishes me when some people try to diminish Obama's political success. But in politics, it's better to be underrated than to be overrated. Some candidates learn about overconfidence and pride the hard way, in final humility. :pals:

[Beacool]

44. Humility? Obama doesn't even know the meaning of the word.

Yeah, the nation is so well served by having Obama as president. He has surely handled Congress well. They eat out of his hand. How's that budget deal going?

:rofl:

[rhombus]

45. Clinton blindspot vision goggles, ay?

:hide: :rofl:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

54. That's why they brought up Wright, Ayers, "Hussein," etc.

Because they loved him. :eyes:

And poor, poor Hillary had to pull herself up by her bootstraps. It's not like she had a famous name, national visibility, Bill's donors at her beck and call, or any advantages at all. Truly a Horatio Alger story.

:rofl:

[CakeGrrl]

38. Wrong. Again.

I know this is unpleasant, but Hillary had all the advantages on paper going into the Primaries.

And she blew it.

President Obama was a true underdog. On paper, there was little reason to think he could win. And he WON. He didn't get it handed to him. He defeated a heavy favorite with massive name recognition.

Fair and square and more than against the odds.

:hi:

[Beacool]

39. That's a matter of opinion.

Neither Obama nor Hillary would have won the nomination without the super delegates. In the House Nancy twisted enough arms to make sure that Obama won. Ironic that she's now the Minority Leader.

:7


:hi:

[CakeGrrl]

50. The point you're ignoring is that she never should have let it get close.

But we both know that.

[alcibiades_mystery]

41. Obama trounced your pathetic camp because he was smarter

To check this claim, go check on the percentage of every dollar you sent Hillary that wen to that imbecile Mark Penn.

You subsidized a moron for your strategist, and then went into whine-fest mode when your pathetic and dumb strategy FAILED. You failed. Your campaign failed. Because you came up against a campaign and a candidate that was smarter, quicker, more agile and more politically savvy. It's tough to swallow for you, Beacool, I know. But you should accept it. You failed because Obama was better at the game.

[Beacool]

43. Obama was a blank slate.

Yes, he is a smart man. No one will ever argue that point. As for being smarter, that's a matter of opinion.

I didn't fail, I would support Hillary again in a heartbeat if she chose to run for any office. I still think that she was the more knowledgeable, the more experienced candidate and someone who would have been a better president than Obama.

Yep, the country is doing A-OK under Obama's tutelage. If the whole thing wasn't so pathetic, it would be funny.

:7

[juajen]

46. I'm with you Beacool.

[Beacool]

48. Hi, where have you been?

I haven't seen you around these parts in ages or did I miss you?

Hugs!!!

:hug:

[alcibiades_mystery]

59. You

failed.

That each of your silly smiley faces is a symptom of one more bitter tear is amusing enough.

[Beacool]

65. I assume that the way the nation is going amuses you too.

:eyes:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

53. +1.

:thumbsup:

[phleshdef]

47. Yea, and winning as a black man with a middle eastern-esque name meant nothing.

Get frigging real. Say what you want about Obama's policies, but to pretend like he didn't have a tough, nearly 2 year long uphill climb to become President and didn't have to work his ass off, fending off attacks on his church, attacks on his race, attacks on his wife, the birth certificate shit, rumors of being a muslim and accusations of being a leftist radical is pure insanty and revisionist history at its best.

We were all THERE and we all know better than that. Including Krugman. Including you.

[Beacool]

49. I don't think that Krugman was referring to the primaries.

He was referring to his run for state senate, US senate and the GE.

[phleshdef]

51. The primaries AND the GE are what I'm referring to.

In which case, it was a nonstop slur fest, a barrage of nastiness aimed at Obama. To say that he didn't endure a tough election to become President is either utter stupidity or utter dishonesty, depending on the motive for saying so.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

52. It had absolutely nothing to do with running a better campaign than Hillary, right?

He's black, so white liberals just *let* him win, huh? This is racist bullshit.

It doesn't shock me that you view his ethnicity as an enormous advantage while never failing to mention the crippling sexism Hillary had to face. You constantly claim Obama supporters throw race into the mix while you never forget to toss sexism in when discussing Hillary -- ironic, since you're reducing Hillary to a victim, which she clearly is not. She just ran a poor campaign and was done in by her strategists' incompetence, not sexism.

[Cali_Democrat]

56. Wait a minute....

If you exclude all the super delegates, didn't Obama have the lead in terms of delegates?

And don't give me this nonsense about giving all of Florida's and Michigan's delegates to Hillary.

So what was the tally? I could have sworn Obama had more delegates than Hillary.

[DFLforever]

33. And he wonders why the White House

doesn't much listen to him.:think:

[krawhitham]

42. Yeah a black man becoming president, SO EASY

[Starbucks Anarchist]

55. Yes, black people with funny names become president all the time.

:rofl:

[great white snark]

57. What the hell is Krugman devolving into?

Come back to us sensible people Mr. Krugman.

[ecstatic]

71. True colors don't stay hidden for long

But I'm pretty sure whatever article he said all this in has over 300 recs in GD!

[Lilyeye]

60. Wow. Krugman loses credibility when he makes ridiculous claims like this

and the primary bitterness in this thread is really sad at this point. Hillary has moved on...so why can't the rest of you?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

61. I can't be 100% certain

But was this not a REPUBLICAN talking point during the 2008 campaign?
:wtf:

[JoePhilly]

62. Sounds like Krugman's been sniffing too much chaulk dust!!

Some one needs to perform an intervention.

[tweeternik]

64. "Pauly" is a bitter man ....

he thought he should have been on Obama's economic team! or at least one of his hand picked minions. :cry: me a river, Mr. Whiner!!

[Vicar In A Tutu]

66. I don't pay the fantasy lectures any more attention than I do...

..the looney right. Krauthammer, Krugman, it's all the same to me when they dip their toes into the land of unmitigated bullshit. That said, the right is much better at not jumping up and down squalling whenever something doesn't go exactly as they want it to under their own party, so they tend to get more done. Obama has had an all-out assault from many on the left since a few months after taking office. People on the left-fringe talk about the GOP dominating only because the Democratic party isn't liberal enough, which is patently bullshit. First of all, where are all of the mythical liberal votes which could be allocated 100% to a Democrat to ensure that Reagan or Bush I never become President? Who got them? Next, of course Democrats are going to be cautious about what positions they hold if they see that the public seem to elect right-wing politicians more often than not. It's the top seller, the winning brand. A cola maker is going to try to emulate Coke above all else if they want to stay in the market. The only shift to the left the US will ever see will be a very subtle one brought about by the GOP staying the fuck out of power for 12 years plus. People have become accustomed to a relatively right-wing nation, and it cannot change over night. Especially with a media as lily-livered and unwilling to call outright lunacy for what it is.

Check the DADT hysteria for a recent example. Oh he's not going to do it all because he's a liar and a homophobe. Why hasn't it happened yet, it must be because he has no intention of ever doing so. Oh, he's doing it the long way because he's such a homophobe. Oh, he wants an iron clad piece of legislation approved at every level so that it stays in place because he's such a bigot. Give me a fucking break. He campaigned on the issue, he made it CLEAR it was going to happen. The only possible way he could lose out of it would be by abandoning it. That doesn't enter the brains of the reactionary cretins who are eager to pounce on him at every turn. It's as ridiculous as the endless right- assault on him at every turn since taking office.

[WI_DEM]

69. defeating Hillary Clinton for Democratic nomination wasn't tough?

[NYC Liberal]

70. You have to wonder if he actually believes this. nt

[TwilightGardener]

72. Man, I like Krugman, but this is just stupid.

[JustAnotherGen]

73. That's the one of the stupidest things

He's ever written.

Who here campaigned, canvassed, and drove people to the polls for President Obama in 2008? I did.

I was on pins and needles until they called Florida. And not one minute prior to that was I ever in the mode of "This is a piece of cake."

[Mz Pip]

74. I agree

I didn't relax until Ohio was called for Obama. So many of the swing states that had Obama ahead were still within the margin of error. Up 3% in one state, up 4% in another. I figured any one or all could end up in McCain's column. I sure wasn't taking anything for granted.

[center rising]

78. Hey Paul, STFU!!!

[ClarkUSA]

84. I see Prof. Krugman has gone back to his idiotic PUMA lies. Must be a slow day in that ivory tower.

Both of DINO DLC Bill's presidential runs were gimmes for which he owes Ross Perot and Bob Dole huge debts of gratitude. And let's face it, Rick Lazio was hardly a tough opponent for presidential spouse/DLC celebrity Hillary's first run as Senator.

Furthermore, this means "inevitable" Hillary lost an easy race to now-President Obama. She better not even think about 2016 given what a lousy, incompetent job she did running against such a "pushover" as Barack Obama.

:sarcasm:

[cliffordu]

85. Fucking moron. Moron. MORON.

The black guy won.

THAT'S WHY THEY ARE WILLING TO CRASH THE WORLD ECONOMY.

I now HATE Krugman. Fuck him.