The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Krugman
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Book Reviews of The Conscience of a Liberal
Book Review: Superb Political History
Summary: 5 Stars
The problem with this book's title is that it will likely only attract committed liberals or admirers of Paul Krugman's columns. This is unfortunate, because the book sketches an accurate political history of the United States in the post-WWII era. Many newcomers to politics don't remember the 1950s and 1960s when it was difficult to determine a politician's party by examining his voting record. I grew up a Republican in upstate New York, but we had Republicans such as Nelson Rockefeller and Jacob Javitts- Republicans who wouldn't be nominated for dogcatcher in today's political climate. The author shows how Reagan extremists, supply-siders, neo-Cons and the religious right have captured the Republican Party over the last 30 years. A small group of radicals have been able to manipulate the party to the advantage of an elite who have reaped huge financial gain through lowered taxes and loopholes. To stay in power, they cater to the worst instincts of the people: fear of crime/terrorism, concern that gays may get equal consideration, worry that guns will be registered, veiled dog-whistle racism, attacks on non-"Christian" dogma and patriotic urgings to stay the course in a failed war of choice.
Although I am moving further and further left to spite the Bushies, I cannot read unsubstantiated political ravings from either wing. I like historical and statistical grounding. Mr. Krugman provides both. The book is loaded with economic statistics to make its points. One of the more interesting is the correlation between bi-partisanship and economic eqality. This implies that the big Republican donors are fueling the right wing babble and keeping radicals in power. The 'movement" Republicans insure that only radical righties are nominated. Their districts are gerrymandered to insure victory. Once in office, uncompromising whips keep them in line. Once defeated or convicted, they are given lush jobs as lobbyists or cushy research chairs in the right-wing "think-tanks." The whole process is organized with cult-like dedication and well honed business acumen. I really think it would be un-American to give support to movement Republicans until they are purged of their crazies.
Sorry for slipping into rant-mode. The Krugman narrative is more restrained, but such a conclusion is hard to ignore. The author advises that the present Republicans will not change. They must be soundly defeated at the polls if this country is to address universal health care or global warming. I would encourage all liberals to read this- it will make you smarter and more dedicated.
Book Review: A Way Forward
Summary: 5 Stars
Krugman takes the reader on a succinct and readable journey through of US economic history beginning from about 1900 up to the present. His focus is how the average (or more precisely median) worker has fared. Krugman recounts the great economic inequality in the pre-Great Depression era and demonstrates that nearly identical levels of inequality have returned.
Krugman's primary argument is that US government policies and actions can be used to reduce economic inequality and that it did so in response to the Great Depression, through World War Two and beyond. He calls this era the Great Compression when the average CEO of a large company made about 30 times the income of an average worker rather than today's multiplier of 300. He further argues that conservative political forces used Nixon's Southern strategy to divide workers and attain power. Once there, these forces applied Friedman economics (and some made-up economics like the `supply-side' craze) to government policies, declared war on unions, and deregulated across the board. Krugman presciently argued that the Republicans' politics of racial division were nearing the end of the road as the demographics of the US changed.
Krugman expected the recent victory by a progressive Democrat in 2008. He sets forth several fairly specific policy recommendations for progressives (liberals who do things): universal health insurance, a more progressive tax structure, increase the minimum wage, and make union organizing easier. Part of his argument for giving priority to universal health insurance is that it will demonstrate that the government can indeed institute policies that make a person's life better. After several decades of anti-government rhetoric, such a demonstration is necessary.
Krugman's prescriptions are not a complete progressive agenda - he barely touches on the environment - but if President Obama and Congress institute Krugman's ideas in the economic realm we will have a fairer society where the benefits of economic activity are more equitably shared. My personal feeling is they should act aggressively and swiftly on multiple fronts before the GOP has recovered its footing and to occupy the inevitable political counterattack busy with many challenges at once.
Book Review: The Politcal/Economics Book of the Decade
Summary: 5 Stars
Krugman does it again with an impeccably reasoned history of the interaction between US politics and economics. I wasn't expecting much new, but Krugman repeatedly opened my eyes by putting our current political conflicts in the context of 140 years worth of economic and political history. He documents how the distribution of economic resources are guided not only by Adam Smith's invisible hand but also by politics. He describes how we achieved relative equality with high productivity growth during the 1940-60s, analyzes how political decisions led to our current moderate growth with most of the benefits accruing to a small fraction of the population, and discusses the way movement conservatives have achieved and maintained political power while furthering the economic interests of a small minority. The second half of the book suggests a modest plan for liberals to achieve when they regain political power--beginning with universal health insurance.
I've often found it hard to understand what motivates conservatives. I now understand their history and ideas much better. Compromising with them isn't going to work. It will be interesting to see how conservatives respond to this book. They will clearly quibble, attack, and distract, but it is hard to see how they could counteract Krugman's carefully documented main points.
This book is a must read for everybody concerned about the direction our country is moving. The timing is propitious as it arrives just as the radical conservative movement is beginning to falter. It refutes essentially every argument radical conservatives use to advance their cause and distort discussions. And it will be the book of the decade if it does begin the process of getting our political discussions about the undoing our social safety nets back to where they were in the 1950s. Krugman quotes Eisenhower as writing of those who would "attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs...." that "Their number is negligible and they are stupid." Radical conservatives will always be with us, but they do not need to remain in political power.
Book Review: Democracy first
Summary: 5 Stars
As a true liberal, Paul Krugman pleads in this mightily important book for a new `New Deal', a new agenda for the expansion of social safety nets (universal health care) and for the reduction of social inequalities.
He gives in this hard-hitting book a brilliant analysis of US elections, which until F.D. Roosevelt took the presidency, were con trolled by a plutocracy.
Under Bush II an authoritarian, fundamentally anti-democratic and unacceptably violent (`liberals should be physically intimidated') clique (movement conservatism - MC) took all political powers. It is financed by a handful of extremely wealthy individuals and major corporations (drug, energy). Their agenda comprised the undermining of government safety nets, regulation restraints, the breaking of union power and the privatization of nearly all government institutions and services.
FDR created with his New Deal the US middle class. The MC destroyed it and created (enormous tax cuts) a new plutocracy (in a particular US state some representatives can be controlled by 20 individuals).
But, why could a small movement monopolize political power in the US and attack the welfare system?
For Paul Krugman, race (racism) is at the heart of US politics. Welfare distribution goes foremost to minorities. The GOP could exploit the white backlash against civil rights. The MC could take the GOP in a stranglehold, steal elections and rule by cronyism and corruption.
But, there is hope. Demographics (immigration) and mentalities are changing: the US becomes less white and less racist.
Paul Krugman is a staunch defender of liberalism and concomitantly of true democracy, civil liberties, the rule of law and the preservation of the social fabric.
This fascinating book, written by a superb free mind is a must read for all US historians and for all those who want to understand the world we live in.
Book Review: Unconscionable Liberalism
Summary: 2 Stars
Paul Krugman's characterization of Conservatives is as phony as Hillary Clinton's chortle. Conservatives, as seen through the ideological prism of Krugman's Liberalism, are soulless, parsimonious, purveyors of evil because they do not agree that the federal government should be responsible for cradle to grave supervision of Americans.
Krugman is the paradigm of the stereotypical Liberal, who never met a tax he didn't like, especially if that tax was above 90%. He is loathe to credit Ronald Reagan for anything, even though Reagan is rated 8th on the list of presidential leadership, FDR 3rd, and Clinton 24th, in a survey that included 78 liberal and conservative scholars. From the petulant tone of Krugman's grumbling, it appears he never recovered from his rejection by Bill Clinton, who appointed Laura Tyson Chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisers.
Krugman's tenuous grasp of historical events is also troubling. He asserts that, as a direct result of FDR's New Deal, the American middle class became a bonafide socio-economic group in 1938. This is pure hokum. Americans never enjoyed disposable income until the U.S. began in earnest to gear up for WWII. Never mind the benefits of the post war G.I Bill, the complete mobilization of America that included the introduction of women into the labor force by the millions in 1941, the government war contracts, and the fact the U.S. was the only industrial stable democracy that, aside from some Japanese balloon bombs, managed to escape WWII unscathed on the home front.
If FDR were alive to day, he would recoil in horror at Krugman's concept of Liberalism. Not to mention he would sue Krugman for invoking his name as the person responsible for the unintended consequence of social security that has morphed into an out of control insurance policy.