Politics?: Krugman and Wobbly Kneed Democrats

Paul Krugman is an economist, professor at Princeton University, and a columnist for the New York Times. I first became familiar with him through my class with the legendary Tim Koechlin. Koechlin was a big fan of his, and it goes without saying a friend of Koechlin’s is a friend of mine. His work definitely leans to the left a good deal but it is always insightful, straightforward, and intelligent.

In his article today, “Wobbled by Wealth?” he debates whether the interests of a rich, powerful few will continue to prevail over the general welfare of America at large. He claims that America as a whole is 1) Unhappy with our current situation 2) More liberal now than it has been in over 45 years 3) Relying on a Democratic party that ‘has not yet found its voice as an agent of change’.

He challenges the Democratic candidates to not sell out to the pressures from lobbyists and Washington political agendas. However, in the current system there is a dangerous catch-22, in which it costs millions and millions of dollars to even be considered a top candidate but you would essentially have to sell your soul in order to get those millions in the first place. It really boils down to the American public getting to a point where they are sick and tired of dealing with all this bullshit in terms of campaign financing, media distortion and propaganda, and politicians lying through their teeth.

Obviously there is not an easy answer to all of these problems. As I see things, it is first and foremost on the American public to educate themselves and to vote accordingly. Easier said than done. It might just take a courageous, perhaps costly, move like John Edwards taking the Public campaign funding route and calling for his opponents to do the same. Calling out Washington for being corrupt and overrun with private interests is a bold strategy. Edwards definitely earned some points in my book with this move. It seems that all we can do is hope that someone can rise above this bullshit and open our eyes to what is really going on with the American political system and what needs to be done to start changing it.