Krugman: GOP Has Become A "Party Of Whiners"

In an editorial, economic Paul Krugman describes the Republicans as a "party of whiners":

As the new Democratic majority prepares to take power, Republicans have become, as Phil Gramm might put it, a party of whiners.

Some of the whining almost defies belief. Did Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, really say, "I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror"? Did Rush Limbaugh really suggest that the financial crisis was the result of a conspiracy, masterminded by that evil genius Chuck Schumer?

Read the whole thing. Krugman also touched on Gonzales' quote in a blog post this week, saying he was "having a vocabulary problem" attempting to describe "the kind of person who considers his mild discomfort the equivalent of torture, crippling injury, or death for other people."

Gonzales gave the description of himself as a 'casualty of the war on terror' in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, in which he discussed his plans to write a book on the Bush Administration.

"What is it that I did that is so fundamentally wrong, that deserves this kind of response to my service?" he asked the paper. "For some reason, I am portrayed as the one who is evil in formulating policies that people disagree with."

Comments

[gorideabike]

The republican rank and file members trusted and followed Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II. Each one wackier than the last. Logic, decency, truth, accountability, open government, and the needs of the nation all fell before the gods of greed and power. Gonzales was allways a willing pawn. I regret too that he brought so much shame on his family. Responsibility also was a casualty of republican doublethink, so whining is about all Gonzo and the thugs have left.

[DocWylie]

Alberto speaks like a textbook sociopath.

[zest]

Looks like the Republicans have bought into their own retoric. Their fundamentalist base does not believe in "evolution", and by God they are not going to evolve. Good luck with that.

[Sarahmay57]

I love this man!

[J-RO]

Go Krugman Go...

[Shieldmaiden]

The Republican party is mentally and morally bankrupt. They pander to the r eligious c.razies, pick d angerous candidates like Bush and Palin, and d.emonize anyone who is not w.hite or from "real America." What they fail to realize is that "real America" changed and they are too s.tupid to know how to keep up with it.

[Icantbelieveher]

And even now their strategy is how they can fool the American people into believing that they care about the middle class and minorities! They don't want to change who they are -- just our perception of them!

[Articulator]

Ya, and the last thing they will do is to try to help Amercia move forward.
Didnt Rush openly declare war on the new administration and they are not even in the White House yet?

[Antonio518]

HORATIO

[6465billy]

The Republicans cannot win an election by counting the votes, so all they can do is whine, steal all the elections they can. When they can't steal an election they filabuster and obstruct. What a wonderful country we would have if they ALL decided to leave our good ole USA. I would gladly tell them don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[stefiz]

tell any repub you know who is complaining.... love it or leave it!! thats my fav

[Sarahmay57]

Or ask them why they hate America!

[Artos]

I cannot believe Gonzales, saying that he couldn't understand why he was being criticized and that no one deserved that kind of response to their public service. He doesn't see how he violated so much that Is considered a hallmark of American ethics and integrity. His rubber stamping of torture and the support for laws that curtail American Freedoms. This man has supported Fascism and for that he claims that he has done America and it's citizens a service. This Gonzales would be better off as a sleazey lawyer in some two bit South American Totalitarian Dictatorship. He seems to have the character for it.

[IndyGirl19]

Thank you Dr. Krugman for another article so deliciously on point!

"Mr. Bush declared that he visited his ranch to 'stay in touch with real Americans'..."

Why is it that Bush will soon be living far away from all those "real Americans" in his new home in Preston Hollow? Doesn't he know that Dallas is teeming with Obama supporters?

[mouselion]

But not I'm guessing Preston Hollow is no bastion of O supporters.

[TruthHasALiberalBias]

The REP-robates have always been whining. I travelled to ultra-red Oklahoma this October when election fever was really heating up, and the entire REP-robate base is built on whiners. I met people crying about how there is a "Gay culture being taught to our children", how "Taking prayer out of school is making Jesus mad", how "Women are killing babies with abortion." Try to reason with them, and they just cry even louder. Tin hats and pacifiers are the everlasting images of the REP-robate party.

[junebuginFL]

Stop whining. Your truth has a lib bias.

[mamala4]

And Phil Gramm is the biggest whiner of them all.

[militarymomforobama]

While they whine, I see real changes coming.

Can't wait for the next Supreme Court appointment.

[BeasleysMom]

Right again, Mom. It will be gleeful!

Mom