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Paul Krugman: Opposition to health care reform is racism

OK, if it is fair (and it surely is) to go after Sarah Palin for her opportunistic nutjob evocation of Death Panels attempting to snuff poor Tryg, then it must also be fair to point out that Paul Krugman has hit a new low in characterizing opposition to President Obama's health insurance reforms as indicative of racism:

But they're probably reacting less to what Mr. Obama is doing, or even to what they've heard about what he's doing, than to who he is. [h/t Hube]


This is not, of course, without precedent for Krugman who only recently characterized any legislator who voted against cap-and-trade as a Traitor.

I say it was time to bring out the adults on both sides, except that I can't find any adults in the GOP these days, and the adults in the Democratic Party have apparently sold out to one of the industries they are supposed to be regulating.
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Delaware Watch said…
You make it sound as if Krugman is calling just anyone who opposes health care reform a racist. He seems to be calling those who show up at public meetings and engage in mob like tactics as racially motivated on the suppositions that they are also birthers and birthers are racist.

I grant his suppositions come with scant evidence, but he is definitely not arguing that just anyone who opposes health care reform is racially motivated.
August 8, 2009 at 11:40 PM
Nancy Willing said…
Dana's clarification is an important one. There is evidence of racist sentiments being tossed around --incidents from the mini mobbers filmed at some of these events. Krugman should have linked to it. He is better than this.
August 9, 2009 at 6:08 AM
Anonymous said…
Krugman is and was right on many issues. I stand with Dana on this one, Krugman sees the rascism written all over this so called "Obama plan". Firstly it is NOT Obamas plan its the Senate/Congressional committee plans and every one of them falls short. If Obama wants to win in 4 years, he better wake up and start listening to the doctors/nurses at PNHP.org, and his own Doctor of 20 years. Progressives are determined to vote against any plan that does not permit single payer to be enacted at least in the states. They will submit to a "co-op" pooling crap that is untested, unregulated and unlicenced. I would hope liberaterians would join progessives in making sure the insurance companies are thrown to side of the road, and support the only option that 30 nations already have. We need to get the corporations out of the business of paying for health care. Those monies should be given as raises, or for new hires...thats how we expand our economy and create new jobs.
August 9, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Nancy Willing said…
Steve, I got a few of those same spammers on my site today. I hope we aren't going to get slammed.

They would have had to go through word verification on your site...hmmm.
August 9, 2009 at 5:43 PM
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