'Gloriously idiotic': Paul Krugman leads another parade of denial about why Hillary lost

https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/805864149070790656

Paul Krugman’s spent a good deal of time analyzing what went wrong for the Left in the 2016 election, and he still hasn’t worked through many issues. Here’s another heaping helping of misdiagnoses, willful ignorance and projection:

A lot of people seem to be settling on the narrative that Trumpism reflects a backlash against the arrogance of liberal elites. Really? 1/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

After all, recent policy disasters — Iraq, financial deregulation, austerity — mainly reflected arrogance of *conservative* elites 2/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

And these people have actually been empowered by Trumpism. Also, how can you say that liberals, who worried about wage stagnation etc. 3/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

don't care about workers? IN terms of policy, liberals have been on white working class's side, much more than the election victors 4/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

So what's it about? The answer seems in part to be that liberals haven't been willing to promise to bring the coal etc. jobs back 5/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

because they cannot, in fact, be brought back — but insisting on being realistic is perceived as elitist, arrogant, and uncaring 6/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

Plus there's the sense that liberals don't respect the culture of the WWC. What's odd is that I don't see anything like the blatant way 7/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

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conservatives denounce "New York values", or declare that large parts of the country aren't the "real America". Sure you can find some 8/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

dismissive remarks about flyover country or something — but never in political discourse, from actual politicians. So what is it? 9/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

One answer is anti-intellectualism — the very act of trying to figure out how to solve problems makes some see you as arrogant. 10/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

Another answer — which you know is partly true — is anger that liberal elites don't respect ordinary folks' prejudice. 11/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

So what can be done? Not easy to say. What do you do if trying to help families, but refusing to ignore reality, is seen as elitist? 12/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 5, 2016

Where to start? How about everywhere:

https://twitter.com/GlomarResponder/status/805867208912072705

https://twitter.com/robbysoave/status/805862843996377089

As an ordinary folk I beg you @paulkrugman please help me to overcome my prejudices so that I can join the liberal elite. Lol. https://t.co/y6r7dH2J4C

— Just Opinions (@NickSew) December 5, 2016

https://twitter.com/_EvRo_/status/805867635074355203

You lauded a president who blamed unemployment on ATMs. https://t.co/HSX2uPbips

— Anthony Bialy (@AnthonyBialy) December 5, 2016

https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/805864825754677251
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/805864564118196224

https://twitter.com/CuckStopHere/status/805867790435577856

Saddam removed, financial crisis spurred by subprime mortgages, government not spending superfluously: all tragic. https://t.co/BznpLIJoRR

— Anthony Bialy (@AnthonyBialy) December 5, 2016

https://twitter.com/MeosoFunny/status/805883994193690624