January 26, 2009

Krugman Owns “This Week” (Video)

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I want to build on the point that Adam Green, writing at Open Left, makes about the need for more liberals in the mainstream media. Watch the clip below from the “Roundtable” segment on yesterday’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Aside from Krugman, there are no liberal voices. The others on the panel either spout tendentious re-imaginings of political and economic history (George Will) or half-baked solutions that are grounded in little to no schooling or expertise (Sam Donaldson).

Green asks, “What would this segment be like if Krugman wasn’t there?” I totally agree, but not just because Krugman reps the lefty point of view. In the absence of expertise, conventional wisdom fills the void. You see that from Will, Donaldson, and Cokie Roberts. Krugman pairs a liberal perspective with actual knowledge, and it’s that combo that makes him the most effective member of the panel. We need more liberals in the media, but we really more liberal experts in the media. So go out and nab those Nobel prizes, folks. There’s an idea war to be won.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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