NYT Liberal Economist and Obama-Booster Paul Krugman: I Believe in the End the Government Option "Would, in the End, Kill the Private Plans"

Remember, before the public knew about this, this was being sold by de facto DNC spokesmen as a good thing.

Now that they're not selling it to liberals, anymore, but are instead selling it to moderates, the intended "killing" of the private insurance industry becomes a "myth."

Paul Krugman, as an early booster of the private-plan "killing" government option, can resolve the supposed debate here. We have video of him at least twice stating that the government option is intended to, and would, kill private coverage.

As someone who was an early booster, before most people knew the intent of this plan, and as an economist, and as an editorialist for the NYT, he could resolve this debate by simply stating "Yes, as I myself have said on several occasions, this plan would kill private insurance."

But as far as I know he has not commented upon the issue since it became a controversy. He has simply avoided it, because he knows his honest assessment would hurt Obama.

So he lies through omission. Reading Krugman's columns now you'd never at all be alerted to the fact that there is a major controversy regarding this aspect of the government option, an aspect he long championed. (Well, he says in a perfect world without politics he'd take us to single payer right away, but he's willing to support the government option as a sneaky way to accomplish that goal without alerting the public exactly what's afoot.)

Will Krugman ever address this major controversy in which he appears to occupy a central and dispositive role?

posted by Ace at 01:07 PM

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