Socialism worked so well for Cuba, North Korea and the USSR, what could go wrong?
18
Is Bernie interested in building coalitions? Are his followers? Somehow I doubt it.
He hasn't been very good at building coalitions while in the Senate, to put it mildly. He's a loner, basking in his purity. Feels good to him, but for the country, not so much.
1145
@simon Why would you doubt it? How else is he going to win the presidency without a broad coalition? Who would know this exact piece of information better than he would? He's had decades of political experience and an army of advisors. He'll only get more of them if his momentum continues.
Bernie's campaign is built on the central principle of doing the right thing for Americans who aren't wealthy and reducing the influence of corporate cronyism in politics. It's mind-boggling that this is even a moderately hard sell to anyone who would like to see an about-face from the GOP's recent leadership.
169
@simon you know what doesn't feel good to the country? Dying in wage slave poverty of a preventable medical condition because those shining, storied moderates you pine for have "built coalitions" with the GOP on weak willed subservient compromise. Compromise that gets nothing done fast is useless.
Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.
341
@simon
What is it that you would have liked to see him compromise on? War in Iraq? De-regulation? Tax breaks for the rich and big corporations? Those are things other Democrats have voted for. Would it make you feel better if he had voted for them to?
248
This cannot be repeated enough:
Were Bernie to be the nominee, the election would then turn into a referendum on socialism, not Trump.
Bernie and Trump both use fear-mongering, populist tactics to turn out their base. They both preach from a place of anger and resentment. They do not employ calm civility, soothing encouragement, or building bridges. Stubbornness and an inability to self-critique are what define their personalities.
Let's not put ourselves in a position where we have to choose between two people who lead "people-led" movements in which the supporters prop up their leader as if they were infallible. Enough with the cult-of-personality leadership.
I will, however, vote blue no matter who. Unlike certain Bernie supporters if he doesn't get the nom...
1914
@John - Actually there is a great difference between Bernie and Trump. Bernie tells the truth and will try to follow thru with his proposals. Trump, not so much.
616
@John Simply put, when deployed against FDR, Johnson, and Obama the 'tag' simply didn't work. We do well remembering that. Its a scare-tactic, yes, but it has a history of being unsuccessfully used on candidates over the past century.
134
@Wilks You're right. As Mayor Pete says, Trump and the GOP will call whoever gets the nom a "socialist", but with Bernie, the tag will hold a heavy weight. Whether it was his numerous visits to Russia, or hanging the USSR flag from his mayoral office. Bernie has too many skeletons regarding socialism that would actually stick. The others...not so much (even though they all will have that label thrown at them).
101
For an alternate viewpoint see:
How socialist is Bernie Sanders?
https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/how-socialist-is-bernie-sanders/
2
Maybe you overestimate the salience of the term "socialism" as a pejorative term. And it's been obvious since idiot Reagan stumbled on the strategy of crippling future governments with debt that it's intentional. That's how W turned a record surplus into a record deficit in two years. Talk about stale.
9
WAPO op-ed reads:
America The Banana Republic"Thanks to President Trump, South America's past has become the United States' present."
We cross all red lines, broke all the guardrails, trashed every norms and the Wall is being built.
Now read this from Masha Gessen:
Autocracy: Rules for Survival
https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/11/10/trump-election-autocracy-rules-for-survival/
Brief excerpt:Rule #1:
Believe the autocrat.
He means what he says.
This will happen often: humans seem to have evolved to practice denial when confronted publicly with the unacceptable. Back in the 1930s, The New York Times assured its readers that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was all posture.
Rule #2: Do not be taken in by small signs of normality.
Rule #3: Institutions will not save you.
It took Putin a year to take over the Russian media and four years to dismantle its electoral system;
the judiciary collapsed unnoticed.
Rule #4: Be outraged. If you follow Rule #1 and believe what the autocrat-elect is saying, you will not be surprised.
But in the face of the impulse to normalize, it is essential to maintain one’s capacity for shock.
Rule #5: Don’t make compromises.
Rule #6: Remember the future.
Nothing lasts forever.
Democratic Party lost two elections in which Republicans won with the minority of the popular vote.
That should not be normal.
But resistance—stubborn, uncompromising, outraged—should be.
She wrote this 2 days after election.
November 10, 2016
She knows, she escaped from Russia!
19
I will vote blue unless the candidate's surname begins with a B.
4
It's a funny country.
Lots of people, quite recently thought a black person could never be elected president. Socialist leaning guy? Woman?
Gay person? Yeah, it's possible. Maybe as possible as electing a buffoon with an easy to read trail of fiscal incompetence, draft dodging and personal perfidy. Remember, the Orange Blob was the Republican outlier who would throw the election to Hillary. Oops.
10
Isn’t the term “Bernie Bros” sexist?
5
Call Bernie Sanders what you will, he at least would not be a tin-pot dictator like Trump.
7
""Roosevelt is a socialist, not a Democrat," declared Republican Rep. Robert Rich of Pennsylvania during a debate on the House floor on July 23, 1935."
"The New Deal is now undisguised state socialism, declared Senator Simeon D. Fess (R-Ohio) today as he pictured President Roosevelt as the New Deal's leading socialist," reported the Chicago Daily Tribune on Aug. 7, 1934"
"The first communistic President of the United States,'" said Sen. Thomas Schall, a Republican from Minnesota."
"And then there's FDR being called a socialist by William Randolph Hearst. He especially hated Roosevelt's plan to increase taxes on the wealthy, and his papers routinely referred to the New Deal as the Raw Deal. Hearst editors trumpeted these recurring themes: that communists had infiltrated the New Deal"
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2009/sep/22/barack-obama/obama-roosevelt-socialist-communist/
The current false narrative surrounding Sanders is Déjà vu.
Bernie 2020. Time to take back power from the lying politicians and their allies in the media.
17
"When Medicare was first proposed, Ronald Reagan called it “socialized medicine,” and he declared that it would destroy our freedom. "
republicans just can't remember anything, even recent history. The impeachment of a popular president, in a good economy, 1998 Clinton who? Totally different Article 1, Section 2, I guess.......
What are conservatives conserving these days? If If it's not the sacredness of our system of 3 branches of gov't, what? Methinks you're all OK with trashing it in favor of trump/Putin and oligarchs for life.
NEVER would I allow any Democratic president to get away with this bald faced power grab. How the right howled about 'presidential fiat!'. Now suddenly so confused by the words of the constitution! It was pretty clear to them just a few short years ago. Maybe it was a different Article I, Section II or something...
Dr. Krugman's article is an example of a citizen who can criticize a presidential nominee, using less-than-worshipful-words. When did republicans become unable to think like that? The measure of a republican these days is who can be most insulting, not who can argue the most constitutional or enlightened argument. Trump's gut, not the law.
You don't have to be a socialist to realize a man needs correction. You don't HAVE to hate your fellow Americans in order to LOVE America. A president who wants to dismantle our system of government is a DANGER. THIS! https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/us/politics/trump-william-barr.html
8
Socialism is good and popular actually.
11
You can always spot the establishment opinion column writers when it's election season.
9
Paul, can't you go and work for the Bernie campaign? Or the Elizabeth Warren campaign? Please! Happy Valentines Day!
1
Well, socialism has many definitions. I think if you go with the one formulated by Lenin which states "from each according to their ability, to each according to their contribution" then everyone, even Ronald Reagan would be a socialist. After all, who can argue with the fact that someone like Steve Jobs deserves to be wealthy, but a parasitic leeches like Sam Walton's grandchildren that haven't contributed anything worth mentioning to society should not be billionaires.
7
Sanders has many times praised Venezuela! On many different occasions and settings! And you claim it is Republicans who are "dishonest"?!
5
Bernie is tone deaf and has no sense of marketing his ideas: “Medicare for all” and a “Mom & Pop gun shop” are clueless babbling to most.
Now, do me a favor, Professor, and please answer my letter. Alan Vlautin
2
The problem on these shores, Dr. Krugman, is that expanding this countries safety nets akin to all other advanced nations, is barely understood by far too many.
They indeed consider lowering the extremely high inequality in the US as socialism pure, if not even commie.
They have no clue about Hungary's autocracy, after PM Orban has fired the vast majority of his judiciary and filled it with arch-right nationalist.
Orban seems to be the example Herr Trump followed. But obviously Trump's base, mainly the oh-so-pious Evangelicals, do not care that man in the Oval Office admires every single autocrat on the planet, while at the same time wanting to establish their laws on our shores.
The most hilarious comment I ever heard about 'socialism' from Republican voters is that the Third Reichs NSDAP was an ultra left party because it had the word 'sozialistisch' in its name.
No, it's not the economy, stupid, it is the education, stupid, namely history about how fast a nations can morph into a fascist ones.
6
Grammar matters. A "social democrat" is likely more palatable than a "democratic socialist" to the average American.
3
Bingo!
(Not as in, "Bingo! You're correct! But as in, "Bingo! This column just completed my 'New York Times Opinion Columnists who express grave concerns about Bernie Sanders being the nominee' bingo card," so thank you for that.)
4
If Mr. Sanders states he is a socialist and Mr. Krugman essentially calls him a liar, will the rest of the Democratic Party label Bernie a liar much like they do PresidentTrump and other Republicans?
1
The Cold War and the Red Scare pushed this country so far to the right that it has entirely lost track of the center. It's always amazing when moderate or even liberal friends and family act like Sanders is the second coming of Stalin. They don't realize how much they have internalized the propaganda. Meanwhile, Europeans and Canadians look at our discourse and are just stunned that some people think the things they take for granted -- universal healthcare, free/cheap education -- are radical or extreme. We have an inability as a nation to see how others see us.
Not only is there nothing radical about Bernie's vision, but his policies are *essential* to a functioning, empathetic, and decent society and democracy. America is the Titanic right now -- whether on education, healthcare, income inequality, etc. -- moderates proposing more of the same are just prolonging the inevitable. We need real, progressive change in this country or we will regret it tomorrow. I'm only 25, but I hope my kids grow up in an America that takes for granted the things that people in other democracies already have.
360
@BReed I couldn't agree more, and what a TRUTH, your statement, "We have an inability as a nation to see how others see us." This is to our detriment. It's why we believe we're "exceptional" (often exceptionally dumb).
15
@BReed
Thank you for some sanity. This nation really has gone around the bend. People who have settled to the right of Reagan lecturing us about what Democrats are and should be. Makes emigration tempting.
12
@BReed Thanks very much for your correct comments. I am 67 and hoped that my children--now your age--would grow up in an America that takes for granted the things that people in other democracies take for granted. Alas, they did not. Those things that I first saw fifty years ago taken for granted by conservatives in Europe, are as far away as ever.
On the other hand, in a positive note, we have made progress in race relations, notwithstanding the racist politics of our present president. When Obama was elected my children yawned. Many in my generation thought we would never see such a day.
9
No matter who the Democratic party nominates, Trump will call them a socialist. Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Biden, Bloomberg: all raving socialists. We might as well nominate the one best able to respond with something other than a feeble "am not!"
7
Bernie is 100% Socialist, and has good ideas, but you have to have competitive bidding on all things medical or medicinal..and send the lobbyists home to look for another line of work, or they will work against our better interests..that IS the swamp that Trumpenstein said he would drain..take the "for sale" sign down from the government door..
1
@Paul Krugman (replying to a commenter who is somehow confused about why people are labeling Bernie as a Socialist)
A Democratic Socialist is technically a socialist.
The problem is that few understand what socialism means. Was Willy Brandt a socialist? Olof Palme? FDR?
The literature of Socialism is vast. Facile smears associating Socialism with Marxism is a problem but the people in this country associate it with Marxism-Leninism (ie the comparisons with Venezuela, Cuba and not to mention the USSR) abound.
If you want to, you could write a series of OpEds clarifying the differences for your readers. Unfortunately, you seem to have some deep problem with Bernie. You are intelligent enough to know that he is not a Marxist and not Marxist-Leninist.
Clarity is key here. As an accomplished (social) scientist you know how easy it to obfuscate simple concepts with inelegant and mostly irrelevant mathematical jargon.
Do us all a favor and clarify.
4
Bernie isn’t a Democrat either.
2
What’s most shocking to me is the amount of disinformation, misinformation and just plain information asymmetry that exists today.
The often pedaled “I know what I’m talking about” opinion writers, journalists, pundits etc... seem not to understand that it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it.
Dr. Krugman has a nice academic pedigree, but his consistency in being wrong is more than just an occasion. But it’s not just that his ideas were wrong, (like on labor effects of globalization, market performance, and even trade most recently), it’s the WAY he was wrong— condescending and overconfident, only to retract in some partial way years later. I want to believe in his writing, but his record, discourse and peer review are always so disappointing; it reminds me of the that Nobel awarded for the misguided procedure of frontal lobotomy— and that physician practiced it for years afterwards.
5
"He is a Democratic Socialist"
Here's a tip for Bernie...instead of insisting you're a Democratic Socialist, and going on 5 minute long rants explaining exactly what that means, why don't you simply say that you're an FDR Democrat?
The latter sounds and sells far better than the former.
9
The time for halfway measures is over, Mr Krugman. Stop saying it's impossible!
4
If someone pointed at me and said I was a socialist.
I would feel sorry for them.
Every modern country except the usa has a form of Single payer universal health care.
Your readers might like to read aboot.
Tommy Dougles
Politician and Baptist minister
4
I lived in Sweden for 13 years and loved it. I tell people I am a Socialist but to tell the truth that is for shock value. Social democrats are somewhere in the middle of the Swedish political spectrum. The right parties are Neo-Nazi and the left parties are for Social Justice which means stiff wealth taxes.
One thing many people do not appreciate is the power of women in Swedish political and business life and the value of free education. But the Swedish system has both trade schools and universities, with higher education for artists and workers who build with their hands.
The medical system is a peculiar mixture of public and private facilities. The latter are subsidized by the state, but not to the same extent as public facilities. Unlike Bernie's Medicare for All, the Swedish system has co-pays and deductibles (self risk) that help to pay for office visits.
36
I prefer Warren; she understands the very real difficulties that working people face, she understands how our economic system works and what within it needs to be fixed to make it fairer, AND SHE HAS THE PROVEN CHOPS TO DELIVER!
What she does NOT have are the political campaign instincts to command and manipulate this brutal campaign process and free and serious mainstream media coverage that reports more than the sound byte of the day.
It’s a damn shame she is not getting the attention she deserves... and it’s our loss!
4
We must stop Trump and Bernie can't do that. He will be destroyed by the Republicans. They will just call him a "Commie" and that's it. If trump wins social security will be cut, the environment will be destroyed and the economic divide will widen even more. And forget about our place on the world stage we will be a third world country. The Dems need to consolidate around a candidate who can beat him whoever that is.
3
The Democrats seem to have a genius for self-destruction by playing into the hands of Republican propaganda. Right before the last election, it seemed as if the news in the Midwest was mostly full of where Democrats stood on which gender could use which bathroom. A worthy cause to take up, no doubt, but couldn't it wait till after the election?
1
Dr. K,
I have not had a chance to review the commentary but considering what I now understand about global and U.S. national security needs, as broadly defined, the best nominee to start rebuilding a national and international consensus on polices that would begin to create greater societies that would be capable of addressing the most difficult challenges to confront humankind since WWII is former Vice President Joe Biden.
I don't know how he will fare from now to election but I know he has the most potential political "coattails" to create a Democratic Majority in the House and the Senate and therefore would be capable of more rapidly establishing a government that could hit the ground running on the critical issues in each of the regions of the United States as they emerge from the dramatic economic changes that will and must occur as the economy and lifestyles of the U.S. and the World adapt to non-fossil energy.
Mr. Biden is aware of the resources of the Federal Government and will put together programs to foster globally competitive non-fossil energy technology to make more efficient solar energy cells, low cost solar satellite space launch systems, safer, more reliable technology for nuclear generated electric power, energy storage, and other low cost power technologies like geothermal, ocean thermal, etc. to provide energy for desalinization and making synthetic jet fuels from air and water.
His advisers are aware of income and wealth distribution issues.
1
Kudos, Mr Krugman. Your criticism on the socialist moniker is fair, but can and should be overcome by those who will listen closely enough to what Sanders is proposing.
I thought you were too harsh and biased against Mr Sanders last go round. But you have redeemed yourself with this article, most importantly by pointing out that every democratic nominee is better than our current president no matter what shortcomings each may have.
3
If Sanders can't get a majority of New Hampshire Democrats, why think he will get a majority of swing states? We need to consider who is most electable. Yes, any Democrat will be vastly better, but no Democrat would be a national and planetary disaster. My guess is Bloomberg is the best choice to accomplish what Democrats, Bernie included, want.
5
No sir Krugman, the problem is not wit Bernie or Tweeties or even the use of meaningless words, rather it is the Binary-winner-take-all make believe the best democratic system on earth..... Add a few party take away the Electoral College and maybe the goals and dialogues will become just a little more intelligent and efficient.
If Bernie Sanders were really a socialist he would drive an armored tank into Ben & Jerry headquarters in Vermont and take over ice cream production, forcing them to produce only his favorite flavors. That hasn't happened yet, in fact Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's) is one of his biggest organizers. Case proven.
4
I urge everyone to read the book: “The Social Conquest of Earth” by Edward O. Wilson. It explains many of our actions and consequences as human species and our societies.
Quality of life is much better in societies like Denmark, Sweden, Finland, etc. all follow the social structure and behavior of democratic socialism. USA doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel.
8
Bernie has huge support from the 18-30 yr old crowd. Unfortunately, when Election Day comes around, they are the worst at actually voting with the LOWEST turn out of any age group.
3
To Paul, OK when does trillions of dollars in debt become a bad thing? Never? When we hit 100 trillion in debt? You can’t say that deficits don’t matter ad infinitum. If so, My opinion of Mr Krugman changes today. He increasingly is beginning to sound, well, unsound. Comeback to earth Mr. Krugman.
3
I am so glad somebody finally writes about this. I have been mystified for years why Bernie Sanders so willingly dons the hair shirt of socialism when he is really nothing of the sort.
It troubles me that he does not care how it rubs people the wrong way and gives his rivals and enemies more ammunition. But most of all it really misrepresents what he stands for.
That he doesn't seem to notice how this hurts his chances at the nomination is as worrisome as his deafness when it comes to Medicare for all. The majority of people don't want it, but he doesn't care. Why is this unimportant to him?
He also needs to clarify that whatever he might have said about certain regimes back in the 70's doesn't necessarily reflect his thinking in 2020. Consistency is one thing, foolish stubbornness to refuse to correct the record is quite another.
7
The Democrats are playing a dangerous game--several--by beating on each other, promoting unpopular and even foolish economic policies (free healthcare and tuition for all), and presenting two old white men (I'm an old white man) as plausible, one of whom proclaims himself a socialist, which is likely the kiss of death to most voters, although most may not be able to explain what the term means. In the process, I feel like I am dying a death by a thousand cuts as I watch what seems to be a group of otherwise intelligent people do their best to ensure Trump's victory in 2020. And that scares me because I believe Dr. Brandy Lee and her colleagues are correct in their collective view that Trump is a malignant narcissist. That makes him dangerous. You can read about this in Dr. Scott Peck's book, The People of the Lie.
1
Medicare for all and México is going to pay for it. How is Medicare for All any less ridiculous than Build that Wall? If it gets Bernie elected then Medicare for All it is.
1
I support Senator Sander and his "democratic socialist" label drives me bonkers because, as this column points out, it is incorrect.
But Mr. Krugman also brings up something important: This word has been used, abused, and weaponized by Republicans for decades. And, for some reason, it continues to trip Democrats up. When the accusation flies again, maybe the best response really is "Yeak, okay. Good." That way, we can get back to discussing what these policies actually mean for working Americans.
And I don't say that naively. The truth is that they were always going to call the democratic candidate a pinko-leftist commie. Because that is what they have done as long as I have been alive, riding roughshod over the programs we have earned as taxpayers and deserve as human beings.
4
If Bernie is the nominee it doesn't matter what he really is especially since he calls himself a socialist. He will be trying to distinguish between communism and socialism and likely fail. Also when he was younger we was more inclined to muddy the difference as well as Professor Krugman's effort to defend him.
1
Americans in the 'middle' between the two parties have little choice in a general election.
A choice between Trump and Bernie may be an easy one for liberals that read the NY Times but for the Americans that decide elections in key swing states (Florida and Pennsylvania to name two); the choice is a tough one. If you are a moderate and you are faced with two extreme politicians (on the left and right); how do you decide? Sound like a tough choice as neither candidate is a good representative for these voters.
Understanding how other Americans think and feel about issues is what our country needs more of.
1
I appreciate the sincerity in this column. Too often, this column appears to hide the author's true intentions in an attempt to persuade readers. This essay comes across as authentic. Frankly, the last time I recall such an honest assessment of an important issue was Krugman's column right before the ACA vote. This reminds me of the Krugman of old. I hope he keeps this up for the rest of the year!
2
I wouldn't be so sure that Buttigieg wouldn't cut social security and other programs. After all, Obama tried to cut social security using the "cat food commission" during his first term to which he appointed Erskine Bowles and Alan Cranston who were both avid opponents of social security and proposed cuts using cpi. The Tea Party opposed the plan and thus saved social security. President Clinton also attempted to cut social security and was in the midst of private negotiations with Newt Gingrich through Erskine Bowles. The Monica Lewinsky affair derailed the proposed social security cuts. During the Obama administration Former President Clinton said that his biggest failure as president was not cutting social security. So the corporate democrats of which Buttigieg is allied share the view that social security needs to be cut with the republicans. Of coarse Buttigieg may well go after social security if elected. And like the republicans, the Sanders view that we should revamp our health care system, eliminate the student loan debacle, raise the minimum wage, raise taxes on the corporations and the wealthy, rebuild our infrastructure, invest in combating global warming are ideas that are considered too radical for the American people and want to maintain the status quo to enjoy their perks and favor of wealthy donors just like the republicans. Now their problem is how do we get rid of Sanders?
1
This piece allows me to wipe away the need to write it. If Bernie knows the definition of socialism, his continued use of the label does both he and the country a disservice. As a "cooperative" mechanism by which to marshal public goods and services, socialistic endeavors are obviously valuable e.g. police and fire, and health care. But to allow the uneducated public to glom onto a negative pejorative of it for the entire economy is at minimum not helpful.
3
"which is why Trump promised to raise taxes on the rich and protect major social programs during the 2016 campaign.
But he was lying, and at this point everyone with an open mind knows it. "
So the mystery is "Why are there so many US voters "Who Can Be Fooled ALL Of The Time" ? Why hasn`t Trump`s 16,300+ lies over the last 3 yrs NOT had an effect on these people ?
An even bigger mystery is WHY are there ANY Female supporters of the GOP (other than the few wed to GOP officials). Don`t they have mothers , daughters ,aunts, nieces or female friends ?
2
I agree Bernie should drop the socialist label, and call himself for what he is, a social Democrat. Would go a long way towards making him electable in the general election.
5
The Soviet Union was not a socialist state and there is where the problem begins. Marx never envisioned a centralized state and certainly didn't envision a state that was as repressive and undemocratic as the Soviet state. Marx honestly did very little envisioning of what a socialist state would look like. He spent 99% of his writing on what the current state looked like in the mid-nineteenth century.
Any philosophy can be transformed into a dogmatic ideology and any ideology can become totalitarian. As is what happened in Europe in the first half of the 20th century to Marxism/socialism and corporatism, they became Stalinism and Fascism.
Marx and socialism are not totalitarian and Marx would be happy to claim Denmark and would never want his name associated with the former Soviet Union.
So, who knows what Bernie is, but socialism shoulf not be a bad word.
1
"So why does Sanders call himself a socialist?"
Too many sensible policies have been demonized by Republicans as "socialist". The result is that for the younger generation - for who "communism" is something from history books - has started to see socialism as something good.
In Europe the terms "socialist" and "social democrats" are often used as synonyms. Several of the mainstream social democrat parties - for example in Belgium - call themselves "socialist party". In the last decades the term "social-democrat" became a bit more popular, but that was part of the now discredited Blairite/Clintonite dumping of leftish values.
2
People seem to have forgotten what happened to the Democrats after initiation of the Affordable care Act. Huge losses in the 2014 election changed the Democrats from the majority party to the minority brought about greatly because of uncertainties of the ACA. Bernie's proposals are far more drastic and unlikely, even with Democratic control of Congress in his first 2 years. Remember, Insurers and corporate interests are also major supporters of Democratic politicians, not just Republicans. So, a likely event if Sanders is elected is a short 2 year period in which there would be a high probability that little gets accomplished followed by another return to Republican inaction on the country's major problems.
2
I'm not sure I know what the Democrats stand for? Are they pro worker, pro environment and pro welfare?
Are they against business, rich people and private schools?
As a voter who is socially liberal and fiscally conservative, I like Bloomberg as he is a better match than the Democrats save for Mayor Pete. What a great team! Bloomberg and Mayor Pete!
1
This a perspective that is imperative:
"by making Medicare for All the centerpiece of his campaign, Sanders would take the focus off the Trump administration’s determination to take away the social safety net we already have."
We need to make the emphasis about our major needs which Trump has ignored or belittled, not about "Trump" the person, who is not really a person, but a TV character.
If we can redirect the general focus of our discourse, then when enough people begin to focus on that, then we would best get into the details.
However, the other side of the coin is when those hungry for power and recognition will point the finger about lack of details in someone else's proposal, as when Mr, Buttigieg sabotaged Elizabeth Warren in October.
2
Bernie calls himself a "socialist" because he got tired of explaining that he is not one. So he says, "Fine, I'm a socialist then, whatever that is." What is happening, is that things are coming to a head. We are witnessing the huge collapse of supply-side economics and friends, and the Progressives are coming. Irregardless of whether or not Trump gets reelected, Progressives are going to start taking over the government. Why? Because, 1) Trump will fail to establish a Republican dictatorship, and 2) the Progressives are the only ones offering anything different than the failing status quo. People are going to start peeling away from Trump, from the Republicans, from center-right, from the establishment Democrats, because the status quo ain't no good, and it is only going to get worse. More and more people will start waking up to that fact.
3
@James Smith I wish Sanders would just say, when asked if he's a socialist, "You tell me what a socialist is and I'll tell you if I am one. Go ahead."
3
At this point, I am watching and listening to what DC corporatist lobbyists and donors are saying about Bernie. And since they all hate and rail against Bernie, I'm starting to think he's onto something.
5
@JA Exactly, and I hope they keep it up. People also vote by who is against a candidate. Right now, it looks like not only the Fox media but the MSNBC/NYT/WaPo media hate Bernie, along with all the insurance, corporate healthcare, pharma, bank, oil lobbyists. Not to mention the Democratic Party leadership.
2
Dear Professor, I disagree with your statement that Sanders does not want to nationalize industries. What do you call Medicare for All? It's a complete nationalization of industry, not in the direct sense of ownership, but controlling reimbursements, which is the equivalent. Medicare is already failing in many small communities, which now no longer have a clinic and in many cases a doctor. Why? The rates of reimbursement are too low. And yet, Medicare is running out money as our contributions are insufficient. And what was Bernie's comment about the 2M who work for private insurers? They'll just have to get jobs somewhere else. Straight up nationalism. According to his ever vague 2016 MC4A plan doctors and hospitals would have to accept 10% less than what Medicare now pays, which is already not enough. M4A virtually doubles the size of the US government. Our next biggest expenditure is the DOD, which cannot account for trillions spent during the last two wars. How much more accurate do you think our government accounting will be for healthcare? We all agree the current system is dysfunctional. Incremental change like Obamacare was hard enough to achieve. Additional incremental change, like adopting the Swiss model, where insurers are non profit, and must insure health rated groups is 40% cheaper, yet private. I'll vote blue no matter who, but make no mistake about it, M4A is socialism, just without the cap costs of buying our medical infrastructure.
2
@Mark So are pre-K-12 public schools, public colleges, public hospitals and clinics, municipal water systems, the military, local police and fire departments, public highways, and more. If you want all of that infrastructure turned over to for-profit businesses, just say so.
5
Mr. Krugman,
I hope that you understand that balancing the budget has nothing to do with the financial austerity.
The balanced budget can be achieved in two different ways, either by matching the taxes with the spending, or if it were impossible to get the Congressional improvement just simply print out a trillion dollar per year to cover up the shortage.
In that case there would be no financial austerity.
It is unacceptable to charge the future generations with our spending.
2
I agree that Bernie is not a true socialist, but his rhetoric does have a distinct Marxist flavor, as does the Democratic Socialists of America website. It is puzzling to me why they call themselves socialists when it isn't even accurate and when "socialist" is a dirty word in much of America. Their long-term goal appears to be worker ownership, not state ownership, of the means of production. It would be helpful if one of the debates took up the topic of socialism. Question for candidate Sanders: "As a socialist, do you believe there is a legitimate place for free enterprise, private ownership and the profit motive in our economy?" For the other candidates: "If you receive the nomination, the opposition will condemn you as a socialist. Are you a socialist? How would you respond to being labeled one?"
1
@Michael P. Bacon So you think Sanders or any other president could totally transform our economic system in four years? It doesn't matter what the long-term goals of any ideologue, left or fight, might be. It matters what they do today, and today, and today. Today, Donald Trump and the Republican Party are taking steps to destroy our democracy and it's guardrail institutions. Focus on that.
Given several chances, most people could’ve define socialism but, it doesn’t matter. The label has been attached. I would support Sanders and vote for Sanders...but, I would lose with Sanders.
2
@J You don't know that. It is very likely that NO Democratic nominee can beat the propaganda, lies and fear-mongering of Donald Trump. So vote for who really want and send a message, like those Obama/Trump voters in the Rust Belt did.
The clear message from New Hampshire and national polls is that Democrats and Independents want a moderate, not another angry old man who shouts and puts-down every idea but his own. But I think Bernie supporters are more than willing to go down with the ship and sink the USA out of spite, and that's what I expect to happen if he doesn't get the nomination. But if he gets it, I do think he has a decent chance of doubling George McGovern's success, and can win both Massachusetts AND Vermont.
3
@Cowboy Marine The Democratic base and older voters may want a moderate, but that moderate will be made to look like a weakling in the general election. Americans don't vote for weaklings.
I don’t disagree that the Republicans will demonize Sanders as an American Stalin, but I understand why Sanders has consistently identified as a Democratic Socialist (Social Democrat, if you prefer). Due to real problems in education and the fact that only a small percentage of US citizens have spent any significant time living in the countries of Western Europe, American politicians of both parties have for all of my lifetime gotten away with suggesting that Capitalism equals Americanism. Capitalism, if one accepts the descriptions of Adam Smith and those that followed, means a free market where competition controls prices. It basically means that private gain outranks the public good, but competition, for one thing, requires that monopolies do not exist. When monopolies or semi-monopolies exist they need to be broken up or destroyed ... that means Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon for starters. When a society is full of “natural or government supported monopolies” like all those companies named Edison, they need to be TIGHTLY regulated. Socialism basically means that the public good is more important than private gain. That is why we have publicly financed fire departments. Is it not obvious that virtually every economy in the world is in some sense a mixed economy? What Sanders proposes is a different mix, with health care as a human right, good schools and public colleges for all who would benefit, public utilities that don’t gouge us, and much less inequality.
6
Bravo Paul!
Who wouldn't want to live in a more equalitarian country with a clean beautiful natural environment like a Scandinavian country?
Bernie on his campaign website says our public lands are national treasures, no other Democratic candidate says that.
Trump and many Republicans want to drill, mine, log, criss-cross with roads, and sell off out public lands. How appalling. Look what is happening to Bear Ears and Escalante National Monuments.
In the age of global warming forests, wetlands, bogs, and grasslands are huge carbon sinks and should be expanded not shrunk is size.
2
Bernie and his supporters need to convince establishment Democrats or "moderates" for the sake of the nomination ONLY. With respect to Trump and the general election, these gatekeepers of the Democratic party really have no where else to go (except to stay home, which is of course their prerogative). There are FAR many more fish in the sea among America's Independents and non-affiliated voters, including Trump supporters (which is like getting two for one!) Then there is that vast pool of American adults ('the other half of America') who don't bother voting at all.
3
Bernie Sanders is a Democratic Socialist, just like me. However, like socialists all over the world who hold political office in capitalist (more or less) countries, he has social democratic goals. His class analysis is socialist, as are his values. Saying he's socialist on tv is not a problem, he doesn't "play" one, it's what he has done his whole life. To change now would be a disaster. People trust Sanders. So I wouldn't worry about perception problems. If you agree with what he stands for the time to make it happen is right now. There are door knocks going on in many communities. Join them if you can. I'm doing it this weekend in Minnesota. If you can't door knock, you can phone bank. This is how you do it.
3
@John Krumm
Perfectly expressed! And yes, the time is now!
3
While Senator Bernie Sanders is not a socialist in the historical sense, he is a radical, full of ideas that will never come to fruition at this time. His Medicare for All plan is a non-starter and will in itself hand victory to Trump should Sanders become the nominee. And what exactly has Senator Sanders actually accomplished in his nearly 30 years in the Senate as an Independent (he is a Democrat in name only)? In my view, Sanders is merely the far left's version of Trump -- an angry, vindictive man with a small base of cult-like followers who turned a blind eye to the sexism in his campaign. And his poor health should not be ignored; the Presidency takes a toll and it is possible Sanders would not survive one term let alone two. That has to be said.
Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a smart and promising young man who might have a bright political career ahead of him. But he does not have anywhere near the experience now that is required for the Top Job! Mr. Buttigieg reminds me of the young, talented Fortune 500 junior executive who applies for the job of CEO without taking any of the steps in between that would give him the experience, knowledge, network and wisdom required to lead a major corporation.
In my view, the best candidate is Senator Amy Klobuchar, a solid Midwestern moderate who has never lost an election, is wise, experienced, accomplished and has the moxy to deliver a knockout punch to Trump.
3
Go listen to Megan McArdle on the latest installment of The American Interest podcast. She’ll be asked her opinion of what Sanders’s and Warren’s vision for the U.S. is, in the final analysis. She differentiates between the two—rightly, in my opinion. Sanders talks up Denmark publicly, because it sounds cozy. There aren’t Danish gulags, right? Privately, the hopes of 1917—the desire for something that can end the inherent injustices of capitalism—have never left him. As an aside, defenders of “capitalist” economies don’t do enough to try and grasp why socialism keeps popping up as a proposed remedy for capitalist ills.
Paul is trying to bring warring halves together by claiming that a Klobuchar presidency would be, in content if not in style, essentially indistinguishable from a Sanders presidency. But most Klobuchar and Sanders supporters see through this.
For those who want neither Trump nor Sanders, neither a Danish importation nor the status quo, but, instead, modest reforms to assist Americans, there will soon come a time when centrists will need to discard two of the trio (Buttigieg, Biden, Klobuchar). I understand Pete Buttigieg’s appeal, but Amy Klobuchar would make a better president. Coming together around Klobuchar is the best way to beat Bernie, which in turn is the best way to beat Trump.
https://amyklobuchar.com
@David L, Jr. A moderate will lose to Trump for the same reason Hillary did. People didn't want the status quo in 2016, and they don't want a return to the 2016 status quo in 2020. Only Bernie can beat Trump.
I’m wondering if an Amy/Bernie ticket might be the best way. I think we need a ticket than can appeal to both moderates and Bernie folks if such a coalition is possible.
As much as I cheer along with Bernie whenever he speaks, he is not a viable candidate in this day and age. Maybe, just maybe, if the US were in a deep depression Bernie's message might resonate with enough folks but not now. Plus, Bernie's policy perspectives on immigration/borders and tuition debt forgiveness rubs too many people the wrong way. My even more liberal minded family would beg to differ but then again, they also had a George McGovern bumper sticker as well.
2
"The thing is, Bernie Sanders isn’t actually a socialist in any normal sense of the term. He doesn’t want to nationalize our major industries and replace markets with central planning; he has expressed admiration, not for Venezuela, but for Denmark."
Bernie also praised Castro:
https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/272485-sanders-defends-past-praise-of-fidel-castro
And Bernie does want to replace the health care market with central planning, right, Paul?
Continued from the previous comment (if it ever gets printed).
The reforms that Bernie is advocating for are things that everyone who has any sense of ethics would like. Universal healthcare as a right (paid for taxes the same way our obese military and idiotic wars are paid by taxes in the trillions, I will let you compare and contrast), free public education from pre-K through Graduate School (same parenthesis applies), major campaign finance reform, Green New Deal, tax reform, Wall Street reform (major taxation for speculative trading as a start not to mention killing the carried interest loophole and capital gains tax asymmetry with income tax). What exactly do you have against them?
To me what Bernie proposes actually UNITES us because they are fundamental improvements on the he majority's rational wishes. Let's stop feeing the "manufactured consent" machine and get on the right side of history this time Professor Krugman. You parents and grandparents must have taught you, as all good Jewish elder do, about the importance of being a mensch. Mine did, and I thank them very day of my life for it.
2
Comment:
I don't understand what you are getting at. Bernie calls himself a democratic socialist. He is a social democrat by a more modern definition of the term. He believes in a Scandinavian way of delivering Rawlsian Justice to society. That is the essence.
You do not like Sanders for some reason. You made it plenty clear in 2016 with your partisan support for Hillary Clinton, whom you pushed as a uniter the same way you are talking about the type of candidate who would beat Donald Trump. Well, Hillary couldn't beat him. I seriously believe Bernie had a bigger chance. Many other serious people agree.
The American public (the 99 percent of it) have lots to gain from a Scandinavian type of a democracy economically. They may pay marginally higher taxes, but their expected utility (unless they are robots) will be significantly higher. Why? Because happiness has a utility attached to it. Our people are not happy. You don't need to be a psychologist to know that. Just watch our television shows, read about the opioid crisis, look at drinking patterns of college age kids, look at gun violence, look at the way people are ready to follow crackpots like Donald Trump, look at the people who follow talk show hosts who spew hatred. We are not a happy people. Tibor Scitovsky wrote a wonderful book which is mostly forgotten now. It is called "The Joyless Economy." I head about it from Ken Arrow when I took his class at Harvard. Things have gotten worse since then.
1
Professor, you have done a great service today. You’ve provided a service in stating the perfect phrase for Sanders and his infamous Bros. “ Self Indulgence “. It’s politics for Frat Brothers with a liberal bent, who also like to smoke Pot. Sanders Democrats are like Libertarian Republicans, not willing to actually start their own Party, yet very happy to mooch off another and make demands. And those demands always seem to benefit mostly white males. Funny, Right ???
2
@Phyliss Dalmatian You think Medicare for All will mostly benefit white males? You think the green new deal will mostly benefit white males? Your smears ignore that Bernie is the number one candidate for young voters of both genders and all races, which instantly invalidates all your nonsensical ramblings.
1
But republicans have turned the United States into the Soviet Union.
3
Democratic socialism is a far different thing than the autocratic socialism found in some other countries. Look it up--educate yourself and others.
4
Really appreciate Paul Krugman commenting on readers' comments.
1
Sanders is no socialist - he is a narcissist, exactly like the man he wants to replace in the White House. Twin brothers, separated at birth.
4
Biden is NOT for safety nets. He voted to practically obliterate Ch 7 bankruptcy.
2
And Mike Bloomberg isn’t a billionaire but plays one on TV...
Does anyone take Krugman serious?
2
Currently 60 percent of Danish citizens have private health insurance to supplement their public health care. A similar figure applies in the UK. In Sweden and Norway 12% of citizens now have private health insurance, up from 0 eight years ago. This is invariably paid for by employers who are tired of losing productive workers to long waits for elective procedures in the public system. It seems inevitable the percentage of such privately insured will continue to rise in Norway and Sweden, and medical tourism will hold steady for those who can afford it.
The Kingdom of Norway no longer offers free dental care to citizens over 18, and all dentists entering the labor pool are independent contractors, thus freeing budgets of the fringe benefits that go to civil servants like doctors and nurses. The strong labor rights extended to workers in Norway do not cover health care workers who are often forced to work on weekends. The health care systems of Norway and Denmark both have been in a low grade, chronic crisis for many years now. Life expectancy has begun to decline in Denmark and is now the lowest in western Europe.
Educated US citizens hold a rosy colored image of a Scandinavia that was, and in fact never was. Sweden began privatizing many aspects of its economy / service sector in the 70s and the trend is fully embraced today in Denmark and oil addicted Norway. At this writing the nazi party in Sweden (Sweden Democrats) may lead the Socialists and Moderates
5
Isn't a socialist?
Oh my god - apparently Krugman, you have no understanding of what a socialist is!
Bernie is 100% a socialist.
You just write that he isn't because you want him to win...
ridiculous
5
Paul, please mind past Chief Justice Brandeis' quote: "If it Looks like a Duck, Walks Like a Duck, Quacks Like Duck, (then) it is a Duck".
1
Bloomberg. Period.
2
Soooo, now the NYT’s is providing a babysitting service for Sanders because Warren blew herself up.
I cannot believe you don’t vet Sen Sanders proposals. They are total lunacy. Also, Dr Paul, since Sanders is on the record for nationalizing industries, praising Cuba, Venezuela etc and never walking it back, how exactly did you get to your conclusion?
2
It’s surprising to see an impartial article about the democrat nomination in the New York Times.
The ones that have come before professor Krugman’s so far seem to have been generally bent against Bernie Sanders.
It seems like it’s the NYT leading the charge against anybody who’s not an establishment or corporate-blessed nominee!
3
Republicans consider anything to the left of the feudal system to be socialism,.
5
I hope the Buttigieg campaign takes Paul's comments to heart.
I believe he is right.
Jack
1
Of course he's not a socialist, but he is old, heart attack material, tiresome, and like a character who escaped from "Waiting for Lefty."
5
“When Fascism Comes to America, it will be wrapped in the Flag and Carrying a Cross.”
-Sinclair Lewis (paraphrased)
We know the GOP will tar the Dems as “socialists,” regardless of actual policies. Why aren’t the Dems calling out President Trump as a fascist?
Although he doesn’t mention the term “fascist,” Bill Maher shows how President Trump scores a 9/10 on his “dictator checklist.”
2
Though a foreigner a small voice is saying the right thing is to support Mr. Buttigieg. And though a foreigner I as yet am deigning to say what might help one or every candidate in your election. This is something I earn – paying my subscription fee and ready to take in responses, tending to be quite understanding, that is, just here in the N.Y. Times
Using simplest terms works for busy and distracted Americans. Paul's question "Where do you want to live?": Hungary ?- vote GOP. Denmark? - vote DEM. Will this replace "R" for reverse: GOP and "D" for drive forward: DEM, or vote Republican for 1950 and Democrat for 2020, and others? The assault on facts, news media, education, and steady reliable institutions has worked . . .
Yay, Paul!
1
Religious GOP’ers, who condemn socialism/communism in this life, spend their lives preparing themselves to go to the Christian heaven (which is kingdom, with a king — who’s an authoritarian dictator — and where there’s no “Bill of Rights” all firearms are forbidden, birth control is available at no cost, gays don’t exist, nor do minorities and/or Democrats — especially the likes of Obama and Hillary.
In the GOP Christian heaven, all of one’s basic human needs are met — for free, and no one has to do any work, unless one’s work is fun; at lease more fun than playing a harp, while floating around on a cloud.
To summarize — Socialism is verboten in this life, but in a socialistic authoritarian dictatorship GOP Christian heaven, in which qualified GOP’ers will spend their eternity, socialism is the best that it an get.
While not a large fan of Mr. Sanders’ style, and while I do not intend to vote for him in the primary, he has repeatedly explained that the way socialized medicine would be paid for (by his administration or anyone else’s) is that instead of giving $12,000 a year to insurance companies, you would give $6,000 a year to the government, and get basically the same coverage, because a gigantic amount of paperwork would be streamlined out of the system, and you wouldn’t be buying $6,000 suits and $10,000 watches for insurance executives. Is anybody listening? I think not. I’d love to save $6,000 a year in this way, and spend it on something nice for me.
Due to this inability to process in a logical manner, the only way to MAYBE get universal health care in this country is to offer a cheaper public option with the SAME BENEFITS as private insurance and lower deductibles. Then people (and, more likely, their employers) will go, “Um, duh, I’m going to buy that because it’s cheaper.” Unless, of course, the same idiots who aren’t listening to Mr. Sanders’ explanation, think the same or better benefits can’t actually be as good, because they don’t cost more (even though the additional cost for private insurance is not going into your health care, but into redundant paperwork or some billionaire’s private jet). And if you’re that stupid, no one can help you, or us, and that’s really sad.
3
Trump has already taken the bet that his opponent will be a centrist.
Free trade is deeply unpopular with blue collar workers in the heartland, who saw their well paid union jobs disappear.
But faced with the choice between holding back free trade with the negative impact of uncertainty, and quickly signing the USMCA and China deals to keep the economy going in election year, he chose the latter.
He has also been attacking healthcare and failed to invest in infrastructure, which would have produced jobs for contractors.
Trump can get away with all of this if his opponent is a city Democrat in a suit, a figure of the metropolitan elites the heartland despises.
He will have a much harder time with Bernie, also non-establishment, calling him a fraud and a liar on TV, which other candidates have been reluctant to do.
2
I fear we are looking straight down the barrel of 1972. McGovern lost 49 out of 50 states to Nixon. McGovern, today? Would be considered a moderate leaning conservative Dem. Sanders runs, 1972 all over again. This time. Unlike Nixon, Trump is both ignorant and fascinated in a child like manner with mobsters and tough guys. Sort of like Johnny Rocco (E.G. Robinson character in Key Largo) runs for president and wins.
2
@adg Or we could look back to 2016, the most recent election, where a moderate candidate crashed and burned because the people wanted real change.
Building a coalition with Bernie at the top of the ticket is impossible. Just as the Bernie Bros will not vote for anyone BUT Bernie, many of us who oppose him will not vote FOR him. I pray he will not be the nominee as I know this will elect tRUMP for another four years. Time will tell, but I think it's going to be an ugly, bumpy road until we have nominee as Bernie really think he deserves the job!
2
"If Democrats win, they should pursue a progressive agenda, not waste political capital cleaning up the G.O.P.’s mess."
Thank you and Amen.
As a Democrat, I am so sick and tired of Democrats including Warren and Sanders explain how they are going to pay for their plan(s). Let's change places and let the Republicans figure out how to pay for Democratic stuff instead of Democrats always being the bad cop and having to figure out how to pay Republican stuff.
Seriously, the GOP is like your college aged kid away at college with a credit card where you are the payor.
5
Here's how to put this socialism stupidity to rest. Put every word Sanders has spoken on the campaign trail in the mouth of uber-capitalist and former Republican Mike Bloomberg. Envision Bloomberg saying things like, "Healthcare is a human right," in monotone, businesslike manner. In the age of all things digital, watch a doctored video of Bloomberg speaking to fellow global capitalists at Davos and delivering Sanders' declarations about wealth and income inequality, greed and corruption and getting applause,
Imagine Bloomberg also saying that we need every skilled and highly educated American we can get to save the planet from climate disaster, therefore, tuition free public college is a necessity.
The only reason we are so afraid of "socialism" is because Bernie Sanders is not a billionaire capitalist but a career public servant who has devoted his political life to making The American Dream more possible for every American, not just the Bloombergs, Gateses, Zukerbergs, Waltons and Kochs.
2
What is disturbing about Bernie and other "socialists" is their focus on capitalists who are at the top end of the wealth spectrum. They never, ever discuss the vast majority of small capitalists - those who risk everything and 95% of the time go bankrupt. These are the people who represent the vast majority of working capitalists, the ones who get up at 4 am, who go home at 9 pm- seven days a week. These are the people who create the vast majority of new jobs in this country, and who, when successful, make it to the top 1% in income.
Where do you stand, Bernie? Do you hate these people too? Do you think their level of income is unfair? Do you want to tax away all of their income until they make the same amount as those whom they employ?
2
@Guy Thompto Small businesses will benefit more from things like Medicare for All, since they no longer have to worry about their employees health care. Any tax rise will be much less than the premiums saved.
I don't understand what you are getting at. Bernie calls himself a democratic socialist. He is a social democrat by a more modern definition of the term. He believes in a Scandinavian way of delivering Rawlsian Justice to society. That is the essence.
You do not like Sanders for some reason. You made it plenty clear in 2016 with your partisan support for Hillary Clinton, whom you pushed as a uniter the same way you are talking about the type of candidate who would beat Donald Trump. Well, Hillary couldn't beat him. I seriously believe Bernie had a bigger chance. Many other serious people agree.
The American public (the 99 percent of it) have lots to gain from a Scandinavian type of a democracy economically. They may pay marginally higher taxes, but their expected utility (unless they are robots) will be significantly higher. Why? Because happiness has a utility attached to it. Our people are not happy. You don't need to be a psychologist to know that. Just watch our television shows, read about the opioid crisis, look at drinking patterns of college age kids, look at gun violence, look at the way people are ready to follow crackpots like Donald Trump, look at the people who follow talk show hosts who spew hatred. We are not a happy people. Tibor Scitovsky wrote a wonderful book which is mostly forgotten now. It is called "The Joyless Economy." I head about it from Ken Arrow when I took his class in Graduate School. Things have gotten worse since then.
2
Hello everybody! Welcome to the political landscape in America after a decade of Citizens United and unlimitted money in the system due to corporate personhood. Correct, Bernie is not a real socialist. It's just that name calling is all that's left on the right - this and lots of lies and abuse of power from Trump. Consider the demographics - the aging white dying base taking its' misdirected anger literally to the grave. And the ever young and energetic Bernie base. What a contrast. This is not Bernie's making alone - corporate greed set the stage - and Bloomberg knows it too!
1
CU was a good decision. It protected speech. It is up to Congress, not the courts to reform campaign finance. They just are too afraid to do it.
I strongly agree that Sanders is really a social democrat. Perhaps by simply declaring himself a socialist, he's succeeded in disarming to some degree the demonization of socialism. But It's not clear what Mr Krugman means by concentrating on Trump's strengths and weaknesses. It seems to me that concentrating on what Americans really need- assured medical care, a decent income, a truly democratic society that stands against racism, is the key to bringing out the biggest possible vote to defeat Trump's multi-billion dollar dishonest campaign. And yes, right now, every Democratic candidate should sign a pledge that they will support the Democratic nominee because Trump is killing democracy and turning America into a white nationalist autocracy.
2
Nominating another centrist Democrat to run against DJT is like bringing a knife a to gun fight.
The Democrats need someone who will happily call Trump a fraud right to his face. The only person capable of this is Bernie Sanders.
1
Be Afraid Of Republicans...
The only thing we have to fear are right-wing fear-mongers. They exploit our innate need to feel secure. Like all predators, they seek to divide us. They prey on those whom stray from the fold. All the Dem candidates have our best interests at heart. They are wise and good people who will fight to keep us healthy, safe, and protect us from harm. Do not despair. Stay strong. You know what to do - VOTE BLUE!
Socialism and open borders are incompatible policies. The system will collapse.
2
"But I do wish that Sanders weren’t so determined to make himself an easy target for right-wing smears."
So Krugman smears him as well.
1
Of course, you are leaving out one obvious point regarding Trump’s campaign lies about not touching Social Security or Medicare: He’s still lying, saying in public that he won’t take away preexisting conditions (Obamacare), or cut Social Security/Medicare benefits etc, even though we know that’s exactly what he’s going to try to do. Lying is still his MO and his base will always lap up those lies, at least until after he’s re-elected (God forbid) and the other legislative shoes begin to drop. By the time his fanbase fully understands they’ve been hoodwinked, it’ll be too late.
I wish all democratic candidates would make this the main talking point: Trump intends to go after your Medicare and Social Security benefits in order to pay for immense tax cuts for the wealthy.
Actually, Bernie has expressed support for Venezuela. He praised Hugo Chavez as recently as 2015. His website also praised Venezuela as a compassionate country.
Bernie is not a socialist, but an old style communist. He finds the savagery of Cuba, Venezuela, and his beloved, defunct Soviet Union romantic.
I hope Democrats are foolishly enough to nominate Bernie. His dangerous ideology will become apparent to every American that earns paycheck and Trump will win, bigly.
This sort of selective bunk is not what we should expect from a Nobel Prize winner in economics. But it is par for the course from the partisan leftist Krugman, who was 100% wrong about the Trump economic miracle. Sanders is a self-proclaimed socialist. He has repeatedly accepted that political label throughout his political career. He changed from an independent/socialist to a Democrat only because it was necessary to do so in order to run for president. Anyone who wants to tax high end income earners at 75%, who wants to install medicare for all and simultaneously destroy the private health insurance industry, who embraces the idea of forgiving all college student debt (except of course for the children of the top earners), who wants to double the federal taxes on corporations, and who is 100% behind the job-destroying $20 trillion Green New Deal, IS in fact a socialist. Meanwhile, Sanders is a multi-millionaire with three homes, travels on a private jet, and rakes in millions by having installed his wife as the head of his presidential campaign add placement, from which she "earns" 15% of the cost of every ad placement. Hypocrite? Socialist? One set of rules for Sanders, and another set for the common man? You decide.
1
Paul’s dead on on this. Bernie’s far less of a socialist than Washington DC at large - ala Milton Friedman circa 1989.
2
The media really are unbelievable.
No one is asking the right questions. Debating whether or not he is a social democrat or democratic socialist? What world are you living in?
Bernie only talks in platitudes. Really - go to any debate or any speech and he rails on about greed, inequality, fairness, etc etc. And there's a reason for that: it's because he doesn't want to talk about the cost of anything. Warren essentially ripped off all his ideas, tried to put a price tag on it and she immediately dropped in the polls.
If you actually look at his proposals in conjunction with his background, you will see that he wants to move the US in the direction of communism, if not outright communism. Look at his proposals: Medicare for All, College for All, Housing for All, Jobs for All, Eliminating Debt...This is right off his website!
This is Communism Lite. And its going to cost up to $10 trillion a year. Whether the media like it or not, this will come out in the general election...
Didn't you just say that the GOP would brand us as socialists no matter what? In that case, isn't it worth considering that taking ownership of the term and reframing the debate is a better strategy than "no I'm not!"?
2
If we had a montage of all the photos of Bernie used in these op-eds since 2015 it would be pretty apparent that editorial policy regarding Bernie seems to have now changed. We'll have to wait for the next few to see if this is just an aberration. Regardless, I'm sure they'll still pretend that they objectively present the news.
2
You remember the largest worldwide protest in American history the day after Trump's ersatz inauguration. Of course you do; you were probably there. The energy that motivated us then has only grown stronger against this interloper who would be king. We'd run to the polls if we could vote today. But we are patient, knowing that we are the wall surrounding him.
2
What bothers me is that the republicans are anti-social.
Please keep that in mind this November.
1
Democrats need to get over both the idea that moderates are more electable (see, for example, John Kerry), and the idea that Republicans will find it easier to attack some candidates than others. When attacks need have no basis in fact, all are vulnerable. Does anyone imagine that if Bloomberg were the nominee he would not be lambasted as a member of the international Jewish banking conspiracy?
1
Bernie Sanders is no socialist— he’s a communist. His campaign motto: “ From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” According to Bernie, billionaires are capitalist villains, from whom we should take to pay for the needs of middle class. He imagines we live in an impoverished country ruled by an elite aristocracy that ruthlessly control the means of production for their own enrichment. He, like many Democrats think that most Americans live in poverty, work multiple jobs and have only a few hundred dollars of savings to their names. There is no Trump economic boom and capitalism has failed miserably—we have become worse than Venezuela!
Bernie Sanders is a socialist wreaking ball, chopping at the bit to dismantle our institutions. He will nationalize health care and the banks and tax the income of the rich at 70%. He will pass new laws to give the government the control and the power to decide what’s fair, what’s right and what’s good for you. The Americans people will become ‘wards of the state’ and we all will be treated like children with the government making all the decisions for us. This is the Democratic Socialist utopia that the progressives would force march us into.
No, Bernie Sanders is no socialist...he’s something far worse.
Give me a break. I guess Krugman would agree with Bill that Clinton that "it depends on what the meaning of `is' is"
1
Joe Biden, Bernie Sender and Warren; all these old liberals, outdated and without stamina with heavy baggage on their shoulders have very little chance of winning against the cone artist with extremely rightist supporters in the coming election. Bernie had crushed Hillary's image raising many useless charges and arguments, reducing her chances to win the election but helped the Phony man to win it. Bernie, Biden and Warren are involved in character assassination right now and fighting like school kids on TV screens, they need not be in the field so long. Democrats and independent voters like me like young, experienced, and centrist Democratic nominee to defeat the Casino king. Pete Buttigieg has his/her own baggage much larger than others, Andrew Young is young but less experience, and others are not capable to stand still in Trump’s verbal abuse and character assassinations till the finish line. Democratic Party has responsibility to think seriously before the time is running out. Yes, Dem need a strong viable, centrist candidate to defeat the thug or he will sure become our uncrowned King for another 4 years keeping us to cry so long. Keep in mind, he has appointed 2 conservative yes men in the SC, and may appoint other 2 making the SC fully conservative. If they cannot find one, Mike Bloomberg or Mitt Romney should be the best for America as an independent President.
By identifying himself as a socialist - even if he's really an FDR New Deal Democrat - Bernie comes off as a bad a%& who doesn't care what people think - and a lot of people like that. Even Republicans respect him for that.
2
Thanks, I needed that( article) to soothe me a just a tad when “ I feel the Bern” , and cast my vote for Bernie who really is an FDR reincarnation in every sense! I trust Bernie and for what he stands for...
1
Oh please Paul, deficits don’t count-until they do ? Then people with any assets will be wiped out and all debtors shall be free ! yea , debt, boo industry boo thrift...great foundation to build a society...Bernie may not be a specialist in the strict literal sense, but his anger, envy and rigidity are manifest and embraced by him. He really resents people who have worked hard, saved and prospered, he just does-stop denying the undeniable. He is qualitatively different than even Warren in that regard. She doesn’t wake up every morning trying to get “even” at people who have succeeded. His wealth tax is not only incoherent, absurd and extreme in every sense, it is purposefully designers to remove and incentive to ever be a millionaire. If his goal were to promote opportunity instead of “equality” and “social” justice (whatever those terms mean ?) we would know by now. AS long as he succeeds to preventing anyone in our society from doing very very well, he will be happy. Envy is at least as tasteless as greed. Lets have reparations because it will make us feel better and punish thsoe of ac retain skin col,or (havent we had enough of There is plenty fo low hanging fruit that makes sense, promotes real progress in equality of opportunity without actualizing his envy and anger. Eliminate the carried interest, step up gain on estates, raise estate taxes, raise income taxes etc. But that isn’t what he wants.Its more important to punish some people-how is thsi different from trump ?
If Sanders is truly a socialist or at least as scary as Republicans cast him to be, why would Putin vote TRUMP?
"Republicans have a long, disreputable history of conflating any attempt to improve American lives with the evils of 'socialism.'”
Indeed, the tawdry tactic long predates Reagan's presidency. Walker Cisler was a leading proponent of nuclear power and a co-founder of the Atomic Industrial Forum in 1952. But when UAW president Walter Reuther filed suit against the Fermi Nuclear Plant, Cisler played the "socialism" card, declaring: "We are headed down the road to a socialist state."
Source: We Almost Lost Detroit, by John G. Fuller
If Bernie becomes President, he should declare war on Denmark and surrender immediately. That way, we'll get Danish government and social programs with no muss and no fuss.
Oh, and this should please Republicans: we'll also get Greenland.
2
I find the socialist brand tiresome and dated (not to mention not quite accurate) - it reeks of the 20th century and it could do Bernie harm in the general election. Younger people don't have the benefit of historical context. Older people will have seen it fail in some countries and succeed in those that are nothing like the US. Bernie would be better off using a brand that doesn't make him come across as an aging hippie. As a boomer I can imagine him bringing out his tie dyed t shirt at a rally one of these days. Why do socialists/revolutionaries have to be so angry and loud re their campaigns? It's a turn off for some of us.
1
'but by making Medicare for All the centerpiece of his campaign, Sanders would take the focus off the Trump administration’s determination to take away the social safety net we already have.'
my question is why?
why would that be the singular focus?
there are so many issues and any position the Dems take will be
worlds better than the 'pay until.you die' system that we have now.
also Trump destroying democracy is the biggest issue.
Bernie is a Social Democrat. Google it and let's move on. Americans appear naive about these terms and do not realize that their social security system is based on the tenets of socialism. The Republicans will use the term Socialism to damage his reputation. Bernie's team needs to connect its campaign to a broader understanding of what underpins social democracies abroad.
2
According to Bernie democratic socialism is not an authoritarian central planning but participation of the people who work in the work places.
Similar to the structures exist at the universities in the US: people decide about their work within the limits and rules of the institutions.
He might be a democratic socialist but he openly says that this a gradual process - given that the majority agrees of course through a legal path to change the economic structures to more self managing enterprises- like co ops etc .,
For now free health and education can be achieved through taxation as in Europe . It is not really difficult ...,
Bernie Sanders is much closer in ideals and in policies to FDR than he is to Mao Tse Tung. But republicans haven't campaigned on, or been elected on, telling the truth or admitting the facts for many decades.
I am much more concerned that if Bernie is the nominee our choices come down to which cranky old man we each prefer.
My goal for a candidate is someone who can lead US out of the darkness that is t rump and his party.
I don't know who that is at this point.
So let the debate continue.
Bernie a socialist - hardly. When in class I go down his list of policies - not just the ones that command all the media attention, most appear to make sense to students. Words and labels matter and set him up for a host of personal attacks. My suspicion is that Bernie likes the personal attention and shock value of his self described label. Don't we already have that in DJT?
As a Democrat, my vote in November will proudly go to the nominee - whoever that may be. In the meantime, however, I agree with Paul that we must break out of thinking that Bernie Sanders will be able to carry the nation in a national vote. Bernie was an Independent for most of his elected years before running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. trump will, I'm afraid, easily defeat him. And, while Socialist attributes gave us Medicare, Medical and the ever-popular Obama Care, trump will twist these good programs to his ever-nasty will. It's time for a woman president who understands the basic needs of families, women, and children. But, whoever... vote Dem in November.
1
@Patty Brissenden Voters don't care about party affiliation, they care about the candidate. No one really cares that Bernie was registered independent, and those who do know often like it because it sets him apart from all the useless centrist much the Democratic party has been putting out.
1
It seems Americans have forgotten that they have been "socialists" for decades and we are not just talking about social security, medicare, medicaid, fire depts., the armed forces and paved roads, but, in reality, "Corporate Socialism" in America has thrived for decades at the highest levels and it dwarfs any other programs.
How about the TRILLION AND A HALF DOLLAR tax cut that Trump handed to the wealthy and corporations?
How about the BILLIONS handed every year in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, that also "contributes" directly to the horrors of climate change?
How about the BILLIONS that is fed to the bottomless pit of the military/industrial complex to fight never ending wars around the world?
Then there is 2008, the financial crisis that led to the worst depression since the 1930's, 8 MILLION lost jobs and, yet, another "corporate welfare socialistic" program resulting in TRILLIONS bailing out the companies that caused the problem in the first place.
America you have had socialism for decades, in spades, except you have been handing out taxpayers money to the wrong people!
6
Actually, it seems to me that way too many on the Left (or pretending to be on the Left) keep bellowing out the same mixes of truth, semi-truth, distortions and just plain drivel with all the happyhappyjoyjoy energy of FOX&Friends.
A lot of us know stuff, you know. Like that tax cut was outrageous, the crash started in 2006 and TARP was initiated in 2007 rather than by Obama, and that the lion’s share of discretionary Federal spending goes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid rather than the military.
It’s tiresome, and useless, to be told the same things in the same ways again and again, and, well, again. It’s also kind of arrogant to bellow on the assumption that you, and only you, know The Truth.
You forgot to mention huge subsidy to Agriculture sector, some of which goes to family farms, but the bulk is grabbed by agro-giant corporations!
We still label ourselves as Free Market Capitalism. What a fake nomenclature!
It works since average American voter is really gullible and doesn’t have the capability of differentiating between Soviet Socialism and Social Democrat. To top it off, they have been brain washed with the expectations of becoming a billionaire like Donald Trump in our rigged capitalist system.
I miss Barney Frank's candor. The world makes a lot more sense when an outspoken person who actually has accomplished breakthroughs while working in the Senate actually speaks up.
2
Medicare isn't socialized medicine, it's socialized medical insurance, and it violates equal protection by only providing it to some.
Bernie's medicare for all completes the socialization of medical insurance, and he'd take over actual healthcare if given his druthers. It is a complete takeover of that industry so stop the lying that it's not.
When you tell businesses what to pay, how to schedule and what benefits to provide, you are indeed socialist meddling in free enterprise via central planning. Government can provide these benefits via taxation, but forcing others to do government's job is socialist expansionism.
Bernie would have no issue with socialism, he just doesn't say it publicly because he know his ideas are rancid, even to a now timid unfree people that always look for more from government, and they get it and their lives get worse.
3
Word David....Bernie isnt about expanding great health acre to everyone, its about punishing those that can afford greta care now. Look at me all you want but dont tell me i have to accept the Doctor or hospital government assigns to me,aNd don’t tell me i can’t app out of pocket for the best care available.
Bernie Sanders is most certainly a Socialist. Free college for all > Socialist. Forcing independent companies to allow unions to form > Socialist. Medicare for all, and ending private medicare > Socialist. Housing for all > Socialist. Green New Deal > Socialist.
No, Mr. Sanders is not just a Socialist for show. I believe that he is authentic and genuine in thinking that socialism is the answer to the "ills" of a country that, ironically, he prospers from. Furthermore, Mr. Krugman straight out lies that Mr. Sanders does not express admiration toward Venezuela, because he did in 2011, only to walk it back when socialism failed that country. It's much easier to allude to Denmark, which is the size of New York with has a population less than New England.
6
@Dominic Ciarlante
"Forcing"... "allow"... unions?
In a free state nobody should need anybodies permission to band together to protect their rights health and safety. Blocking unions is plutocratic tyranny pure and simple.
1
My thought has been and continues to be that Senator Sanders never really thought he would be nominated, just like the current occupant of the Oval Office. He wanted to pull the Democrats more to the left, but now that he and his pretty-far left positions are a daily fixture in the media, I wonder what his thoughts are.
He has to know he would never beat the current president.
3
@Michigan Michael He has to change his identity, his narrative and his agenda. Better to do that now than what Trump did - change who he was after he was elected.
2
The problem is that perception is now reality, and truth is not.
2
The real problem with Bernie is he's on a warpath for big business, with plans to pay for the Great American Giveaway (education, healthcare, prescriptions and student loans) by handing the bills to Big Pharma, insurance companies, banks, tax-skating companies, etc. Does anyone in their right mind think these businesses would stand still for it? They would "ghost" the country so fast we'd see vapor trails. They have shareholders to answer to and bonuses to earn. It would be a street fight. And capitalism, which surely does need reins, is in our DNA. We won't like a non-growing economy with high unemployment, which is what we'd get if these companies flee to more welcoming shores. They have profited wildly for too long at Americans' expense. But Bernie isn't talking about a sharp pull on the reins. He is talking about taking a lung or a leg, to mix metaphors. Otherwise you simply can't pay for what he's proposing. If that's not socialism, I don't know what is.
5
Actually, if you take the $1.3 Trillion tax break that Trump gave to the rich, that would about cover the health insurance question.
Now, if you read Bernie’s issues on his website, you will see how the rest is workable.
6
"What’s really important, however, is that the party stays focused on its strengths and Trump’s weaknesses."
I think Dems need to think more broadly. Forget about Trump' the man.' Focus on the systemic dismantling that's going on under his rule. He has a machine behind him. He is the vehicle. Highlight what is going on -- systemically and with great precision and success (assuming this is your vision). Judges, environmental setbacks, an embrace of economic disparity, to name a few.
We are fighting more than DJT.
267
@Lisa Kraus Yes but with the caveat that Trump’s awfulness is really helpful and should be exploited.
116
@Paul Krugman Hillary ran against Trump's awfulness and lost. You need to have something people can vote FOR rather than vote against someone. Going into this election by just chanting "orange bad man" will get us nowhere and doesn't excite the base, nor does it inspire non-voters to show up.
21
@OrlandoCC It's amazing to me that the simple idea of getting rid of the man that threatens the rights of immigrants, women, and minorities isn't enough to get you out to vote. I'm jealous of your privilege that allows you to not see that as a threat.
11
The greatest contribution Bernie Sanders has made to his country is pulling the conversation to the left. That will be of inestimable value in the long run, whether or not he is elected.
317
@Ed Cone
There won’t be a long run if Sanders causes Trump to be re-elected.
9
@HO you're assuming that anyone else (like Pete or Bloomberg) has a better chance against Trump?
I disagree because Bernie has a *massive* GOTV (Get Out The Vote) operation in every state that no-one else even comes close to.
21
@Ed Cone Not enough recommendations.
3
All this hand-wringing about picking just the right candidate to beat Trump, and how the candidates should tip-toe around this issue or that issue so they can beat Trump.
If America re-elects Trump it would say a lot about the 48%-ish who will have voted for him, and absolutely nothing about the slate of (comparatively) supremely qualified Democratic Party candidates.
2
@Andy
So, our interest in this election should be how good non-Trump voters feel about not voting for Trump? I'd say the more important goal is to get Trump out of the White House.
1
Sanders isn't my first choice, but I respect him immensely and am actively fighting the urge to play Pundit-in-my-Own-Head re: his electability.
I know this is a nerve-wracking time, but I implore my fellow Democrats to vote their hearts at the polls, and trust that the best candidate will emerge. Let's not twist ourselves into pretzels here. If Bernie wins the nomination, he will have shown us he is up to the task.
And it goes without saying: In the general election, vote Blue, no matter who.
5
There is no reason to cross the Atlantic to find single payer health care, we’ve had it here in Canada since 1966. It has been tinkered with since then but the basic premise as set out in 1984 is "to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.". So tell me, which part of that terrifies the American public? I’ve had a number of procedures, including cancer treatment, in a timely fashion with no penalty or restrictions due to “pre-existing or hereditary” conditions and all without having to mortgage my home or sell my children. Oh, and for those who listened to half term governor Palin a few years back, no, we don’t have “death panels” deciding who lives and who dies. If we do have problems it’s down to conservative elements at the provincial level trying to emulate your politicians by cutting taxes and reducing service in the name of “austerity”.
268
Fellow Canadian here. The part that terrifies Americans is that they don’t want a system like ours where a trip to the emergency room means waiting twelve hours or more to receive treatment. They don’t want to sit on a transplant waiting list for six months or a joint replacement list for years while living in pain.
They don’t want to lose their ability to choose their own doctor either. In places like rural South-Western Ontario, health care coverage is very thin. We have a shortage of doctors because there is no incentive for them to live and work in these communities. You don’t get to pick your family doctor, one is assigned to you and if you don’t like them, tough luck.
I’ve lived and worked on both sides of the border. Americans want choice, they want service. When they need healthcare, they want to be treated like a customer who’s business is to be earned.
I cringe when I see a generation of 18-35 year olds voting for Bernie who somehow don’t understand what they are signing up for. And the idea that this same socialized health care coverage will be extended to undocumented immigrants is so absurd it is to be laughable.
With these kinds of policies coming from the left I can only assume we are doomed to another 4 years of 45.
12
@Talbot
American here. Private insurance. I just had to wait six months to see a dermatologist and have to book an annual a year in advance or wait four months for an appointment. I get "treated like a customer" alright with every co-pay for every visit.
I have waited for endless hours to be seen at an ER even with private insurance, not universal care.
As for health care deserts, rural America is in crisis from hospital closures. People have to drive hours to get to one. The for-profit system is the real "death panels".
Oh, forgot to mention, your system has better health outcomes than ours.
34
@D. Knight A small correction: it was half-wit governor Palin.
10
From Bernie's website:
Jobs for All
Medicare for All
Housing for All
College for All
Eliminating Debt
"Fundamentally shift the wealth of the economy back into the hands of the workers who create it. Give workers an ownership stake in the companies they work for."
Please tell me how Bernie is not a socialist...
3
As a Canadian, I implore the Democrats to make defeating President Trump their only priority.
His rogue presidency has severely damaged the relationship between our two countries and only his defeat would assure us that he does not speak for the good people of the USA when he attacks us.
1863
@one-eighty
Defeating Trump was Hillary's only priority, and she lost. Her sole argument was that Trump as president was ludicrous and she was the obvious, alternative choice. Any other issues were secondary in her campaign. And the result is President Trump.
Defeating Trump can't be the only Democratic priority, not even the main one. The Democrats tried that in 2016 and lost. The Democrats have to run a positive campaign of help for the poor and the working and middle class. That's the campaign which will win all those states -- Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania -- which Trump won, because he was actually paying attention, however insincerely, to the the distress in the working class.
67
@Erica Smythe - "We're not paying for it..and that "wall" is working more effectively than anything imagined."
It has since been reported that many hundreds of people who were denied asylum to the US and deported back to where they came from have subsequently been murdered by precisely the people they were claiming asylum to get away from.
Many hundreds of people dead, in many cases people who were trying to join their families already living in the US. And you think it's wonderful. Hope you never find yourself in a similar situation.
110
@one-eighty
I refuse to vote for any establishment Democrat under any circumstances.
The Wall street Democrats are merely the other evil with a massive dose of hypocrisy thrown in.
Run a decent candidate against Trump or be prepared to lose.
Republican lite Centrists like Buttigieg, Biden, Bloomberg, and Klobuchar are just as unacceptable as the bad orange man currently in office.
The Corporate Democrats simply don't deserve my vote and they won't be receiving it.
11
The Democratic party is afraid of social programs almost as much as the Republicans. The Democratic party has a history of not providing a new social program in the 16 of 24 years they controlled the White House. In fact - Clinton clawed back programs, and Obama did not offer a service - just a mandate on citizens - just like the other great hope-n-change candidate - Otto Bismark did 140 years ago
Sanders is a Socialist - so what? The policies that he espouses are supported by Conservative governments in almost every western nation.
The problem is that the right wing media are trying to blur the line between Western Socialism and Communism aka Eastern Block Socialism - it's playing with words to sow confusion. And Right Wing Democrats are complicit int his bluing.
5
Yeah? He needs to provide a complete, detailed agenda, a la Warren? Ok, I agree. But why don't you hold everyone to that same standard? Pete, for example, has been anything but forthcoming with his prospective policies, which have waffled dramatically since his declaration of candidacy. Bernie has been the second most open about his, but you wouldn't know that from the reading this article. Why does Krugman continue to attack only one candidate?
5
Spot on!
To summarize (with URLs): Sanders gave two major speeches laying out his vision of democratic socialism for America.
November 19, 2015, Georgetown University
YouTube video: https://tinyurl.com/qxj8fsp
Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/q4pp5r9
June 12, 2019, George Washington University
YouTube video: https://tinyurl.com/thd882y
Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y4d2zwaq
4
@Donald Dryden
To point to one of the most important parts of Bernie's direction, I suggest that people go to your Georgetown video @ 24:08 where Bernie speaks:
In 1944, in his State of the Union speech, President Roosevelt outlined what he called a second Bill of Rights. This is one of the most important speeches ever made by a president but, unfortunately, it has not gotten the attention that it deserves.
In that remarkable speech this is what Roosevelt stated, and I quote: “We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. Necessitous men are not free men.” End of quote. In other words, real freedom must include economic security. That was Roosevelt’s vision 70 years ago. It is my vision today. It is a vision that we have not yet achieved. It is time that we did.
2
Thank you Paul Krugman for this excellent piece. I’m a dual citizen (Canadian & American), raised in Canada but I’ve lived most of my adult life in the U.S. I’ve been back in Canada since 2012 & I’m now not able to return to America due to having a serious pre-existing medical condition. I will vote for Bernie if he’s the candidate, but my God I hope he’s not. In all honesty, I’m upset with the Democrats, upset that they are such a hot mess. For the love of God, get it together & let’s nominate a candidate who can win the election, preferably without screaming all the time.
2
Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a left-wing community organizing pacifist socialist.
Jesus Christ said that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into Heaven. Jesus said that Heaven was promised to the poor, sick,imprisoned, hungry, homeless, despairing and naked stranger.
Treating other human beings in the humble humane empathetic manner that we expect to be treated is the Golden Rule aka law.
Bernie Sanders is politician. Just like Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. They are all more like Pontius Pilate and Herod than Jesus of Nazareth. They are not Mahatma Gandhi nor Martin Luther King,Jr..
1
Americans are the "poster children" for obsessing about "labels" in their political choices. For once, why don't you pay attention to the actual policies rather than the labels?
This is exactly what the establishment and Republicans want you to do, deflect away from their indiscretions and inadequacies and while at the same time be engrossed in fear and dis-information rather than the actual policies. Many have stated, Trump is just a symptom of a 40 yr. old failed system and until Americans come to grips with the reasons why he got elected in the first place, he will be elected again in 2020.
Unless you elect an "uncorrupted" President that is going to actually deal with the issues head on, NOT "tinkering around the edges", if another "wishy washy" "centrist/moderate democrat is elected in 2020, there will be another Trump waiting in the wings in 2024.
Remember, Americans did that in 2016, how did that work out?
6
The problem is that Americans don't know their own history. America's rise in the 20th century is largely due to socialism. The progressive era, the New Deal, the Great Society. Its dismantling under Reagan only served to create wealth divisions and establish socialized risks for the rich and capitalism for everyone else. It's sad that nowadays any attempt to improve the lives of the people is construed as a "government takeover." Sanders' unapologetic claim to be a socialist is actually a breath of fresh air. Instead of seeming shadowy and trying to hide his policies, he is openly fighting for what an overwhelming majority of Americans claim to want.
10
Spoken like one who has decent health insurance
2
Okay, Mr. Krugman, for the sake of idiots who don't know the difference between a real socialist system and a democratic social program such as universal health care, Sanders should drop and disavow his socialist title ( albeit he often does) but you should stop denigrating universal health care. You journalists set a tone and I don't understand why you so adamantly poo poo something which is very popularly supported! Every politician has goals and an agenda which often doesn't get carried out, but why not give peope something to look forward to? Freedom from high premiums and copays, freedom from bankruptcy due to health costs , why can't the wealthiest country in the world provide these basics? Why shouldn't it?
4
Bingo!
1
“So why does Sanders call himself a socialist?” “...with a misleading self-description” that will be “a gift to the Trump campaign?”
Oh, the ignorance.
First of all, Sanders has called himself a Democratic Socialist on countless occassions. He doesn’t need you, Paul Krugman, to tell him that is what he actually is. You are just trying to make him look dumb. So Sanders has mislead no one. You, however are misleading your readers; or, you are the one who is too dumb to know how Sanders has referred to himself for years. Either is not a good look.
Another example of how so many journalists think they know what they are talking about, but don’t. Remember how the NY Times predicted Hillary Clinton winning the presidency right up until Election Night 2016? I remember. This is more of the same stuff.
Sanders is winning, and the corporate journalists are doing all they can to throw a monkey wrench into the situation. That is worse than bad journalism; it is anti-democratic.
Like it or not, Sanders is the only candidate who can actually win against Trump. Polls have shown this consistently for four years. Trump himself is terrified of running against Sanders. Start considering that reality if you want to defeat Trump.
6
oh heavens to murgatroid, why can't someone with your vision and sense (which I would like to say is common, but is rarer than the blue-footed booby) be on the Democratic ticket?
3
In New Hampshire, the results were 26% Bernie, 24% Pete, 20% Amy. Amy and Pete are clearly moderate by comparison to Bernie. Should Amy collapse, then if New Hampshire is any barometer, then the clear winner will be Pete. The middle will win. That search for moderate democrats will be over.
Lets assume Trump loses to any of the candidates (big assumption). What does this moment call for (a luxurious thought experiment for sure)? Is Bernie the ultimate anti-dote the the rise of populism? It sure seems that way.
Amy is unlikely to pull out, which means it will be close down to the end. I am anxious about Bernie's age, not his faux socialism (but, hell if the 90 year old captain Picard can come out of retirement to battle the romulans...) Personally, I would prefer Pete, but I think this moment, not just the populism, but the call of the planet, the inequality, it needs something especially radical at this time. And, I would love to have a Jewish president (I'm not Jewish), it would be about time.
I'm with you, any nominee should receive full-throated support.
1
This is very helpful. You are almost gone, Paul, liberal conscience...
Sanders needs to give his version of the JFK Catholic speech.
So Bernie has said he was a socialist all his life, complete with honeymooning in the USSR and going above and beyond to support the Sandinista leaders - but he's not really a socialist?
Mr Krugman, either you are wrong, or Sanders is wrong.
If youre wrong Mr Krugman, no gog deal. Were used to it. But if Bernie is wrong, then why on earth would we want this guy to be President, whos been calling himself a socialist all his life, but he really doesnt understand the meaning of the word?
Ya see what Im getting at here?
Youre not doing him any favors with this article - or yourself.
It's naive to think that how Sanders labels himself is going to matter in the context of the presidential campaign.
What if Sanders finally refers to himself as a "social Democrat"?
Do you think Trump understands the distinction between a "socialist" and a "social Democrat? Would he care if (miraculously) he did?
For his reelection purposes, should Sanders become the Democratic nominee, Trump is going to pound the podium calling Bernie a dangerous, radical "socialist." His campaign ads will drive that message home again and again.
For that matter Trump will likely call ANY Democratic nominee the same thing. He's already said that under his watch America will never be a "socialist" country. The word "socialist" is red meat to his followers and unnerving to many others.
Intellectual distinctions be damned.
2
It is impossible to turn USA into Denmark, all Danes are white.
3
I'm so tired of Paul Krugman. He says the same things about Republicans over and over and over. And now he'll do the same to the left of centre candidates. His pedantry and pontificating are tiresome.
3
Sanders isn’t a socialist, he is a communist who will bring us down to the economies of Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela
3
Capitalism = All for me
Socialism = Enough for all
3
@ma77hew
Capitalism = My destiny is in my own hands.
Socialism = My destiny is in the hands of a government generally run by people I didn't vote for and don't like very much.
Two from Bruni, Kristof, Friedman and now Krug. That's 5 negative, caution-caution opinion pieces about Bernie in the last 5 days. Yet all say - "well if he is the nominee we should support him." Sure, y'all are really preparing the ground for that. Can the NYT find no Bernie supporters to write op-eds? We are a movement of millions from all walks. Pretty sure there is someone out there who could make the case for Bernie to the NYT audience. Unless the NYT is not open to it......
4
Joe Six-Pack and his cohort can't tell the difference between socialism and communism. Trump will exploit this to his advantage. Trump will ride the full-blown Red Scare menace right back into the White House. Anyone advocating that Bernie, if nominated, will trounce Trump is living in cloud cuckoo-land. Go ahead and place your bets BEFORE the NYT publishes it's fancy election gauges.
Bernie yells; Warren actually does!
2
This is right. Bernie has needlessly been calling himself something that scares many if not most Americans, and it gains him little or nothing. The mass of voters have no concept of the nuances of socialism. It just sounds like the Soviet Union to them. If he becomes the nominee I hope the party bigwigs will be able to meet with him in what passes nowadays for a smoke-filled room and talk some sense into his head. Unfortunately, it's probably too late since his "brand "is now pretty well burned into the mentality of most voters.
I'm less worried about Pete. While it's true that, in the words of the despicable Dick Cheney, deficits really don't matter all that much, the common voter hasn't yet grasped that and still thinks the country is "goin' to hell in a hand basket with all this deficit spending", so they'll look upon that part of his platform with kindness for long enough to get past the election anyway. We can worry about what to really do starting next year.
So Krugman almost mans up.
No president Bernie is not a problem.
But gosh darn it Bernie is a problem because he calls himself a socialist. Which isn’t true but gosh darn it Krugman just can’t let go at taking another shot.
Thing is most every human capable of an informed opinion knows the trouble with Bernie’s baggage. And it is worse in foreign policy than Krugman seems to grasp.
Many pro Bernie’s try to argue the baggage away with stupid arguments which is foolish. And Many keep bringing it up as if it were damning news to the voters in this democracy which it is not. So let the voters vote. Right now Bernie’s does not EVEN HAVE A THIRD OF VITERS IN DEMOCRAT PRIMARIES.
So what is the point of this Krugman piece?
The real problem is the democrat party elite have done an absolutely abominably unforgivably bad job of getting ready for this election. They are the problem. They are why Trump can win again after his daily crimes against America. Unforgivably bad and vain and proud.
2
The amount of centrist democrat hand-wringing coming out of the NYTimes this week is laughable. We're going to drag all of you Boomers onto the Bernie Train kicking and screaming if we have to. Hopefully you don't sabotage it for him again like you and the DNC did in 2016.
2
Wait! What! The Bern has call himself variations socialist for at least 40 years. By Mr. Krugman's analysis either Bern is simply stupid or thinks the the American voters are. Which is it?
1
A. No matter who vote blue and B. I am reminded of something Steve Bannon said, "If they call you a racist where it like a badge of honor", double down. If the call you a socialist embrace it and wear is as a badge of honor. Steve Bannon and Trump are racists and they admit it and wear it as a badge of honor. Bernnie is a "Socialist", wear it as a badge of honor.
2
amy klobuchar.
I'm never sure why Sanders supporters show up in droves commenting that he's not a socialist-Marxist. Then they post long defenses that seem to repeat the same thing again and again. I assume everybody reading the NYT already knows that. Enough already!
Please tell us how he's going to handle that with all non-NYT types that are going to paint him as a downright Stalinist. If he's not willing or able to do that, it's a big problem, and unrealistic.
1
He calls himself a democratic socialist, for goodness sake. Get over it.
3
Well said!
2
Krugman knows that Sanders is no “socialist” aka he does not support nationalization of all industries. But the NYT and Republicans insist on labeling him with the lie.
3
Your article, Mr. Krugman, should be hung on every refrigerator and billboard in the country.
Thank you, Sir!
2
Hey look another main stream media outlet bashing Bernie Sanders.
2
Calling yourself a socialist is idiotic in today's Wisconsin if you're running for office. Might as well call yourself an atheist.
You could be a free-market libertarian, but if you call yourself a socialist, you will lose.
Words matter in this election. Bicoastal New York Times readers don't.
2
“President Trump is trying to turn us into a white nationalist autocracy like Hungary.”
Who is being “smarmy” now, Paul?
1
Does that mean that socialists shouldn't vote for Bernie? Maybe Jill Stein?
1
First, he's too socialist, now he's not socialist enough.
I'm sure this piece has nothing to do with it's rich author wishing not to subsidize his fellow citizens healthcare.
2
Listen to Tom Friedman and nominate Bloomberg. He is tbe most pragmatic, centered and balanced, capable, experienced, capable democrat in the race who can take down Trump and consign DJT to the dustbin in the prison where DJT belongs
@Midtown2015 Friedman said that Hillary was the best candidate last time, how'd that work out?
1
Amen, Mr. Krugman. Aaaamen!
Didn’t Joe Biden “socialize” Amtrak into a state owned railroad too? You’re right Paul, the word “socialism” has lost its real meaning, its become a label like “liberal” became in post-Reagan America. Some leaned into it then, and some lean into it now... Sanders does need to break down these ideas and positions to the American people more clearly.... Bernie has never sought to seize the means of production in the Marxist sense... he just wants more American to live healthy and happier lives by giving them health care. One of the biggest barriers to people understanding this is how smeared and maligned Sanders has been in the mainstream media that Democrats consume... CNN, MSNBC, and yes, the NY Times all have inflated his “socialism” to be more Fidel than FDR... just look up Chris Matthews’ nonsensical rant on live TV earlier this week... its time for the media to be more honest about Bernie’s “socialism” . They are the ones misleading the public.
3
excellent.
2
OR!........we have Trump.
Hold your noses everyone and vote. We really are picky, aren't we?
1
Ooohhhh. So he’s a Democratic Socialist? And not JUST a Socialist? Well, why didn’t you say so? Roll out the red carpet! Make him President for life lol!
"And all the polling evidence says that America is basically a center-left nation"
hahahahahahahaahah
https://news.gallup.com/poll/245813/leans-conservative-liberals-keep-recent-gains.aspx
" If Democrats win, they should pursue a progressive agenda, not waste political capital cleaning up the G.O.P.’s mess."
TIME !!!!...dont waste it tying to be bipartisan.....if they (softball playing dems) manage to win (the wh & senate), get stuff done !!!!
obama "wasted" 2 years playing nice, when dems had all 3 branches......we cant do this.....look at the recent gop, and they had 2 years, and only got a tax break for those whom didnt need it.
dont waste time !!!!~~~~~RAM it through...make it law that cant be over turned (like most executive actions)....
get it together (play hardball), and WIN.....but dont waste that time...just 2 cents from me...thanks
2
Jesus was a liberal. He fed the hungry and healed the afflicted.
Just like what the Democrats do.
1
True, Sanders' end goals may not be particularly radical when looking around at the rest of the developed world. But what Sanders and his defenders fail to talk about is the massive pain and disruption required to get to that ideal at the speed he proposes, given how far away from that ideal we currently are.
As just one example, where do the at least 2.2 million people currently working in the health insurance industry find work once we eliminate private health insurance and get Medicare for All? Why isn't Bernie talking about that?
By no means is this or other disruptions automatic arguments against his proposals, but it would nice to hear some of the trade-offs he's asking us to make. He wants to pretend that the only people who will experience pain from his ideas are "the billionahs!"
2
Those people will still be working in health care almost certainly
2
Both believe in nepotism, both will say anything, make any promise they think their supporters wil go for, regardless of their inability to deliver. Neither can negotiate in good faith. Bernie and Trump are two sides of the same coin.
1
I'd love to hear more about what Bernie Sanders is about. But, his admiration for Denmark is misguided. What works in Denmark, as admirable as it may be, may not work in a country as large as ours.
1
@Randy Freeman
You might want to consider that in addition to all the Scandanavian countries, ALL of the countries in the EU have in one form or another a universal "single payer" healthcare system and their total population well exceeds that of the |U.S.
3
My problem with Bernie isn't that he describes himself as a socialist but with the fact that he over-promises and has no prayer of delivering if elected to office.
He will do more harm to the Democratic brand than anything Trump and the RNC could do with nothing but failed campaign promise after failed campaign promise.
Leading by Executive Order is not a winning or sustainable strategy post-election.
3
"He doesn’t want to nationalize our major industries and replace markets with central planning;"
Really? Medicare for All wouldn't nationalize health insurance and replace our current market with central planning? The Green New Deal does the same thing with the energy sector.
While Denmark's grass may look greener from this side of the fence, they fund their welfare state by making their working and middle classes pay more taxes than our rich do. And for all that taxation they get a lifestyle far more spartan than our middle classes enjoy.
3
Krugman is right about at least one thing. Socialism does mean nationalizing industries and replacing markets with central planning. Sanders needs to clarify what he means by his adoption of that term. He confuses the electorate about what he really is for, and he may be confused himself.
@PWR
For once, if Americans were to pay attention and spend just a "little" time educating themselves, Bernie Sanders would not have to explain.
3
A more equal/equitable society is a better society. Inequity is rampant in the US. Granted inequity is everywhere, but not more pronounced than in the US (as compared to other western countries). Looking at various indicators, child mortality etc, the US is never at the top. This isn't hard to grasp, just no one listens.
2
I like Bernie. I think he is honest and vigorous enough, even at his age, to be president. I will vote for him (as a registered independent) if he runs. But I do fear that his (deliberately?) severe, shouting, arm-waving, grimacing image will be enough to tip the election against him. And on a personal point, as a senior, I all ready have Medicare, supplemented by an employer plan. Thus, I will lose badly should Bernie, as president, actually achieve his goal of destroying private health insurance.
Mayor Pete will not be the nominee. He has virtually no support in minority communities and polls in the single digits nationally. I like him and he is, in some ways, my 1st choice, but this is not his time... maybe sometime, maybe not.
2
Sanders' brand can't be changed at this point. He needs to send his bros home, and give his money and his voters to a candidate who can win.
Totally agree with Mr. Krugman. Now is not the time to get lost in wonky arguments about policy, who's for Medicare for All and who wants something else. The Trump administration and the Republican party have, in the course of 3 years, wounded the Affordable Care Act to the point where millions more people do not have any health insurance, and hobbled agencies and departments, driving away experienced staff and running them with heads who are openly hostile to the department's mission.
The first order of business for any Democratic president will be to stop the bleeding, protect the Affordable Care Act and get back the uninsured people who fell through the cracks, jettison the Trump lackeys who are willfully destroying government institutions, find a way to get back the government workers who left in disgust, especially scientists with years of experience, and see that qualified people who are dedicated public servants head our government institutions. Medicare for All sounds great, but there are political realities that make it unlikely in the near future, and the candidates should acknowledge that reality. There is nothing wrong with declaring an aspirational goal. The first order of business is defeating a once and future dictator at the polls.
1
In 2016, many people were critical of the GOP for falling in line with a conman who hijacked the party. Why should the Democrats do the same in 2020?
trump needs to go, but there’s no way I’ll ever vote for Sanders in November.
1
Whoever the Democratic nominee is for President they cannot win without stealing Trump's 'Working Middle Class' base. This should not be difficult given Trump has forsaken that base to favor Plutocrats. He returned to 'Trickle Down' economics to justify tax cuts for the rich and gave Art Laffer (Laffer Curve) the Medal of Freedom.
Trump imposed tariffs on China and Western nations that would have benefited American workers if they had worked as Trump claimed, but they had the opposite effect of impacting the Middle Class. He then changed his tariff policy to ensure Wall Street stocks would move higher, reneging on his promise to support a renewed economic rise for the US Middle Class in favor of Plutocrats.
Most Americans are not informed on details of Trump's reversal of claimed allegiance to Middle Class values to support the current Plutocracy. That was his biggest and most venal lie, and all the rest of his little lies are a smokescreen for the big lie.
Why can't the Democrats throw their support behind the rise of the Middle Class as an antidote to their fall, and propose real policies and programs that make sense? This is their grand opportunity.
It is the failure of the Democrats to seize this opportunity and make the Democratic Party the [Working Middle Class] Populist Party that will lose them the 2020 Election.
Why are they so unable to accomplish this feat? Clearly because they are pandering to their Leftist base, which really turns off the US Middle Class!
4
@Wolff
On the contrary, when it comes to working class appeal, Bernie Sanders has shown himself to be, by far, the strongest candidate in this area and the one that would have the best chance in beating Trump and poll after poll confirms it!
2
@Deus I think Krugman is correct that the Republicans will beat him using scare words like Socialism and Communism, even though he is neither.
His narrative (on TV) must change from "I'm a Socialist" to "I'm the right representative for Working Middle Class Populism."
2
Bernie had a choice as to what he calls himself. He could call himself a liberal, a progressive, a populist, it wouldn't matter from a policy perspective. That he calls himself a socialist in country where half the population has never taken a course in economics is downright stupid politically because it allows Republicans to demonize every single idea coming out of his mouth to the masses of ignorant voters. The question is why? I think he does it because he is a narcissist himself without all of the negative Trump attributes. The fact is is that Sanders is wrong about "health care for all" as a political point. It is the ultimate end goal yes but doesn't have to be the near term goal. Why? Rich people don't need to be covered or anyone who likes what they have should be able to keep it and keep paying for it if they choose. The migration to a "healthcare for all model" then becomes a multi-phased approach whose change is less dramatic and invasive. It will be more widely accepted and introduce less FEAR. It is out of fear that people make emotional choices instead of smart policy choices when they vote. We need less fear to make a better future for everyone. Kind of simple isn't it? Bernie, has good ideas and goals for society, but he is a bad politician as he is is the one who leads with some good people but still loses and gets nothing done, like a McGovern. This time though we can't afford to lose because our nation is at risk with a traitor and a criminal leading it.
Socialism is a big word which will be used by small minds to bludgeon our chances of taking back the white house. That said, if by some miracle Bernie was to win and accomplish his goals the future would be bright and beautiful. That’s the predicament.
2
This column hits the nail on the head concerning Sander's apparently ingrained inflexibility. I applaud his progressive views and his moral clarity, but he needs to directly address voter's fears that they would be choosing a coercive socialist program carried out by incompetent amateurs that would end in chaos and dysfunction. He is a New Deal Democrat and he should say so before it is too late!
1
American people are addicts. Trump won because he promises to keep the supply flowing. Americans don't want solutions, they want salt, fat, sugar, and their entitlement mentality. Before anything changes, Americans will have to hit rock-bottom. 4 more years of Trump may not even be enough.
3
Maybe he ain't a socialist but he can't win a general election in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. The states the Democrats must have to win the Presidency. Obviously, the Democrats have failed to learn from 2016. They will shoot themselves in the foot again if they don't nominate someone who can appeal to the non-base voters in those states. Seems simple, but no, the Democratic leadership and the Party's ultra-liberal base is just as arrogant as Fox News hosts. There is no discussion, no compromise. They are always right on every issue. We will be stuck with four (or more) years of the Great Dictator if Democratic leadership does not wise up and nominate a centrist candidate who can exude some class while being tormented by Trump.
1
In the olden days of rampant capitalism, "socialism" was disdainfully propagandized to be equivalent to communism. This misrepresented the original root of the word.
Most folks would be able to tell that the word itself is made up of: firstly, the word "social" which in ordinary talk means like: living together in communities: living together in organized groups, and "ism" is a tail of words that implies a system or principle of the subject word. So, Social - ism is, in true word interpretation, is a system or principle of living together in communities or organized groups. By way of example, even in the United States, Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution refers to the “general welfare” of society thus: “The Congress shall have the Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. . .”
So the Constitution added the idea that such "living together" would involve folks paying taxes and sharing in the "general welfare" of the "organized groups. In fact and practice most folks recognize that to the extent that taxes are collected and shared for the "general welfare" folks in practice work according to the ordinary language of social organization, or, if you like, "ism".
Since the earliest use of the original word in the early eighteen hundreds, co opting by various political pitch men have caused considerable confusion.
4
Trump will have a much harder time with Bernie, as he’s also anti-establishment.
Republicans overestimate the power of shouting “socialism” over and over.
Bernie stays on message like no other candidate and his perfected pitch that billionaires and corporations have been shaping policy entirely for themselves will penetrate Republican airwaves as they can’t block him out entirely. It will make people think. They’re not stupid and know it’s true. They are also willing to take a chance, much more so than city Dems in fact.
After signing USMCA and China part 1, reducing healthcare instead of solving it, etc. he has little to show for to the workers.
4
Bernie's self labeling as a socialist is interesting as you have noted he is really more of a socdem. Maybe he's a Debs style socialist at heart but his campaign is rooted in the values of solidarity which are inseparable from the socialist project. I think it's important though to already self label as one because it puts you on a stronger footing against Trump or any other opponent. You never accept the premise of any argument your opponent is making. If you begin saying "I'M NOT A SOCIALIST..." then you accept the premise that socialism is bad, and you aren't bad because you're not a socialist. Leaving yourself wide open to "well then whats with these policies that sound socialistic?" then you either look like a liar who's hiding an agenda or someone unwilling to defend their own position. The GOP has grown weak after years of 'winning' arguments against the Alan Colmes Democrats whose job was to play Washington Generals to the Sean Hannity's and Tucker Carlson's for decades. Seemingly weak centrists who agreed with the right in spirit but always had some weird bureaucratic excuse to offer only tepid half measures. They're not used to having someone punch back at every single thing they stand for, they've never had to really defend their beliefs yet. They think this will be easy but they're very mistaken.
Prof. Krugman you may not call Bernie an actual socialist but you miss that he has called for nationalization of utility companies, airports e.t.c in the past. You are forgetting that Republicans are going to dredge up his honeymooning in the Soviet union and his paeans to Castro regime.
2
Dr. Krugman, I very much respect your thinking on any number of subjects. I respectfully request that you STOP conflating Sanders' narrow wins in two - TWO - primaries (one of which was a caucus, which has bias issues) in two VERY WHITE STATES with somehow leading the Democratic field.
Two contests. It's February. Sanders is a fraud on most fronts whose doesn't have accomplishments to point to, just talking points and ideas. He can't explain how he'll pay for anything, just that, apparently, he expects the Democrats he vilifies on a daily basis to jump on his band-wagon should a miracle happen and he be elected.
Stop feeding the beast that is click-bait and magical thinking. Sanders is a legend in his own mind; nothing more.
1
I would totally rather live in Denmark than here. Six years ago I looked into emigrating to a variety of democratic socialist countries, but was told I was already too old. Because what do you know, those high functioning democratic socialist societies don't have open borders. Which is maybe one way they are able to maintain their democratic socialism.
3
@Anne I have both an American and EU passport so can choose between 28 countries to live in and have done in several. To be honest, I live in the US because I have been lucky in life. Healthcare, schools and colleges for people in my income bracket are better here than in Europe, where it's only better on average.
That said, if I were to return I would never choose the Nordics. Their cultures are just too closed-minded and not easy to fit into. I'd much rather live in a place like Barcelona.
1
I will vote for Bernie if he gets the nomination but in the meantime, I will do everything in my power to see he doesn't get it. Not because I don't like Bernie but because I fear he would lose to Trump. And the same for Buttigieg who besides his handicap of being gay, has no qualifications for the presidency, except he's old enough.
When Biden announced his candidacy my remembrance of him was in the VP debate when he laughed Ryan off the stage. But for some reason, Joe has not been able to articulate his thoughts succinctly. As a result, he's been falling faster than a rock in a vacuum tube. Unless he can stop the freefall my money (ha, ha) is on Bloomberg and Klobuchar. Even though, MSNBC and some of the other East Coast liberal media is doing its best to thwart his candidacy.
1
I believe that Americans, as a nation, are incapable of grasping the nuances of socialism and will inevitably confuse it with communism. You can count on the GOP to make sure that confusion happens (and so far they have been keeping their powder dry on that point). For that reason alone, Sanders will not beat Trump.
2
I know you are this hot shot noble prize winning economist. However, I do not believe you when you just your standing to support political stupidity. I think that national debt is an issue that will come back to bite the US. It is bad when republicans borrow to give tax breaks to the rich. It is bad when democrats use this to give free hand outs to the remainder (free college, free health care, free child care). Only time national debt can be justified when it is used to invest in infrastructure.
@sk The National Debt is growing because the Government subsidizes the US economy's inability to provide enough money into the pockets of the Lower Class to subsist upon.
The Government goes into debt to help corporations and their owners 'appease' rather than support US workers, then levies the cost of appeasement on 'future taxpayers'.
Needless to say, none of these future taxpayers can be found or identified.
Agree that national debt cannot be justified as a means for 'future taxpayers' to pay for plutocratic 'appeasement' of the underpaid American Working Class.
1
@Wolff - The US is fundamentally an immigrant country. Being immigrant means you do what you need to do to thrive. This means moving to where jobs are and doing jobs that are available. This also means making good choices in life style - fewer kids, eating well, educating well and staying healthy. We have asians and mexicans who do not know a word of english climb out of poverty within a generation. We have people of rust belt who want to stay put and want to be taken care of. There is not enough money to support this underclass. I see people who are supposedly poor (do not earn lot of money) leasing high end cars and using latest Iphones and I wonder why I should pay taxes to subsidize these people
People who lose the immigrant mind set - will always lose.
“And all the polling evidence says that America is basically a center-left nation ...”. All the polling evidence except actual elections, given 18 state legislatures are controlled entirely by Democrats, while 31 are controlled by Republicans. Such wishful thinking by far-left Democrats will not be helpful come November.
Bernie is an ideologue, as evidenced in that previous debate in which he was the only one to vote against a bill because it wasn’t “perfect”. As you said, change is difficult, and blocking the smaller steps means nothing changes, nothing gets done. Check his record versus Amy K.’s.
Permit me to offer some context for you about Canadian healthcare by the shaky logic of one example. A friend told me that his doctor explains that he is paid by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan to "maintain" my friend’s health. Thus, because of age, he was scheduled for a precautionary investigation. He says he will see three world-class specialists and their technicians over 6 clinic visits with a total cost to him of $24 for parking and about $9.50 for gas - all in Canadian dollars, not USD.
Canada is a G7 country, and sadly we have slipped from 7th to 9th in global happiness, behind the Nordic countries and New Zealand. Yes, Canada has her shortcomings and history: she strives toward reconciliation with our First Nations peoples, for one important example.
My personal observation (not criticism) is that America - despite her incredible contributions to the world and despite her wonderful people – appears to have not modernized. From outside your political debates are self-referential and isolated from consideration of other more modern options for capitalism that are not slipping in the direction of a reversion to becoming a 21st Century feudalism in nature.
1
Paul, you make a fundamental mistake in your assumption that Bernie describes himself as a "socialist". He in fact describes himself as a "democratic socialist". There is a huge difference so your diatribe misses the mark in many ways. No matter how many times Bernie describes his vision and policies, the media throws mud on it and attempts to steer us towards some milquetoast centrist moderate. But in the end I agree with your conclusion that we need as broad a coalition as possible to overthrow El Trumpo. I believe that only Bernie and his supporters have the heartfelt energy to do that. You're correct that many of his policies will encounter resistance in Congress so be that what it may. What the heck is the democratic establishment so afraid of? The "coat tail" notion is equally absurd since most voters are independents who will vote the particular candidate, regardless of party, they think best represents them in so-called swing states. Finally, you negotiate from the left with the right in hopes of achieving the middle ground. If you start in the middle you end up too far right despite polls suggesting most voters are somewhat left of center. Do we need another 4 years of mob rule and white supremacy to educate the democratic establishment and their media supporters that we can't win eating milquetoast all the time? The sky really is falling!
I thought Gallup polling shows US to be more "center-right" than "center-left".
@NYer999
Most of the polling I saw after the 2016 election had us at center-left fiscally and center-right socially. Meanwhile the Democrats are campaigning between the left and far-left fiscally and entirely on the far-left socially.
All Democratic candidates must make removing the current administration from office, from the State House to the White House. All other policy can be discussed after that is clear to the populace.
The stock market is coasting on a bubble, as it pleases our current White House occupant to crow and lie.
A "Strongman" has no place in the America that I (a septaugenarian boomer) grew up in and hoped would continue to become more inclusive and less violent.
If we can take this administration out of our government, our children and grandchildren may have a chance.
@Steroids, sulfa and Metformin Edit: All Democratic candidates must make removing the current administration the TOP ISSUE!
Paul Krugman will say anything about Bernie because he (Krugman) honestly doesn’t have a feeling for life. He makes it abundantly clear in his attacks.
1
“These days, if you call for something like universal child care, conservatives accuse you of wanting to turn America into the Soviet Union.”
While the same conservatives are successfully turning this country into the Soviet Union on other fronts.
In a speech he gave at the National Committee for Independent Political Action in New York City on June 22, 1989, reprinted in the December 1989 issue of the socialist publication Monthly Review: “In Vermont, everybody knows that I am a socialist and that many people in our movement, not all, are socialists. And as often as not — and this is an interesting point that is the honest-to-God truth — what people will say is, ‘I don’t really know what socialism is, but if you’re not a Democrat or a Republican, you’re OK with me.’ That’s true. And I think there has been too much of a reluctance on the part of progressives and radicals to use the word ‘socialism.’”
He sure is in love with the word, and THAT is a problem.
We should take Bernie Sanders at his word. "Democratic socialism" is an oxymoron.
Right on. Please keep reminding us until November.
I like Bernie - he's "likable enough" - and I think he can win the nomination. But in no way can he win the November election. Tragically, Trump's "socialist" tarring will stymie him. I fear that Bernie heading the ticket guarantees Trump's installation as dictator for life - or perhaps king so that one of his offspring will succeed him. And if this seems extreme, it is no more so than Trump's own power fantasies. Are Democrats one again willing to let victory slip away? Nominate Bernie - or Sen. Warren, another human "red cape" in front of the Republican bull - and the answer will, sadly, be yes.
I will vote for any Democrat. We all must. But how many others will?
Incremental, schminkre-schmental; who wants to spend decades on tiny smidgens of progress only to have it plowed under in two years when opposite minded people who are simply and unabashedly willing be who they are take advantage of everyone's progress starvation?
This plays MAYBE until March 3rd, then all of these hedge-betting, wishy-washy, 'incremental' progressives will have to return to their pretend enthusiasm for progressive goals!
1
If Sander's ideas are so wonderful, why are all the establishment Democrats freaking out about the possibility of him securing the nomination?
1
One question - forget about the millionaires and billoinaries for a moment, we can get their money in a bit. What will the % tax rate for a guy who owns a landscaping company and his wife who is a teachers aide. If we are going to use the Scandinavian model these numbers are going to be very very high. If we say that the rich are going pay and their taxes won't go up, then Mr. Sander's is telling a lie that makes Trump look like the most honest guy around.
@Rob And if they go up, then yeah we'll grumble about paying them but we'll pay them nonetheless because taxes are the price we pay to live in a decent society (to paraphrase Justice Holmes). Yes, taxes will go up, but the flip side is that we won't be forking out $1000's of dollars per year in health insurance premiums/deductibles/or copays and frankly, we can do that without implementing a new policy or raising taxes by much- what we do is just tweak language surrounding Medicare eligibility so that everyone is eligible to join in, not just people age 65 or over because we already pay for it out of every paycheck anyways, along with our employers.
So all Democrats should support Sanders. Even if his proposals will cost them a good part of their investments. Even if he might cost them their jobs. Say the 2M or so in work in the oil and gas industry. Or the million or so who will lose their jobs in the insurance industry and those Democratic politicians in those districts who will have to deal with those job and wealth losses should support someone who will do that. And union members and public employee unions who will lose their health care benefits should support Bernie as well.
And even if that were to happen you have a very large independent group of voters who will they vote for.
Look at all the Moderate Suburban voters who supported Democratic Congressmen in 2018. Do you think they will support this Bernie . No surer way to give us more years of Trump than to have Bernie as the nominee.
I share Dr. Krugman's concerns.
For any advances in policies put forth by Bernie Sanders (or Warren), Democrats must retain the House and take the Senate. Both would be more useful by staying in the Senate - not at the top of the ticket, where zilch will be accomplished should McConnell continue his abysmal tyrannical majority rule.
2
In today's world, there are no pure laissez-faire capitalist economies. Every capitalist nation is a social market economy whose government provides for the common welfare of its citizens to varying degree, and necessarily so. Healthy consumer capitalism requires financially and physically healthy consumers at all economic levels.
In order for Sanders to be understood - Americans need to be educated away from the binary, dichotomized cold-war view of economics - the simplistic "Capitalism good - Socialism bad" brainwashing of McCarthyism and Reaganomics.
2
Capitalism will almost always result in an oligarchy (thus a wealthy few and many poor) unless capitalism is adequately to highly regulated. It is the nature of the beast. As Mr. Krugman implied, socialism, in the way Sanders and Warren mean it, is not a evil concept. In fact, it's a more humane way of delivering equality. Sanders and Warren should take the opportunity to confront Trump and the Republicans (and some Democrats) when politicians misuse and smear the term "socialism".
3
Should Sanders win the Democratic Party nomination, Trump will be re-elected, the senate will remain in Republican hands, and the House could be in doubt. Despite their political label, candidates perceived as being too far left don't win general elections.
If Sanders is not the nominee, the designate will need the votes of Sanders' cult-like, Bernie-or-nothing base in order to win. Hillary Clinton didn't get enough Sanders' supporters in 2016, and the 2020 nominee will get fewer since the base is larger and more devoted.
As I said in an earlier comment, in order to win, the Democratic Party nominee would need to make Sanders the VP running mate.
Buttigieg was mentioned in the column as a possible nominee. I'm not sure whether Sanders or Buttigieg as 2020 opponents would make Trump happier and more electable.
Amy Klobuchar? This candidacy would delight Trump and all the rest of the country's misogynists.
Mike Bloomberg? Wouldn't get enough votes from people of color, votes Democratic presidential candidates must have to win.
Think Midwest states Electoral College votes and the list of possible Democratic candidates listed above, and things look doubtful for the Democratic Party.
We need to install a system that cannot be undone by the next administration.
For that, we will need the cooperation of a majority in Congress.
And to find such reasonable people, we need to get the money out of politics.
If we mandate public campaign financing, only public servants will run for office.
1
Why this bogey of Socialism (even if Bernie has branded himself as one) is rather ludicrous. Bernie is a Democratic candidate, running for the Democratic Party; he doesn’t have a Socialist Party. As a socialist he remains within the parameters of his Party’s economic and ideological positions (liberal to a large extent). Krugman is wrong when he says Bernie should drop Medicare for all and fight for ACA. Medicare for all is decisively more popular than Obamacare. Four issues should coast him to history:
1) Medicare for all;
2) Social Security;
3) Climate Change;
4) Tuition Free colleges with scrapping of past student loan.
2
While, as Dr. Krugman says, any of the Democratic candidates would be a vast improvement over Donald Trump, Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bloomberg probably would govern like "moderate" Republicans. It's notable that we don't really have convincing reassurances from them on things like environmental issues, income inequality and discrimination. If we look at their records, there's every reason to think that their natural inclinations won't be to be progressive in the Democratic Party sense of the word, although they might indeed be more progressive (or less right wing) than most current Republican politicians would feel the need to be.
2
@Stephen Merritt
You have just pinpointed the main problem that the MSM and establishment have continued to ignore. The reality is that neither Buttigieg, Bloomberg or for that matter, any other corporate/establishment candidate that receives lobbyist money, gives the least bit inclination that they are actually committed to dealing with the real serious issues(minimum wage, healthcare, tax reform, corruption/money in politics)that got Donald Trump elected in the first place and if they were not, another Trump clone would be waiting in the wings.
Trump tapped into a void whereby he put himself forth as an outsider who would help millions of those voters that felt left behind by BOTH parties and the system was rigged against them. Of course, he lied, however, he told them what they wanted to hear and they elected him.
Th time for "pragmatism and tinkering around the edges is over". It is only through a President that will put forth real solutions to real problems that will help negate another Trump arising in the future.
Bernie Sanders visited Russia during his honeymoon in 1988 when it was a communist country. He criticized our country but loved Russia’s government. Could he be a communist disguising himself as a socialist? He may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. There is one chance in a million he will win the presidency. When people realize what Bernie Sanders is proposing, they will run towards President Trump.
2
Hmm, whatever happened to your bold prediction on November 9, 2016 "If the question is when markets will recover, a first-pass answer is never." and "we are very probably looking at a global recession, with no end in sight." Have Bernie run on his love of Denmark with their 55% income tax rate. Sounds like a sure winner.
1
Dr. Krugman is absolutely wrong. Bernie expressly declared that "I favor the public ownership of utilities, banks and major industries." and that "We need public control over capital." Of course, Bernie declares that he is opposed to authoritarian rule. No one will be elected promising to be a tyrant but that is where socialism leads. Bernie wants to be a benevolent dictator. There is no such thing.
2
@Tim Lewis
Any links to prove that these are real quotes?
By the way, if he doesn't amend the Constitution and respects the separation of the three branches of government and freedom of voting, speech and gathering, then by definition, he's a democrat, so an anti-totalitarian.
Whether the government owns companies or not has nothing to do with whether that government is totalitarian or not.
You're confusing political philosophy and economical philosophy ...
1
@Tim Lewis
Actually, the clown sitting in the WH now is heading the country towards a totalitarian state, not Bernie.
I wish Americans could spend time in Scandinavia. I worked in Sweden and Norway. Norway is so socialist. The government owned StatOil (North Sea Oil) and Telenor (Communications). I believe they are privatized now with the government owning most of the stock. Huge Sovereign fund (excess money invested for the country). Of course the people are still highly taxed, everyones' taxes are on the internet. 85% or so voting participation, so I guess the people like what they get for their taxes, HC, education, child care, retirement, 4 weeks vacation, and more. I worked around the world, and Oslo was definitely the most civilized places I lives, more than Paris or Luxembourg City, or anywhere in the USA. I wish more people could live and work in these countries to see how absurd the characterizations of socialism are.
In the Real World, the problem with Socialism is what to do with the excess money.
The problem with Capitalism is that sooner or later, only a few end up with all the money and everyone else, including the government, have barely enough to survive.
5
Please, Dr. Krugman, now is the time for liberal economists to finally start explaining Marxist theory to the general public.
We HAVE to know what this really means, before we can have a real debate about socialism.
And one of the main advantages of having Bernie as the Democrats' nominee may precisely be the fact that it's a wonderful opportunity to FORCE the GOP to have a debate on substance.
Maybe in that case the GOP will still win the next election (that is, in the end, the power of using fake news on such a massive scale, in a democracy), but we might at least have a chance to finally get to the bottom of this debate and publicly debunk the fundamental lie on which the GOP built its attacks on Democratic opponents (centrists and progressives alike) for decades now.
From a progressive Biden-Warren supporter (and as a consequence, "Radical Pragmatist", as Saul Alinsky calls it - or progressive believing that the only real, radical change is democratic change, which necessarily means step by step change, compromise after compromise, election after election).
1
Sometimes I think that Bernie Sanders has a hard time seeing the forest for the trees. At the debates it seems like the candidates can get stuck in minutia for long periods of time without asking themselves what will pass in congress? But these are not the most important issues, and may not lead to getting trump out of the White House. We need to emphasize a few basic things. 1.Global Warming/Climate Change 2. Human Rights everywhere without exception 3. Labor Rights with an amendment guaranteeing collective bargaining. Medicare for All is not going to become reality anytime soon. It's right up there with Yang's thousand dollar monthly checks for everyone. The all gain/no pain mantra is what messed up Warren's trajectory. We need to win in November.
1
What kind of socialist is Bernie? Socialism reached its heyday in the 20th century in response to all the problems that unfettered capitalism had unleashed in the 19th century. Replacing private ownership with government ownership of the means of production meant replacing market competition with bureaucratic organization. If taken to its extremes this form of socialism has its problems too, as the USSR demonstrated.
In the later 20th century some European countries began experimenting with mixes of capitalism and bureaucracy, under the general rubric of Democratic Socialism. Now, in the 21st century, we are quite late in learning from their successes (and failures). But it has become clear that you cannot rely on either capitalism or socialism in its pure form. You have to use both, intertwining them delicately to enhance the virtues and control the dysfunctions of each.
So, where does Bernie stand? I’ve been paying a lot of attention to global warming lately, and I notice that in his climate change proposal he is for government ownership of the energy industry. In his January 29 column Thomas Edsall says that Bernie also advocates nationalizing several other industries. As a sociologist that makes me cringe.
Again, what does Bernie mean when he calls himself a socialist. Maybe he could clarify?
2
Medicare is "Socialism". Social Security is "Socialism. If you like your Social Security and Medicare. Then what's not to like about Bernie's brand of "Democratic Socialism"? Even Democrats are afraid of the word "Socialism". Bernie needs to publicly spell out that his use of the word in no way implies the totalitarian top-down control of every aspect of the economy like the former Soviet Union or the Communist Party of China and other failed economic systems where rigid control from bureaucrats at the top inhibit rather than distribute benefits of a free economic system. Simple-minded voters needed simple explanations. Trump and his Republican cronies would love to use "Socialism" as a way of tarnishing Sanders. And too many Democrats would like to do the same.
3
@RLW :
The USA runs a large socialist system, the military. Apart from that, the VA is also socialist, because the government (basically) owns everything and pays all the employees. It is run at least as well as the private system often better.
I live in Canada, but worked for years in New York as well as in Switzerland; the three health-care systems have advantages/disadvantages. I do eye-rolls when I hear US liberals fawning over Canadian health care. No, you never see a medical bill -- but yes, you see many more lineups. These are not without consequence if you need, say, hip-replacement surgery. Your health can be seriously damaged during that wait. Emergency-room waiting is a big issue here, too. In Switzerland, a private-insurance system works under national health-care mandates; everybody is covered, and you pay your insurance provider like in the US. But Bernie would outlaw the latter possibility which, as a Canadian, I think would be a step backwards and also politically dangerous. As Klobuchar proposes, why not just expand the public option, mandate coverage, and allow private insurers, well regulated? That is not the Sanders agenda.
5
@daveW :
Bernie, or any president, can only approve or not approve what Congress passes. And no one knows what that will be.
1
Bernie and all the other candidates need to publish online detailed 5 -year plans on how they will fund their proposed programs. Furthermore their plans will need to show how their funding plans will balance out with existing programs and to keep the US economy strong.
Things that "free" will always have a cost to other people, so in essence the people supporting Bernie Sanders or other candidates offering free college tuition, etc. are only looking after their own needs and not the best interest for the nation.
1
Even dead and stuffed Bernie is more valuable to the future of America than any other democratic candidate. His is the most pure political ideology - one deeply steeped in compassion. That, when it will be applied (as it had been in other western nations) will produce better results -will deliver wellbeing to Americans, all Americans.
2
If Sanders is not a socialist, then why does he keep calling himself a democratic socialist?
There are many forms of socialism. America has long practiced versions of socialism in limited areas - free public schools, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, VA, interstate highways, etc. But America has always had some form of capitalism as its main economic engine. Capitalism, like socialism, comes in many forms. Unregulated capitalism leads invariably to crony capitalism, what we have now. Not all economic systems - healthcare when it’s treated as a fundamental right - we don’t allow people to die without Medicare of emergency hospital treatment, for example - does not work as a pure free market, capitalist system. Free markets work if we do not mandate guaranteed outcomes or the same outcome for everyone. Free markets and capitalism - not the same thing - require winners and losers.
Elizabeth Warren represents capitalism with government regulations that serve the interests of the majority of the country.
Bernie Sanders is a socialist in that he believes capitalism is inherently wrong. That’s not USSR or Venezuela socialism/communism, but it is his version, democratic socialism, which can be like Denmark or other Nordic countries in that it is clearly democratic and not central government planned. We would benefit for learning from the Nordic countries. But he does believe that eventually, in the long run, capitalism will be replaced.
We should believe what he says.
2
We all know single payer will run into a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign from private health insurance companies, such as the one I work for. We killed "socialized medicine" before, and we can do it again. When Obamacare was being developed, even the small, private company I work for coughed up a couple million bucks to help buy off enough of our 535 easily corruptible elected Representatives and Senators. They actually ordered taxpayers to buy private coverage from us. It was worth it.
Bernie can't be realistic about a single payer system, if that's truly what he's after. Just out out some TV ads with the phrase "tax increase" and he's done.
The smarter way to approach cutting the massive 20% of GDP currently pouring into the government-funded private healthcare trough would be to allow people younger than 65 to buy into Medicare for a fair premium which reflected the actual average cost of covering the new insureds.
This would simply add a cheaper government competitor to the health insurance arena with ZERO cost to taxpayers if the premium was properly established. No $20,000,000 a year CEO, no high paid top execs, no $4000 suits, no $15,000 wristwatches. It would increase Medicare's clout in cutting cost of treatment, and add many younger, healthier people to the Medicare rolls. It would be best described as "Medicare Buy-In".
It's such a conservative alternative to never-gonna-fly "single payer", I'm surprised no Republicans have proposed it yet.
4
@Bill Kowalski Add to that allowing Medicare to barter for lower drug prices, including buying them from reliable foreign manufacturers if necessary.
2
@George Bukesky Absolutely. Size matters and it would be hard for big pharma to resist Medicare. Which is probably why big pharma fights giving Medicare that power tooth and nail. I'd be happy to see lower drug costs along with lower costs for health insurance - I already have my $12,000 wristwatch, like so many of us in health insurance do, so I'm good.
And FYI, much of the pharmaceuticals sold in the US are already being made in foreign plants, including such quality-deprived places as China, hence the recent cancer-causing contamination in hypertension meds.
As we just saw, the GOP's fake news machine will destroy ANY "moderate" candidate. If they can so with Biden, they can certainly do so with all other centrists too.
So for the very first time, "socialism" is now competing on a level playing field.
Yes, the GOP will continue to try to shoot it down with lies. But now, it also does with Democratic candidates who don't use the word "socialism".
So maybe having Sanders as a nominee may FINALLY allow us to have a REAL debate about Marxism?
And maybe such a debate may finally show how utterly wrong the GOP is - not only utterly corrupt, but also wrong from a scientific point of view?
Who knows the difference between "value" and "use-value", for instance?
In Marxism, "value" refers to whatever increases the profits of those who own a company (= "the producer", even though today most profits come from financial transactions, rather than producing something - goods or services).
"Use-value" refers to a general human need.
A product can have "value", in that selling it increases the wealth of its producer, all while not meeting any crucial "social need", in other words, all while having no "use-value".
"Socialism" is an economy where workers own companies (either the workers working for plant X, or the government - "communism" referring to a situation where ALL companies are government owned), which allows them to manage production in such a way that it's oriented towards increasing use-value.
THAT is what the GOP rejects.
1
PK is correct in calling out Sanders, at best, as a 'social democrat.' My only disappointment in his essay is his take on the future of Single Payer Health Care plan: i.e., 'good in principle, not in practice.'
I think in the not too distant future, we will find ourselves with a kindred dilemma our grandparents faced during the great depression which lead to the creation of Social Security. The costs to treat us in the future will become overwhelming. It is then we will begin removing the middle-brokers/profit health insurance from the way we care for all of us.
1
Dear mr. Krugman,
The social-democratic movement is the movement that split-off from the rest of the socialist because they didn't agree with Lenin's authoritarianism.
Current day social-democracy evolved as parties dropped policies that were ineffective or not needed anymore.
1
I'm afraid that it doesn't matter what he is. Too many Americans don't know what socialism is at all. They're too influenced by propaganda and tropes associated with ideas about socialism, created and disseminated by culture that's been peddling "bread and circuses" for generations. Bernie, in red and purple states, is just an idea constructed out of memes, Fox News propaganda, a middle school notion of economic theory, and Larry David skits. If Bernie really has a chance, a lot of work is going to need to be done as far as educating the public is concerned.
3
Thank you! I am a Strong Bernie supporter and I agree whole heartily with your assessment of Bernie. You made a compelling case to vote for him. Now I hope the Democratic Party stops attacking him.
3
@Zoe
Bernie constantly overpromises. ALL real, radical, lasting, non-violent democratic change is step by step change.
What Bernie is hiding is the fact that ALL Democratic candidates share his ideals. It's just that the others don't want to lie to their voters ... .
THAT is why the DNC prefers other candidates - apart from the fact that Bernie isn't even a Democrat to start with, but an Independent.
1
@ Ana Luisa
Really? All Democratic candidates have the same ideas. You have just lost all credibility. For example, Buttigieg shares no ideas with Sanders when it comes to Rawlsian justice except for he gets out of it as an openly gay white male married to another one,
1
@Ana Luisa The DNC's committees and its superdelegates are populated with lobbyists and narrow interest people (e.g. AIPAC, pharma, ...).
It's really not pretty and one of the reasons why anti-establishment candidates like Bernie are shunned.
1
Some perfectly valid points are made here, but I don't think there's anything that Sanders could or could not do that would change one essential fact - Republicans are going to smear him with the "Socialist" label regardless of what Sanders does. As you point out, that game started with Reagan calling Medicare socialized medicine. I'll bet it even pre-dates that. It's one of the main plays that Republicans use - working to attach negative characterizations to Democratic policy proposals and Democratic politicians. Look what they did to HiIllary Clinton starting in the early 90s and continuing right up to today.
1
The Republicans are waiting in anticipation ready and armed to take on Bernie Sanders. Once in the ring with Trump, Trumpsters wouldn’t just be calling him out as a socialist. Their condemnation would escalate to vilify
him as a Commie.
Forwarding and implementing progressive domestic social policy doesn’t define a country as socialist. The 1930s, the FDR/New Deal era stands as historical testament to that. Government focused on working for the greatest good for the greatest number is the core principle of an operational participatory democracy. It’s what once identified the Democratic Party of tradition. A tradition they relinquished over long years and now see the need to recapture. Today we have an environment where branding takes center stage. Democrats need to recapture their legacy by focusing on substance rather than image crafting.
2
I have long thought the Democrats in general, not just Sanders, need to redefine how Americans think about Socialism. That would take a massive rebranding effort, associating "Socialism" with "Wage Increases". Across the board increases for the bottom 90%. which is actually easy to do with targeted legislation, well within the wheelhouse of traditional Democratic policies.
This is where Democratic Socialism needs to start, income inequality addressed directly by increasing income of the bottom 90%, and totally rebranding pay raises as Socialism.
For me, if getting a pay raise makes me a Socialist, get me the pay raise.
3
It's very important that Bernie Sanders gets across his position on this point to the older Cuban and Latin American populace here in Florida for whom socialism has an entirely different--and disturbing-- meaning. The Republicans are playing on their fears, but those efforts are not entirely successful as many of the younger generation support Bernie.
It needs trumpeting that Bernie Sanders is the only candidate with the foresight to recommend that dental coverage become part of Medicare benefits. There's something obviously wrong when Americans have to travel to other countries for dental care they can afford.
1
Mr. Krugman. Debt is like Goldilock’s porridge. If it’s too hot it’s inedible. There is a sweet spot. Your regular commentary suggests any debt level is just fine. The Fed printing scads of money and low interest rates (an oxymoron actually) make running high debts easier to swallow today but what about when high interest rates come home to roost ? What if China makes a run on its significant T Bill holdings?
I would also make the case that some things are worth running up the debt over, such as education and infrastructure which are investments in America, whereas some things like tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy are clearly not. The trickle down never trickles.
3
Some interesting statistics:
Approx. 12% of Bernie supporters voted for Trump in the 2016 election, compared to approx. 12% of Cruz voters who voted for Hillary in 2016. Approx. 24% of Hillary supporters voted for John McCain in the 2008 election.
If New Hampshire is an indication of the country, then based on results I think it's fair to argue that 34.9% of the Democratic voters support a progressive (Sanders 25.7% +Warren 9.2%) while 52.6% want a centrist. (Buttigieg 24.4%+Klobuchar19.8%+Biden8.4%). Suspect though they may be, Iowa Caucus results show a similar majority for centrists (54.2% for Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Biden)
Statistics are highly subjective to other factors, but it may be possible to draw the following conclusions:
1. There seems to be a consistent group of folks that feel disappointed or disenfranchised by the loss of their candidate in a primary and choose to vote for the other party (perhaps around 12%)
2. Considering 24% of Hillary supporters voted for McCain in 2008, Centrist Democrats are less flexible or open to progressive ideas than progressives are to centrist ideas. I think this is currently on display judging by the panic and pandemonium we see in the media regarding Bernie’s success in Iowa and New Hampshire.
3. If you were to consolidate all progressive support, Bernie is still an underdog to win the nomination. His only chance is if the field stays crowded.
4
I've been voting for Democrats for 30 years. I also grew up in Latin America. Socialist is a word I associate with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and many nations around the world that limited people's freedoms and persecuted and incarcerated political opponents. I associate Sanders with the person that wants to take away the private health insurance that my family has and likes and tax me to poverty. He's been getting about 1/4 of the vote of those that bother to vote in the Democratic primary; please don't tell me his takeover of the party is a done deal. I still hope an outsider like him doesn't ruin my party forever.
1
It was predictable that the mainstream press would start to repackage Senator Sanders if he were to appear to have a chance for the Democratic nomination, and this article is a part of that. One can take the words out of the Senator's own mouth and twist them into something seemingly innocuous, or say he's just "branding", but what he says or how he presents himself is his problem to explain, not that of the press. I can't wait to see how some of the Senator's actions in the past get smoothed over by them!
Right on Sanders' website under Corporate Accountability
Fundamentally shift the wealth of the economy back into the hands of the workers who create it.
Give workers an ownership stake in the companies they work for.
If government giving ownership to workers isn't socialist, what is?
If you are going to argue that the government is going to come in and buyout 20% of the companies (rewarding current owners) and giving that ownership stake to workers, that's fine I suppose. But you can't do a voluntary buyout of existing companies (government issues tender offers that are subject to negotiation) and also simultaneously take wealth away from existing owners.
Scratch just the surface and you see that Sanders is a socialist in the traditional sense (workers own the means of production).
I'll take Denmark please. Thank you.
Met a Dane last year who told me that Danes are very entrepreneurial. Does make sense in that if they fail they know that won't end up on the streets or even close to it.
As for Mayor Pete talking deficits, with Trump's red ink cascading down this could be a good political strategy. Not gonna argue the economics of it with the likes of Professor Krugman but winning the election comes first.
3
@Jack Toner :
It is easier to be entrepreneurial if one does not have to worry about health insurance for the family when one is starting a new business. Or childcare for the younger ones. Or higher educational costs for the older ones.
1
This paragraph concerns me: Maybe Buttigieg is unaware of the growing consensus among mainstream economists that the deficit hysteria of seven or eight years ago was greatly overblown. Last year the former top economists in the Obama administration published an article titled “Who’s Afraid of Budget Deficits?”
Maybe not now, and perhaps not even for the next ten years...but the debt WILL catch up to us eventually and some future generation will have to deal with it. Sound like mainstream economists' attitude towards the debt is similar to mainstream Americans' attitudes toward the environment: it's there; it's not great; but who's noticing?
1
I think global climate disruption is a much bigger problem than we currently appreciate. The Republicans are a coin operated dooms-day cult, cheering the approach of Armageddon - they are lost. The center-left seems to want to just go back to a kinder, gentler, Neo-liberalism - maybe find a compromise like a tax-credit to stimulate global warming research and curriculum. I think we need to pivot and mobilize. We need a paradigm shift, and I think the Green New Deal is the only real option. It is for these reasons that I support Bernie. But I will vote blue, no matter who. The question in my mind is: Will the center-left vote Bernie if he is the nominee? It seems the shoe is on the other foot.
4
I wish my American neighbours would take a look across the 49th parallel at Canada - my country. We’ve had what amounts to universal health care since 1965 and earlier in a couple of provinces. People here don’t go broke when they get sick AND, our life expectancy is now significantly greater than my American neighbours’. Our economy may not be as big as yours - we have 10% of your population but, on a percapita basis we’re doing pretty well. Nothing perfect here of course but I think Americans really should look North before they decide what might work for them.
4
Why does Sanders say he's a socialist?
Probably because as a young kid growing up in Brooklyn his heroes were people like Abe Smorodin and Lou Gordon, and the other guys who went to Spain in the mid-1930s to fight against Franco and fascism in the lead up to WWII.
What Sanders gets wrong about these guys is that all of them understood you have to win the election first, then govern like a socialist. Not the other way around.
This is what FDR got right. In his first run, he vowed to cut federal spending by 25 percent while promising a New Deal without really saying what that would be.
3
@OrchardWriting :
Sanders has been willing elections since he started, always with the same message. That is why he is a Senator.
I always appreciate Mr. Krugman's analysis of political candidate. Has he done one on Bloomberg yet? If so can someone direct me to it?
This is exactly the point i have been making all along TO people I know.
Bernie Sanders is not a socialist. I have lived in socialist countries. He would be called, at best a liberal in Europe.
Wanting good health care and good education that doesn't bankrupt ordinary people is not socialism. Socialism is when the government owns the banks, and the utilities, and big manufacturing companies. Every so often, when the financial institutions crash the economy, America gets pushed towards socialism in the form of a bail out - but the the bail out is quickly forgotten and the failed businesses are thrown back into the market to do it gain at the end of the GOP induced bubble.
But its all perception. Krugman for once is, sadly,wrong - but in the right way. America is not a basically center left country - it is half extreme right and half center left. Bernie is to the left of center left and from the far extreme right looks like an out and out socialist.
Its like the way trees look small on the horizon - Its perception. We all know trees are really big, because we know trees that are close to us. Not many Americans know a socialist - they are actually quite rare- so when Bernie calls himself a socialist, Republicans at least believe him -because he at least should know what he is - and it is convenient to accept he is a socialist because he is certainly not a Republican and so its OK to hate him. Indeed, its their duty, as good Republicans to hate non Republicans..
6
@mrc :
Norwegian government owns Equinor. And a huge part of the telecommunications (Telenor). Has a huge Sovereign Wealth Fund, too. Everyone's taxes are on the internet, too. Not everything, but quite a lot for a government. I think that is about as Socialist as a real world government gets.
@mrc
The closest description to Bernie is FDR Democrat, and I have no idea why the guy is so stupid as to drag the Democratic Socialist label around and brandish it like a weapon to scare Americans who do not know what he is talking about. If he just said FDR Democrat that is a brand that would be a big plus for him because most Americans love it.
One has to wonder about Bernie and why he doesn't do that?
This is a very insightful article. However, it is true that Bernie had in the past shown a bizarre affinity to the Soviet Union and other left-wing autocracies. If anything he seems to have moderated his message over the years and has now chosen Denmark as his model economy. But what he really thinks, where his instincts lie, is anybody's guess. We need capitalism with a tax system that allows for a more equitable distribution of wealth, and Bernie, even if he really is for that and just chooses to call himself a socialist/anti-capitalist (note the distinction with Elizabeth Warren), would not admit that. And like with Trump, if you constantly say you are something or behave as if you were something, aren't you really?
@Kris :
If Bernie has a bizarre affinity for the Soviet Union, what must I think of Trump?
1
@Kris
Bernie has never shown a bizarre affinity to the USSR or other autocracies ... it is his job to know about life around the globe. Bernie wants to fix the tax system and know how just as well as any other Democrat and better than most.
I recall Paul Krugman's relentless efforts to derail the Sanders campaign in general, & his healthcare proposal in particular last time around.
Now Mr. Krugman's tune takes on a completely different tone:
"(Sanders) is basically what Europeans would call a social democrat — and social democracies like Denmark are, in fact, quite nice places to live, with societies that are, if anything, freer than our own".
What changed? Was it that bicycle tour through Denmark?
Before, Mr. Krugman used his influential position to slam Single Payer, saying the plan "doesn't look good".
Now he's saying "Single-payer health care is ... a good idea".
Again, what changed?
Healthcare policy & its finance in the USA is so vast, so consequential, with such bewildering numbers bandied about by both sides that we must rely on responsible economists to ratify the numbers.
Respectfully Mr. Krugman hobbles the debate by casually floating changing opinions.
What we need is hard, numerate analysis:
Is Sanders right that deleting the corporate insurance model designed to profiteer by collecting exorbitant premiums while denying legitimate claims is bad, & should be replaced with a not-for-profit Federal system centered on affordability & universal coverage?
Or does Mr. Krugman prefer the Clinton/Obama/Biden employer-based corporate model that bilks the insured & unduly burdens business-owners with not only tax-collection but extracting health insurance premiums, as he apparently did in 2015?
6
@Tldr
Maybe because Krugman sees the inevitability of
the possibility that Bernie is the best change candidate
out there, and wants him to success better.
Calling himself an FDR Democrat makes so much
more sense than flogging himself purposefully with
the "socialist" label - that is just stupid on Bernie's
part. Sad to say, but it is.
Just curious - who defends the entire world from despots? Not Denmark. They have great healthcare while we (USA) protect them.
There is a cost for everything.
2
@Randy :
Those are not either/or choices.
And they are choices. For example, MAGA America choses not to defend the world anymore, nor provide health care.
And the rest of the world also choses to provide healthcare at a lot lower cost to its citizens.
5
@Randy We don't defend the world from despots, we support them, over and over and over again (e.g., Saudi Arabia). If the USA would stop supporting bad actors overseas and turn its attention to helping its own people (which supposedly Trump promised), we'd be a lot better off.
1
We are defending the entire world from despots ? Surely you jest. Exactly which despots are you referring to?
Ask the people in Crimea after being annexed by Putin, the people in Syria after being slaughtered by Al Assad, the people in Venezuela after Maduro refused to leave office and is so far quashing a people’s uprising as their economy crumbles. We did nothing. All three aggressors are despots. We’re pouring money and armaments instead into a war in Yemen, as thousands of civilians are slaughtered by the Saudis and their proxies. Trump vetoed a bipartisan bill passed by congress requiring the US to cease support for the Saudis in the Yemen war. MBS is the unelected authoritarian leader of Saudi who had Kashoogi assassinated and hacked the phone of Jeff Bezos. Hmmmm?
1
The Democrats have a problem. They look like the party that wants to take away individual rights.
The Party needs to embrace and compromise on the following items if it wants to get a majority in Congress and the White House to really change the course of the country.
1. The Second Amendment. All of the leading candidates want to take away guns. Oh, they mouth about "reasonable" gun control, but behind closed doors we all know it is about taking them away. There have been thoughtful ideas about balancing the Second Amendment with the risks of modern weapons...but The Party will not go there.
2. Abortion. I think that when life begins (Abortion) is one of those things in life that can never have an agreed to definition of. It all depends on you Religion or Philosophy of the universe. The Party needs to recognize that. All taxpayer money should be pulled out of abortion services while at the same time the right to choose should be universal. Let those with the philosophy of choice fund those services.
3. Taxes. The party should scrap the entire Federal tax system and tell the States they have to as well or no Federal Money for anything. The new system should be a 3 tier VAT that applies to all good and services at all levels. No wholesale tax-less transfers.
4. Immigration. Scrap the whole system. Lottery.
These four items would make it so that Democrat's could win and win big. They could then move on to other issues with a feeling of trust from the public.
I think that for once, I'd disagree with Dr. Krugman.
Yes, for decades already, running as a "socialist" meant signing your defeat, as a candidate, because GOP rhetoric had effectively managed to falsely link "socialism" to "dictatorship".
Today, however, fake news is no longer a tool used once in a while, by Republicans. It has become their core business, and has to be, as no democracy would ever deliberately elect corrupt plutocrats.
And the way for-profit media work inevitably makes them focus on the most sensational news, which fake news by definition is, thereby constantly amplifying the GOP's main message, and firing up their base all while increasing cynicism among many others.
That means that 2020 candidates are running in a drastically changed media landscape, as the GOP's - successful - attack on Biden has once again proven.
Candidates who truly care about ordinary citizens - whether left or right - all have the same Achilles heel, in a democracy: they have to convince people that they're serious about working for them, and not themselves. The GOP doesn't have that problem, as by definition, their "propaganda" is entirely based on preventing "libs" from installing a dictatorship. So even when they don't achieve anything - as is Trump's case - their base will support them, whereas people ask REAL reform from Democratic politicians (all while abhorring the necessary compromises to get there).
Bottom line: the GOP will destroy ANY candidate - socialist or not.
1
2.
The GOP will destroy so-called "moderate" Dem candidates (= people who share Sanders' ideals but believe that in a democracy, first of all those ideals cannot possibly be achieved overnight, contrary to what Sanders promises, and secondly, that you have to represent your constituents, and many of them reject such radical change overnight to start with) in the exact same way it just did with Biden: by launching massive smear campaigns.
Why does this work?
Because of the "political illiteracy" of many citizens, who imagine that politicians with real moral integrity are extremely rare birds, and as soon as SOME doubt about their moral character can be raised, they're convinced that a person like that will NEVER work for them, once elected, and instead behave in the most corrupt way possible.
So let's make no mistake: with the current, extremely powerful fake news machine developed by the GOP (= basically Fox News and Trump copy-pasting each other's lies 24/7), each and every "moderate" candidate will go down in the polls as soon as he becomes the front runner.
That, of course, doesn't necessarily mean that people will now massively vote for a self-declared socialist.
But running as a socialist is now, for the first time, no longer such a big risk, compared to running as a "centrist".
THAT could be a golden opportunity to finally start debating Marx's political economy for real. And maybe only such a debate can prove that the emperor currently in the WH has no clothes?
I’m surprised that PK refers to Sanders as a front runner or the person who ”clearly” is the most “likely” to come out on top. Why even write that man who calls himself a socialist really isn’t one? If elected Sanders will ‘take over the means of production’. He has called for a federal takeover of the electrical grid and the medical industry. He rails against and calls for a war against the millionaire and billionaire ‘class’. Etc etc. He’s a far left populist just like trump is a far right one, birds of a feather. And if a Dem ‘comes out on top’ with a plurality of less than 30% (ie Iowa, NH) we’re all in very deep trouble. Look to the center left lane, that’s where the votes are now and in Nov. Klobuchar can fill the bill but the big money game the Dems are playing may drive her out a la Harris, Booker, Bennet, O’Rourke, Wang...
What works for Denmark, will not necessarily work for the United States.
It is a small nation (about the size and population of Maryland), it is not nearly as culturally or ethnically diverse as the U.S., and it spends well less than 2% of it’s budget on national defense.
To even make the comparison is disingenuous (at best) or deluded.
1
@Michael Brian Burchette :
Perhaps. But those arguments are not reasons they would not work. There is no proof that such a system could not be scaled up, you merely state a fact, There is no study to state that diversity is bad, or good, for such an economic model. As for defense, that is a choice, not a requirement.
One could argue all of Western Europe governments are not so different than Denmark's, and look at what the citizens have versus how little Americans have.
To me, your arguments are the system cannot be scaled up (with no proof), diversity harms economic growth (California might argue), and the country chooses to spend its money differently than Americans.
I do not find any of these convincing.
It would be better for Sanders--both as as a matter of principle and as a political strategy--to run with the socialist label rather than run from it in the face of misleading attacks. As the name for a political orientation rather than a platform or party, "socialist" rightly identifies Sanders with a capacious tradition that has deep and diverse roots in American history. I'd say it means in broad terms that basic resources like education and energy, housing and health care, should be controlled in common rather than organized on the basis of private property and profit. That's a guiding ideal, not an all-at-once blueprint for redistribution. But it does signal a decisive departure from the political parameters that defined the US two-party system of the late twentieth century. The Republican Party under Trump has left those parameters behind to march under the banner of a different vision--the most apt label for it is fascism. I think the Democratic Party under Sanders--risky and scary at it seems--should seize this plastic moment to claim a different vision as well, albeit one with equally deep roots. I don't believe that Sanders can or should run away from the label--it won't work, it won't wash, and it would forfeit both the fraught but precious opportunity of the present political moment and Sanders's greatest sources of popular appeal, which are his essential honesty and authenticity and his inspiring dedication to a sweeping and soaring ideal of social justice.
1
unlike Bernie, Pete's self portrayal as a deficit hawk will tend to garner votes among the trumpites. Arguing that deficits don't matter (at least today) isn't a vote getting strategy for anyone right now.
@Maui Maggie I see no evidence that Trumpites or the GOP in general give a hoot about deficits. They only care about deficits when a Democrat is in the White House. This is an extremely misguided position from Buttigieg, and one of the many reasons I find him worrisome as a candidate.
This is what the prime minister said about Denmark.
Rasmussen then laid out some key differences between Denmark and the United States.
“So, what is the catch you might ask. The most obvious one, of course, is the high taxes. The top income tax in Denmark is almost 60 percent. We have a 25 percent sales tax and on cars the incise duties are up to 180 percent. In total, Danish taxes come to almost half of our national income compared to around 25 percent in the US. Quite a substantial difference,” he said.
Sanders isn't a socialist for HIMSELF. He's just a socialist for everyone else.
At some point in the future, plan on standing in line - for EVERYTHING. While Sanders waits in line for NOTHING.
1
One thing this article does not mention is that the US media contribute a great deal to the confusion and division surrounding the word "socialism" in this country. The divide over Bernie's label is often times less about what Bernie says and more about how the media and other third parties misconstrue what is being said.
8
“Socialism” is a word that can be willfully misunderstood, especially when a devoted liar benefits from obfuscation.
Perhaps we need a new term that uses “democratic”and “socialist” without the baggage.
@Florida Man That's the problem. People rely on the media to re-state what politicians say.
With C-SPAN, one can listen to everything each candidate says him/herself, without the interpretation from a biased media.
Just listen yourself, and decide for yourself.
@Florida Man
Ditto the "panic" about Bernie
A medicare for all platform will not “hand the election to Trump.” Health insurance companies are among the worst actors on the American stage. We can and should eliminate this wasteful layer. The republic will not crumble.
8
In the aftermath of 2008, there has been mounting distaste for the status quo. Millions in America watched as markets fell, savings evaporated, and fundamental tenets of the American Dream - home ownership and a comfortable retirement - were revealed as empty promises. We've been waiting for the Establishment to fix things as they keep promising, but nothing changes. The rich get richer, money buys everything, and time passes while we get old and tired fueling an economy that hardly keeps us above water. This insecurity is how we got Trump, and I can't say that I don't understand the frustration.
I'm 25 years old, born in 1994. I was in middle school in 2008. I went to college on scholarships, got a degree, and avoided most debt. But even with all that, I can't imagine how I can ever afford a home. Financial security is a pipe dream. I want to start a family one day, but I can't imagine how I can afford to.
In short: I'm about as well-off as anyone in my generation could hope for, and I still feel like my future burned to the ground before I knew it was there.
To my generation, socialism is the logical conclusion to the ideals that built America: fairness, compassion, security, and freedom to pursue your goals. To do this, people deserve some minimal regard from society, like a living wage or healthcare. As the richest nation in the world, we can afford this. All we have to do is decide that it's worth our time and money to improve the lives of all Americans.
9
Fun for Krugman to say all that, but if Bernie could get what he wanted, the cost would bankrupt the country. It is said the size of the federal government would have to double. Our tax rates would have to far exceed those of Denmark. Yet Krugman says Bernie ain't no socialist. Given the cost, wouldn't "communist" be the better word?
2
Thank you Mr. Krugman. Americans need to understand what a social democratic position is. Of course the Republicans are conflating social democrat with socialist for their own purposes. Scare techniques to the disadvantage of the country.
2
Krugman should be listened to by the Democratic message makers. Ever since 2015 I wondered what Sanders was doing mis-labeling himself as a socialist, a label turned pejorative by the Republican message makers. The minority party has a majority in the Senate and state legislatures, control of the WH and the Federal bench because of great advertising, knowing what buttons to push in the electorate. Another mistake by Sanders is to campaign on MFA, when the Democratic caucus wouldn't even pass it. Leave specifics to the legislative process and simply message that he prefers MFA but would sign his name on other efforts to improve healthcare.
3
The fundamental fallacy that Medicare for All will be a better, fairer healthcare system is the assumption that the government will always be a benevolent provider. When the government is the monopoly provider, with other obligations it is charged with solely providing to our society, the administration in charge will “prioritize” the services provided.
How blind to this reality can Sanders be? Trump can divert funds to build his wall, spend hundreds of billions for the military and do all he can to strangle Obamacare.
He is planning to go down the same path of destroying the ability of disabled people to obtain Social Security benefits that Reagan did. Reagan tried...and people actually died.
The key to universal care is cutting costs, while subsidizing low income people. Obamacare was a good start. Medicare for all is a good dream but would be a nightmare when we wake up to reality.
1
Here's the scoop on Sanders;
Wall Street Billionaire Bonanza boys are shakin' scared of him because he's a real possibility to win now. Trump started attacking him when he gained in popularity, and recently Bloomberg started throwing his riches everywhere presumably because of the prospect of a President Sanders and what his administration would do. Wall Street is shakin'.
We know Republicans are very expert at polling and strategy, as though there were real intelligence people combining historical knowledge, psychology, and data mining to see the trends. Sanders has gained in strength.
With "The Wall" Street, the onslaught of not only Sanders, but Warren, the financial wrongdoing expert, a dream team that is smart enough, an Earth shaking battle seems on the horizon with the 99% finally having a voice challenging "The Wall" street.
And it appears generally that the fix is in for a Billionaire to win from either party, and oh, what a coincidence two are both Television people, one Trump who received a Billion Dollars worth of free airtime during his campaign?
3
Yes Sir, Denmark is a joy. If Bernie Sanders wants the support of the Latinos, he needs to clarify what he thinks about the regimes of Maduro, Castro and Ortega. Millions of legal and undocumented human beings are living in America The Beautiful because they had to run from genocide, misery and fear strategies created by the above mentioned dictators. A very strong and clear statement would be greatly appreciated. The persons that vote in the current process to choose a candidate feel themselves as activists. They can help convince the Americans that Scandinavian style socialism is good. We love all the other candidates including Michael Bloomberg.
2
I agree that Bernie isn't a socialist, but don't think his saying he is won will drive people away, except for those still living the cold war. Red-baiting doesn't work anymore.
That is why Bernie is the most popular politician in America, an surging and becoming the front runner.
He explains his policies; the MSM do not. People catch on.
Bernie 2020 and Amy McGrath for Kentucky.
5
With the baby boomers aging, myself among them, I wish that Sanders and maybe Warren would emphasize that their social democratic vision includes more geriatric care and home care for elders. Many of us know how hard it is to care for aging parents, and the pain of having to consider convalescent care outside the home, both for the cost and lack of well run and humane facilities. And now it will be we who need that same attention and financial cushion.
7
Yes, if Sanders would emphasize long term care would be covered, people would vote for it in droves, even those who already have insurance provided by employers as part of their overall compensation.
3
Child care for working parents should also be planned into care for the elderly. The need is there—why can’t we find a way support it?
1
1) Elizabeth Warren was the likely nominee until her healthcare policy speech, at which point she began tanking. Within a week or so, she should have said, "I hear you," and revised her position and righted her ship.
2) It is true that the cliched thinkers like Obama and Buttigieg fall for the deficit-fears that tamp down demand, and Trump has continued to stimulate the economy (albeit while slowing it with trade restrictions, etc.).
3) For me, the more important point about "democratic socialism" is that FDR saved capitalism and democracy with the New Deal, and when Europe imported the New Deal it was called "social democracy" to distinguish a "socialism" of regulated capitalism versus Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism. A little historical knowledge of how many "socialisms" existed in the 19th century could help public discourse, as well.
8
@Craig Mason
Good points. In fact, the New Deal was essentially the same program that had been advocated by the Socialist Party prior to the New Deal, except the socialists wanted nationalized banks, which would have been a bridge to far. And despite the fact that the Soviet Union called itself socialist when, under Stalin, it was a state-run form of communism, the label was reinforced during the cold war and the taint associated with the word remains to this day. "Social Democrat" is a better term for what Sanders advocates.
Furthermore, Sanders would do well to remind the voters that we do have socialism, it is just of the type that benefits corporations, not working people.
2
Trump voters may ignore or not understand how Sanders' platform is aimed to help the majority of Americans.
If Trump wins, the GOP will take away government protections and benefits for so many Americans, it might be the wake-up call the country needs. Many people will suffer and even worse, death. So be it. You reap what you vote for.
5
Thanks, Paul. Once again, your column makes great sense. I am no expert, but I think Trump is toast. Anyone who thought a change was needed last time, or thought Hilary was a criminal and voted against her, will vote for the Democratic nominee this time. We have all seen too much and know he and his criminals in this lawless administration have to go. The 2018 election was only the beginning, too many Republican senators were not up for re-election. But this time they are! I did a very simple calculation of the number of votes received this week in New Hampshire by the Democratic candidates. In total, they about doubled the number Trump received. With about a third of the voters independent there, it was especially reassuring to see them vote for a Democrat, instead of Trump. Thank goodness this nightmare is almost over.
4
Some timely advice for an old ideologue and a young hypocrite, both posing to the Democrats and the American people as some kind of secular saviors: Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg.
The deep good sense of the moderate and centrists in the Democratic Party speaks to the confusion and unease the whole American people feel in some sense about this absurd presidency. Even some of my Trump-leaning relatives are sick and tired of Trump's tweets and his unpredictable antics and nonsense. Without quite realizing it, they are getting Trump fatigue, as are many more Republican politicians than want to admit it.
The Democratic Party this year has GOT to mobilize and lead this deep good sense of the American people. If, instead, it dissolves into loud shouting and self-aggrandizing nonsense--even from Mayor Pete's cool, deceptive mouth--then we will find ourselves with four more intolerable years of Trump darkness.
2
"The American Dream is more alive in Venezuela and Equador than in the United States"
Bernie's proposals would cost some 50T but he hasn't said how he would actually pay for it.
1
Did you ever see on the ballot, those who run unopposed and are listed in all the parties on the ballot to get all the people happy? Why can't a favorite Democrat expand their chances of getting elected by telling everyone they are both a Democrat and a Republican?
Oh, that's right! Bloomberg. He didn't get rich being stupid. But I'm not addressing his sincerity. How many Billions will he make with this campaign I wonder?
1
This is just another version of Sanders Panic. It isn't even up to your usual standards of rational argument Mr Krugman.
Here is what we had and Bernie wants to return us to.
A company makes 1Billion dollars profit. That is after all wages and bills are paid they have $1B. The Federal government used to by using high tax rates and liberal deductions get them to spend a fair portion of that money on keeping all of their employees employed, R&D on new products and hiring more people. That kept the economy going and saw to the funding of local governments and the welfare of the people. And it built America's wealth. What we have now has been taking that wealth away for 40 years. The movement of money into larger and larger coffers is not production, its the accumulation of our savings into large pots for easier removal.
This sort of investment when the system was running well left plenty of profit. Even if one chose not to give a dam about the country the tax owed was fair enough to pay for the services and infrastructure being used to make the money.
It is the people whom have managed to profit, holding their noses or not, from the "new" system of wealth mining the savings of America since 1980 who are panicking now. They don't want to have to go to work and do real the work of actually building this nation, they like how easy it is to destroy us and sell off the parts.
5
"President Trump is trying to turn us into a white nationalist autocracy like Hungary. Which would you prefer?"
I doubt this claim of yours. But even if he did, I would prefer (albeit reluctantly) that to what Bernie would give us. Sorry to say but "minorities", with unbridled support from the mainstream media (ex. journalists like you), have gained control of a narrative that is destroying our country.
3
Democrats need to stop shooting themselves in the foot but first and foremost most become unified in their message. They all need to halt misleading and or misunderstood messaging.
This election is crucial for the survival of this very democracy and the public does not always receive their information from trustworthy sources. To add to this tenuous dynamic is a rogue Russia and the corrupt president as well as the entire Republican party. Without mention about the anomaly of the Electoral College and Facebook.
There is no room for falter, this is a one and done scenario.
1
Perfect. Now if we could only get cable television. to get off there daily Trump addiction. It makes me sick to think of what is at stake. How important it is that they talk about the policies that affect the citizens of this countries lives, of all political parties. They need to remember they aren't entertainment tonight. They are what people turn to when they need information. They need to stop talking about how Trump is a liar. We know that already, those who support him and those who don't. Stop with the soap opera news. There are places to get information and learn, but it shouldn't be so difficult.
1
Bernie does not know that even Denmark rejects the socialism moniker. It has no ethnic origin racial divides, high taxes and high vat taxes. Most people who write about Denmark and Norway has minimal knowledge of either.
1
So why have the New York Times and every main stream Democratic journalist in the country been hounding Joe Biden since Day 1?
Lots of Democrats love Vice President Biden, many respect him but you would't know it if you read the papers or listen to the political news.
Will he lead a revolution. probably not. And that is a good thing. We still haven't recovered from the last Civil War (no, we haven't, if we are honest about it. The only thing that has united us in the last 150 years were two world wars.)
This country needs to heal and we need Joe Biden. He isn't going to stop any policy the Democratic Congress can pass. Remember-he was the one who pushed Obama to accept same sex marriage. Pretty forward looking for an old boomer.
1
The biggest "socialism" program in America is the US Military! Enlist and receive free room and board, free clothes, free education, free medical- after 25 years earned retirement with pension and benefits for life.
If that isn't socialism I don't know what is!
3
If we are going to get real, the rate of healthcare inflation is 5.5% + - So the 33 trillion for ten years of m4a is nothing compared to doing nothing. Leave the healthcare vultures alone and do nothing it will cost 50 trillion in ten years. Math folks.
6
The problem is not Sanders. The problem is your newspaper, Mr. Krugman.
3
Clinton's attacks didn't work, so they are putting Paul Krugman and James Carville on the case! The reality is that these well respected and knowledgable people are as much as a problem as Trump. I disagree that any democrat would be better than Trump. Democrats are horribly corrupt and maybe the US deserves such an embarrassing fool as punishment for allowing our system to devolve to this?
I love Bernie, and I hate him for the glee he seems to take in brandishing the volatile socialism word around wihile absolutely refusing to educate people about Democratic Socialism. I wonder why he does that? I start to think he really doesn't want to win, as much as be "right". If anybody knows anybody who can whisper in his ear to explain to the electorate the truth of democratic socialism, please do that right away!
1
@Opinionated Bernie Sanders has often explained that he is a Democratic Socialist and he has repeatedly specified that it is the Social Democracies of Scandinavia and Europe that he is closest to. It just doesn't get reported by the corporate media and their billionaire owners who benefit from uncontrolled, unregulated, vulture capitalism. He gave this speech last summer explaining why. https://youtu.be/o9oY-GVq1TQ
Bernie Sanders IS a Democratic Socialist. He gave this speech last summer explaining why. He’s right to state it openly. It’s who he is and who he has been for 40 years. It’s authentic and it’s the truth. We know what happens to politicians, who parse words, labels, etc. and try to be all things to all people. It doesn’t work. Bernie owns who he is and his vision for this country. https://youtu.be/o9oY-GVq1TQ
5
Enough of this time-wasting squabbling. Just vote for Bloomberg.
You say that Bernie is not what he calls himself, a Socialist?
Why not take him at his word?
The man whose stellar accomplishment over 30 years in Washington is to have renamed four post offices has not only identified exclusively as a Socialist for most of his life but has reached out to support other Socialists of all stripes.
In the 80's he twice volunteered and became an elector for the Trotskyite presidential candidate, Pulley, of the Socialist Workers Party.
He long praised Hugo Chavez, Castro and other dictators who called themselves Socialists and Communists.
He made a point of taking his honeymoon in the USSR during the height of Communism.
In NH when he won the primary he made a point of raising his clenched fist in the Socialist/Communist salute during his victory party. The fact that he almost lost to Pete is still lost on his followers.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/482699-sanders-on-nh-victory-win-is-beginning-of-the-end-for-donald-trump
So, yes, why not take him at his word, Paul?
2
First you warn everyone about the socialist then you say it's just appearance of socialism.
You guys should keep all these useless comments to yourselves and just provide decent factual comparisons that will truly help the public decide.
2
What entity has declared that Americans do not want a single payer health care system? The same one that says Americans are happy with their health care and don’t want to lose their (exorbitantly) expensive private health insurance? Or maybe the it’s the same one that inspired Friedman to state (Paging Michael Bloomburg) that Sanders wants to replace the trainwreck of US health care with a “gigantic, UNTESTED Medicare-for-All plan”. Really? Untested? It’s been tested for decades on every American over 65!
What kind of anti-Bernie Kool-Aid is served in the NYT cafeteria?
I am not a diehard Bernie supporter. I don’t know who I will vote for in the primary of my state but I am disgusted with the anti-Bernie tactics of the NYT and the DNC. Maybe he’s be president now if the same thing hadn’t been done in 2016.
6
Trump and Bernie are 2 sides of the same coin. Both are self-aggrandizing demagogues. One, a fascist/racist corrosive divider of society, oblivious to all but his own image. The other, a socialist divider of society, also mainly focused on his own image. Both bellow to their masses like any demagogue from times past.
We’re delusional if we think that a corrosively divided America can conjure up a great society as LBJ did and magically become Scandinavian-ish. Bernie knows this in his head but in his heart only cares about his own image, even if it puts the kibosh on denying the other demagogue Trump from a second term. That’s how Bernie helped Trump get elected in 2016 by parsing the electorate and that’s what’ll happen again if we don’t wise up soon enough.
Time to smell the coffee. Bloomberg is a ham sandwich that could actually beat Trump come November.
3
Who cares what you call Bernie? He is a failed Senator who has accomplished nothing is a very long Senate career. He may be Social, but he isn’t even a Democrat. If nominated he will lose to America’s worst President in history by a landslide. Save America— defeat Bernie
1
To quote Electoral-vote.com, calling Sanders the clear front-runner is “like saying the home team is in like Flynn after the first visiting batter strikes out in the top of the first inning.” If people like Krugman are (correctly) wringing their hands over a Sanders nomination, they should stop with the annointments, which can build momentum and create a self-fulfilling prophesy.
If it looks like a Socialist, swims like a Socialist, and quacks like a Socialist, then it probably is a Socialist.
Enough with the Cold War already. It's been over since 1991, and cries of "socialist" and "Communist" don't faze me. We can't afford such lazy thinking with the multiple messes we're in that need answering.
5
Anyone who’s worried about Bernie’s “socialist” agenda, please see David Brooks column on Scandinavia. We should be so lucky.
5
Wow, this article includes the statements:
"the now-popular Affordable Care Act"
and:
"single-payer health care (or deficit reduction), neither of which is an especially popular position."
Look at just about any poll and Medicare-For-All is WAY more popular than the Affordable Care Act. Krugman's article is somewhat weaselly, because he switches between the terms "Medicare for All" and "single-payer", which one might argue are not the same thing. But Sander's Medicare-For-All proposal, which completely eliminates private insurance (oh if only this would happen!!!!), is indeed a type of single-payer system.
By the way, if anyone still wants to purchase private health insurance they will ALWAYS be able to do so. The Sanders plan would just stop private insurance companies from sucking money from public funds, i.e. Corporate Socialism.
4
Bernie is good at working with people from all political ideals so why not have Buttigieg as his vice president? Two for one deal, democrats get smart at retailing!!!
Democratic pundits talk about Trump so much you'd think he was running on the DNC ticket. . .
2
It sort of doesn't even matter if he IS one or not - what matters is that he's stupid enough to call himself one and then run for President.
Such staggeringly poor judgement tells us a lot.
A piece of socialist legislation that we can do without is the Communist rural electrification program.
If people want to live apart and in isolation let them pay for their own electric systems.
I am tired of these rural Welfare Queens eating meals funded by Urbanites.
2
All legitimate counties are socialist. The big question is, how much socialism can we afford. If Big Pharma is not brought to heel, then the answer is, not much. Maybe Bernie can enlighten us on how he will slay this dragon.
1
I will join you in voting for whoever (whomever?) is the Democratic candidate. I was wondering if that might explain the low Iowa turnout, maybe most of us are ok with anyone but Trump. I'm more of a Bernie or Warren guy. A devoted Bernie loving friend called me after Buttigieg won Iowa and I said, you know, a gay 38 yr old combat vet might be a fun matchup against a septuagenarian misogynistic racist draft dodger. She isn't a fan, but she isn't planning on voting for Jill Stein this time either.
2
Ok, to say that Bernie is not something that he himself says he is is lunacy. They talk Denmark and Bernie talks about nationalizing all power plants. Wow, the Nay Times has succumb to Bernie running on the D ticket and their trying to cover for him already
He is in favor of nationalizing the electric power companies:
https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/02/02/bernie-sanders-climate-federal-electricity-production-110117
He may be less of a socialist than some, but he is certainly more of a socialist than others. His nomination would be a disaster.
We are about to be hood winked
Helpless your heart will sink
The powers that be
Want no part of Bernie
The rich are in utter fear
For the money they hold so dear
They call Bernie a socialist
While receiving government check list
Cuts deductions grants and loans
But Socialism they bemoan
The commentators and corporate news
Gang up on Bernie he will lose
Bloomberg can defeat trump
If you knock Bernie off the stump
He is another rich man to save your soul
To be King his only goal
5
The UK has had socialized medicine since the end of World War 2, last time I checked more currency goes through London than New York and Toyko combined..
https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwilliams1/2019/03/05/london-beats-new-york-as-worlds-leading-wealth-center/#1c28f9d312f3
Americans are just under educated,most don't travel and they are very parochial in their thinking. The media is in the pocket of advertisers and corporation (especially insurance companies) and keeps on message and stories slanted in their favor to make sure the dollars keep flowing . I have not read for example any article on the fact that Wall Street's man in the Senate, Chuck Schumer just block legislation stopping hospitals and other health providers from suing people for the balance of the health costs if their insurance does not pay the amount they bill.
3
I am so grateful for Paul Krugman's columns.
This is long way from just a month ago when you were lying about Sanders. Your establishment guy Biden did repeatedly say he tried to cut Social Security. Five times he tried. But you chose to smear Bernie calling him the liar. I will never forgive you for that.
1
very good article with only minor errors I believe.
Hungary and right wing Europe believes in National Socialism, a hundred years ago the Germans began to call an adherant of that thought, Nazi. Bernie Sanders did point out a few months ago that the Republicans believe in corporate socialiam, the corporate debt is scocialized by being paid for by the American people as occurred in 2008. Corporate profits are capitlized back to the corporations as occurred last year with tax cuts for the corporation. This what Republicans call Capitalism, others call corporate socialism. Every one is a socialist in the USA.
2
Everything I've ever read says USA is basically a center-right country not center-left.
Where did you come up with that?
Democratic candidates must become a team very soon; and
state their reasons for doing so; that is to save our Republic
from a fascist society of Trumpism;
The media is being swamped by misinformation on Facebook
etcetera.
The Democratic candidates and the challengers to Trump who are Republicans must expose the disinformation
which is being allowed to be on social media..
We read about this yesterday ; sic. Atlantic Magazine article
which fully exposes propaganda similar to what Putin does
in Russia...
Keep up this exposure of the insidious propaganda spewed
forth on social media. ...as well as on cable TV.
Just tell it all ….and get it done soon.....a fascist like Trump
will stop at nothing to corrupt our Republic.
If Mr. Krugman ever demonstrated the slightest knowledge of the long history of Socialism in the US, his opinions might be more convincing . . . . The post war consensus or Treaty of Detroit had two aspects: For the first time, unions were recognized as legitimize by the Capitalists. But, in return, the liberals agreed to purge the Socialists and Communists who had largely organized these unions. In the 1950s, one-third of American workers were in unions. (This is in American history books). But, at the same time, hundreds of American Communist leaders were sent to prison under the Smith Act alone. (This fact is omitted from all American history textbooks) . . . The Times Corporation is itself a perfect example of this. The paper's management fought unionization of their newsroom as well as its blue collar workforce, for decades, and only reluctantly accepted the Communist dominated journalist's union. In the same period, New York Times workers who exercised their constitutional rights and took the Fifth Amendment before the Senate Communist hunting Committee were fired.
3
He is a socialist
He declares himself to be one
He openly admired the Soviet system for years
He vocally and loudly supported Hugo Chavez. Tragic and disastrous policies they he hoped to implant here. Scary
To pretend otherwise is to deny reality
1
@Joe Game , he openly gushed with admiration of the Soviet Union for decades!
Ironic these liberal friends of mine fear Trump is a “pawn of Putin” while Bernie wants to adopt the entire Soviet system ! Now that is scary.
1
I have to say, this talking point is nothing new. Sanders' label as a socialist will be a hindrance in the general election undoubtedly. Does that make him unelectable? Clearly not. Like Mr. Krugman states in this article, Sanders' policies aren't all that radical, especially if you compare them to other industrialized countries. If you look at polling data, Bernie hits all the electability markers with flying colors, and (for the most part) so do his policies.
As for the point about how Sanders focusing on policy could detract from the argument against Trump, I don't buy it. I think he can walk and chew gum. Hell, it might help him to contrast his pro-safety net policies with Trump's lies about protecting the safety net.
3
Getting Trump out of the White House is Job One. Flipping the Senate is Job Two. Everything else can be worked on later. This small, petty, vindictive, ignorant, vicious, hedonistic, corrupt man and his spineless myrmidons are taking us down a dark, malevolent road, completely antithetical to whom we were designed to be. Get rid of him, then focus on the other stuff.
Young voters understand the difference between the socialist ideas practiced in Nordic countries and the USSR. Only Boomers afraid of the socialist boogie man can't understand that Sanders is pushing democratic socialism, and apparently the NY Times opinion writers have a hard time understanding and explaining this idea. I wonder how these writers would have covered FDR and his new deal. SMH
3
The thing about the Social Democratic policies of Scandinavia is that it is only possible when you (in general), love your neighbors and want to help them even if it means higher taxes for you. As the numbers of immigrants vastly swells in Scandinavia, we are seeing attitudes there start to change.
Consider the US-- of all the immigrants on the planet, over 19% are in the US-- they make up over 14% of the population here. It's not hard to understand why many people here have a circle the wagons and harden your heart attitude; we have had the glib answer from Democrats that immigration has always been part of the USA and absolutely nothing should be done to restrict it in any way-- in fact, if anything we should be looking at ways to increase immigration. Oh, and anyone who disagrees with something tantamount to open borders is evil, stupid, and ignorant.
Get immigration under control, then maybe you can have your social democrat president.
I really don't know what the NYT and it's columnists have against Bernie Sanders! A little bit of social democracy would do your country a world of good. And one thing is for sure: certainly he can't be any worse than your present occupant of the White House. I am no Liberal but I would vote Democrat in a heartbeat If I lived in the USA.
4
I wish YOU would run for president!
If Sanders gets the Democratic nomination, the November election will become a referendum on socialism, which Trump will easily win. Doesn't matter if this is an oversimplification or unfair, very few American voters make appropriate intellectual distinctions.
1
Bernie against Donald would be another big disaster for the Democrat Party. I think it would be a disaster for Bernie running against anyone for President of the United States quite frankly. The same holds true for Mayor Pete. Of the strongest contenders I think Amy looks to have the best chance and even thats not good.
I appreciate the voices from Denmark, Canada and other places telling us why Bernie and his ideas will work here but I strongly disagree and I feel certain a very large segment of the population will vote to support what we have now however distasteful it seems at times.
The Left is coming "unglued" and we are all standing back and watching and wondering how quickly can November get here.
2
Dr. Krugman: Thank you for including the term "working families" because it is one that Sanders uses over and over in various iterations. And yes, he's not a socialist, per se. He has repeatedly declared himself to be a "democratic socialist" of the type that would indeed be like the social democrats in Europe. From your mention of Denmark, I'm reminded of reading that that someone even once advised the Sanders campaign as follows: Every time Trump threatens with the word "Venezuela," Sanders should say "Denmark." Dr. Krugman, this piece is sloppy for not having at least noted what is already obvious in the public record and then discussing it accordingly. I openly declare being a Sanders supporter and having been one nearly from the start of his campaign in 2015-2016, after I was for Lawrence Lessig until he had to drop out because of Democratic Party rules changes regarding the debates. There are a number of reliable opinion polls that show the majority favor Sanders policies, as well as show him (at this point) defeating Trump by greater margins than do other candidates. I'll just add that I detect (noting with some irony) a bias against Sanders in opinion pieces nevertheless, along with growing anxiety and opposition--either through direct attack or insinuation such as this one--with each success that the Sanders campaign has shown. But I appreciate the eventual "wholehearted support" in any case.
9
Another 'Sanders can't win' editorial.
The right's predictable red baiting 'socialist' smears will hurt him, and Sanders' M4A support will take attention away from right wing attacks on social safety net, Krugman opines.
Disagree - though Krugman's anxieties about red baiting show the forces that shaped his thinking generationally - despite criticisms of the right, a squeaky clean Cold War liberal-type record of staying clear of populist left wing engagements for fear of being slimed.
As the Cold War gets smaller in the rear view mirror, the red baiting will have traction mainly w/the hardcore right Trump base.
As to M4A - sorry, but that struggle for justice, that hits home personally for so many left on the wrong side of the wealth divide, is what is bringing new voters to the polls needed to demand change and get Trump out.
Krugman isn't just wrong - his generational Cold War anxieties have given him a case of permanent cold feet.
6
Absolutely agree that people in Western Europe have more freedom.
Freedom to travel as the legal minimum in the EU is 20 paid holidays, most countries effectively have 30 or so when compensation days are added.
Freedom to look for another job after being fired without the huge pressure of having no severance payment to bridge a few months and no healthcare.
Freedom to have children without having to worry about the cost of childbirth, childcare, schools and college.
Freedom to let the children be children in their teen years without pressure to build an early curriculum for the Darwinian school and college system.
Etc.
People in the US have internalized that nice things are only for rich people and that not being rich is a choice and result of one's own failures.
10
A lot of you here misunderstand what Old Dane is saying. He's not saying we can't have the same benefits in the US that they have in Denmark. He's pointing out how much time and effort--and money--it took for Denmark to reach the inclusive welfare state it has. If you think it happened in or with one election, you're sadly mistaken. The Danes have paid a high price for their system in the kind of taxes that would never fly in the US. At least not immediately or even quickly. We can begin by at least bringing back a more progressive tax base.
So, Old Dane is correct: what Denmark has achieved is not a sudden, "radical" transformation, but something - yes -incremental, over time. When he talks about being "used to it," he means the Danes have had generations of living with a certain tax base and expecting certain benefits - and you must add to that a cultural mindset that is communal in nature - not the illusory romantic notions about being "ruggedly individual" that pervade American thought.
3
@Mark
If we put an end to Fox news and similar propaganda and applied intellectual honesty the only real opponents of such things (the republican 1%) would lose any standing they currently have.
Reason is why what Bernie wants to do which is not what anyone other than him says it is, not idealism, not pie in the sky. It is simple reason that being fair to all makes all of us better off. The opposition is based on the idea that no one has any responsibility to their fellow man that would involve them having to give of themselves. They hold religion so closely to try to hide that fact.
3
@Mark As someone who has lived 10+ years in both Europe and the US, I have to agree.
The Nordic model works because the high costs are offset by high employability.
The US has an enormous amount of people with low qualifications. Raising the minimum wages drastically and suddenly would be recipe for disaster, we need those jobs you don't see in Europe, for now: people sitting in a parking booth, holding a "slow" sign etc.
We need to start by taxing the highest income brackets fairly (which is easy thanks to citizenship based taxation, FATCA), reduce the size of the military which will eliminate shocking amounts of waste as their budgets have only gone up for decades, and use that money to invest in education and healthcare.
2
@Mark Problem is, Old Dane is starting from a highly questionable theoretical foundation, the belief that the values now enshrined in Danish social life are somehow innately "Danish," and therefore not subject to sudden "revolutionary change." The most basic knowledge of his own history would show that these values were savagely fought for and brutally rejected in Denmark a hundred or so years ago, as they have been in America. The Danish ruling classes were smart enough to compromise with the inevitable. The American ruling classes, not so much. Not yet, anyhow.
1
"put away its debt obsession and focus on bigger things" not what he said but ...
Somehow if we could muster the good sense to plan and make difficult collective decisions about how to spend resources, the deficit wouldn't need to be the nagging worry it is, but to ignore it is just plan reckless.
Reading Applbaum's "The Economist's Hour" one wonders if the growth of the deficit isn't somehow related, ironicly, to better quantifications valuations. Maybe we are now deludid enough to think we know what we are doing.
It would also be helpful if Dr Krugman, Bernie and everybody else doing it would stop referring to Medicare For All, college education and Social Security as "free". They're not now, have never been and will never be free. Everything is paid for with our taxes.
Framing the debate as between those who want us to pay our own way and those who want everything to be free is like saying there's a difference between those who want to live long lives and those who don't want to die. It's the same thing --- we are paying our own way, and if we have universal health care and college education we will continue to pay our own way.
The real difference is between those who believe that society benefits by not leaving others behind, and those who believe that we each have an individual responsibility to make our own way. The funny part of this is that if you ask, the vast majority believe in both --- sharing and self-reliance. It's only fear mongering politicians who portray this as one side wanting everything for "free" and the other wanting everything for themselves.
It's unconscionable in a country of our wealth that we are even having a debate over whether and how we should attend to those suffering the most. Even worse is making it a fight over whether any of this is "free".
9
Fair enough Paul. I've been a Sanders supporter since 2016, but have been asking him in my public writings to clarify these points further.
The mainstream debates haven't helped much either, because the reporters are focused on political wrestling holds, and seem unfamiliar with the history of the left in the United States told by the late Christopher Lasch and especially, in Michael Harrington's books.
Reporters don't follow up when Sanders points to FDR's Second Bill of Rights from 1944 . If one reads that whole speech, then you realize that FDR's framing is hardly socialistic. The policies are social democratic, and the means to achieve the right to medical care, a job, housing, fair competition for businesses, are framed as a baseline to create a fairer starting block for the race for the American Dream. A very conservative framing, saying our first Revolution secured political rights (an exaggeration, but pointed in the right direction) and now, after the catastrophe of the Great Depression and the war against fascism, it was time to secure basic economic rights. Not equality, but a fairer baseline.
And after having been a Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee member in the 1970's, I dropped the overt socialism line because I believe that we must reach an accommodation with American businesses. I call myself a social democrat now.
It remains to be seen, however if American business desires any accommodation, however - with our Citizens or Nature.
4
The problem with Paul Krugman's contention is that it ignores the American history of socialism, which includes both ideologues calling for widespread nationalization but also "sewer socialists."
The "sewer socialists"—who governed a number of American cities, most notably Milwaukee but also Bridgeport here in Connecticut—were very much precursors to Sanders' brand of democratic socialism, or social democracy, as Krugman calls it.
If Krugman insists on being pedantic, he could at least get his history right.
1
If Krugman has credibility to loose, he does so when he says Sanders hasn't expressed admiration for Venezuela. The truth is that he has including links to op-eds on his web site that do exactly that.
Krugman thought he was safe to point out Venezuela because who, in their right mind, would praise Venezuela? It is an example of a failed socialist adventure. Well, Sanders has. Maybe not today as it has become a total failure but in the past. Walks like a socialist. Talks like a socialist. Not sure what else matters.
1
I recently had a political "argument" with my mid-20's son, who is an ardent supporter of Bernie. He Bernie he made an interesting statement, which I immediately pooh-poohed, until the headline for this article made me think of his comment. Specifically the main stream media is subtly against Bernie. I dont believe Bernie has actually described himself as a Socialist; he has always maintained he was a Democratic Socialist. He has specifically used this term to defang some beliefs “because people have been brainwashed into thinking socialism automatically means slave-labor camps, dictatorship and lack of freedom of speech;” and “because I did not want to spend half my life explaining that I did not believe in the Soviet Union or in concentration camps.”
So is this headline that says he isn't a Socialist a subtle description of him as being, albeit mistakenly, a Socialist? And what about the subtext that he plays one on TV?
Bernie Sanders is a dyed-in-the-wool FDR-like social democrat who believes in the needs of the average working man. Let's call him what he is, not excuse him for what he isn't. (FYI I personally haven't made up my mind whether to back him, or not, in the primaries. But I will absolutely vote for him if he is the Democratic nominee.)
4
What Bernie is talking about is a strengthening our democracy and giving the people of this country priority and taking back the power of the wealthy that have prevented our country from moving forward to combat climate change, address healthcare needs, address the inequality of our tax system, bring people together from the deliberate divide caused by corporate media and moneyed interests and give the people back their power in our gov't that corrupt moneyed interests have taken away. A stong social democracy is exactly what is needed to combat fascism. Bernie gets it and the people are starting to get it. Finally!
5
For a guy who isn't really a socialist, Bernie sure walks, talks and acts like one. But, whatever Krugman tells us, we accept.
So glad to read someone finally say about Sanders what is obviously true: He is a social democrat, not a socialist. In fact, Bernie is pretty much of a New Deal Democrat. Policies like Medicare for all and higher education for all are the Social Security of our times. They were not part of the original New Deal, because medicine was much cheaper and more limited in its abilities in the 1930s than it is now, and very few people even thought about going to college then, let alone needed to do so to find employment.
6
"The point is that whoever gets the nomination, Democrats need to build as broad a coalition as possible. Otherwise they’ll be handing the election to Trump — and that would be a tragedy for the party, the nation and the world."
Yes, indeed, Dr. Krugman. And the key question, today in the age of billionaires and loss of distinction between the meanings of the words 'broadcasting' and 'communicating', is whether replacing Trump with a bigger billionaire is going to avoid the tragedy in store for the US and the world that you (and I) foresee?
3
So let's cut to the chase...
BLOOMBERG/KLOBUCHAR
5
By playing the deficit hawk card, Buttigieg is playing to Trump's biggest Achilles Heel - the fact that he promised fiscal responsibility and then exploded the deficit to over $1T.
Keep in mind that most Americans would love to close the deficit and could accurately be described as "deficit hawks" as long as the method for doing so is going after billion dollar incomes, rampant business tax evasion and avoidance, and right-wing corporate welfare.
4
Bernie has tried to explained his vision for healthcare, but he has not succinctly broken down the specific savings to households and employers, thus many are apprehensive. Three points:
1) He's done a poor job of outlining the outrageous costs individual households currently pay for healthcare. The average household gets insurance through their employer, and most aren't aware of the full cost. They see a biweekly deduction of ~$100 (individual) - ~$300 (family plan), i.e. they think they only pay $2,600 - ~$8,000 per year for insurance and believe they have a bargain, when in reality, that deduction is only 20-25% of the premium, with the employer, instead of providing salary, footing the other $7,000 - $20,000.
2) Similarly, he's done a poor job explaining to employers, particularly businesses, how his plan will save money even for them.
3) Why don't we talk more about the alternative; the cost of maintaining the status quo? To me, that's the most radical plan. The avg family insurance premium is currently$20k per year, while in a decade that will surge to $30k. Factor in out of pocket, and you go from $25k to $35k. 1 out of 10 households in the next generation will go bankrupt due to medical bills regardless of having insurance. 1 out of 4 households will experience a long term disability over a twenty year period. Are you prepared to shell out $30k per year just in premiums? Are you prepared to spend 2-10x that out of pocket if you get sick/disabled?
8
Why doesn’t he mention the real fear: what if employers decide health care won’t support their bottom line and cancel it?
1
The difference between the US and other well-developed nations is corruption. Governments in Denmark, France, and other countries in Europe/Asia learned from the social unrest of the 1960s that transparency and collective improvement were the most effective ways to promote economic growth and prevent the tribalism that caused WWII. They actually listened to the needs of their people and took the time to slowly iron out systems that worked.
The US, on the other hand, wrote off social dissidents as communist hippies that needed swift kick in the rear. The government's response was more interventionism, more corporate welfare, and gerrymandering to ensure the establishment stayed in power.
Decisions by the US government in the 70s and 80s have led to a culture and economy ravaged by corruption, graft, and disinformation, which has culminated in a Trump presidency.
In order to improve this deteriorating situation, corruption needs to be tackled head-on. Young and marginalized people need to be given a voice. Bernie Sanders is the only person willing to do that. Even is he isn't the most
'presidential', the Dems need to give him a chance if he is indeed nominated.
Not one Fortune 500 CEO has endorsed Sanders, yet he is now the frontrunner. This showcases our country's polarity. But if his supporters cannot access their hard-deserved rights through democracy, they will eventually achieve them in more extreme ways.
9
@Clayton Really liked your analysis. Spot on! The US has been at war with its own people since Vietnam. PNAC achieved and Powell memo in place. Did the architects of this de-democratization realize what sheer misery they caused? True evil often walks around in a very fine suit.
1
Professor Krugman was a supporter of HRC and her policies so some criticism of Senator Sanders is to be expected. But at least get it right: not socialist, but democratic socialist. And most of his policies poll well with the majority of Americans who know a couple of things. First, they like what he says. And, second, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who does not know that he is a (Democratic) socialist. The MSM has screamed that out since 2016.
Yet nationally he polls as the most popular politician in the country.
8
Oh, it's much better now that we know the socialist Sanders will not call for governmental seizure and control of the means of production. I'm being facetious of course. It is just silly to assert that it is time for a Sanders with whatever you want to call the baggage he indisputably now has
It’s not necessarily the social safety net proposals that Bernie pushes that’s alarming. It’s really the repressive regulation on private business and suppression of individual rights and choices.
1
The prime minister spoke at Harvard a few years ago. mr Rasmussen, his comments show the tax misinformation Preferred by Mr Krugman
Mr. Rasmussen then laid out some key differences between Denmark and the United States.
“So, what is the catch you might ask. The most obvious one, of course, is the high taxes. The top income tax in Denmark is almost 60 percent. We have a 25 percent sales tax and on cars the incise duties are up to 180 percent. In total, Danish taxes come to almost half of our national income compared to around 25 percent in the US. Quite a substantial difference,” he said.
3
@Bill Walsh How long ago, these few years? And the points you make, quoting said prime minister of Denmark, seem confusing to me..."incise" taxes for cars 180 percent...that's not for healthcare...and top income tx almost 60 percent .... This needs some deconstructing. Of course, slavery did not build Denmark. Maybe there was a servant or poor agricultural sector for a long time. Too many differences. But your point well taken as countries that provide health care, college, maternity leave, school lunches for children (a la France) and don't have children in cages at their borders seem whether socialist, democatic socialist, or liberal progressive, quite civiilized. While we're a huge, diverse country, we're also a wealthy country who ignores a percentage of the population even more as we grow, or some do, even wealthier. And, I might add, more evangelical.
1
Most Americans don't know what socialism is. They confuse it with communism. Even the Americans who would most benefit from Bernie's policies are afraid of them because they think he wants to turn the US into something like North Korea. Bernie has not done a good job of educating the public on his beliefs. Having said that, I do think it's interesting that Trump has put us closer to an autocracy than we have ever been, and millions love him. Trump is closer to establishing a kind of autocratic regime that masquerades as a democracy that many fear Bernie would set up. Trump uses his position just as autocratic leaders all over the world do--to punish his enemies and enrich himself and his friends. He uses capitalism to further authoritarian rule. Yet, people think Bernie would be bad.
11
The working class urgently needs policies that improve their lives. Trump promised positive change but accelerated the decline of the working class and concealed the harm under a trillion-dollars of spending funded as a deficit. His latest budget offers a glimpse of a rather dark future for most. The next crash will be more devastating than the last, mostly to the working class.
We have choices. Continue to ride the Republican train to the eventual wreck. Follow a middle-road candidate promising to stop or slow the decline but otherwise unable to deliver reform because of ideological reasons. Or choose a candidate promising reform focused on improving the lives of the working class and hope that Congress cooperates.
12
Which would you rather have: Option B: which could occupy the White House or Option C: which probably will not? Perhaps a full 180 from Mr Trump is not achievable in one step.
1
Krugman is right on Sanders, but not quite right on Republicans. He claims that if you advocate something like child care for all, Republicans will probably accuse you of wanting to turn this country into the Soviet Union.
Actually they mainly claim you want to turn the United States into Venezuela.
6
After reading this morning's Elizabeth Rosenthal essay on surprise medical bills, Bernie Sanders, with is call for universal single-payer coverage, does not seem at all extreme. On the contrary, he is the most rational, honest candidate.
14
@Taz Everyone knows that change is needed but that doesn’t mean that Bernie’s iteration of change is the best.
3
Thank you Dr. Krugman, for this insightful article. We need to be exceptionally careful because the Republicans are the masters of catchy sound bites that get fixated into the general populace' minds. For example, they came up with "intelligent design" to dismiss the scientific theory of evolution, "pro life" to restrict choices of women (but deny basic rights such as maternity leave, healthcare, and childcare), "Patriot Act" to take away the constitutional rights of citizens without legal cause, and "death panels" for the ACA. We need to call their bluff. Thus, we need to relabel these terms. We need something catchy to refer to their "anti child", "anti women", anti environment",, and "anti science" attitudes.
In the meantime, let's support all of our candidates. I am very pleased with the set of candidates we have and would cheerfully campaign and vote for any of them.
4
Be Arnie has called himself a Democratic Socialist NOT a Socialist many many times. He has TRIED to make that distinction, but for whatever the reason, people seem not to hear him.
There is reason to be concerned about the socialist label on Bernie, but it is by no means HIS fault. I am surprised, that you, Paul Krugman, an intelligent journalist, would take the bait.
6
The Republicans will still own every lever of power in Washington even if the Democrats take the Presidency. So if the Democrats win, none of that candidates policies will become reality. Zero, nada. Unless they embrace their inner Trump and run roughshod over the separation of powers. If they actually try to improve things, the Republicans can stop them cold.
Winning the Presidency is about slowing down the Republicans, not accomplishing anything proposed by the Democrats.
3
Thank you, Paul Krugman. I can't believe it's taken this long for someone to point out that Bernie is not a socialist, but that his claims feed into Trumpist attacks!
3
Bernie Sanders' ability to mislabel himself as a socialist ties into another significant problem with the nomination process - the numerous Democratic debates have not discussed the candidates overarching view of how the U.S. economy should work. Some issues impacting the economy such as trade and health care are debated, but other important issues such as the role of unions and the fight to suppress them go unmentioned. Candidates should have the opportunity to present their big picture views on how the U.S. economy should function. Then voters would have a clearer idea of what they are voting for or against.
The lack of more in-depth economic discussion probably results from journalists who have little knowledge of economic theory and history. Hence their obsession with budget balancing and deficit reduction, no real background knowledge is required to harp on these topics. As for Pete Buttigieg, he should be savvy enough to know better.
6
A “Fair column”. Let’s be clear about democratic socialism or social democracy.
It is a Capitalist system! Capitalism, in countries where some of the worlds wealthiest live. Most simply agree to pay fair taxes for a healthier, better educated, more productive, country and workforce. That simple concept or model can work anywhere there are few lobbyists or unlimited political contributions to corrupt and propagandize. A bit as it used to be here.
8
@PM For the most part, taxes are far flatter than here in the US. Most people pay in for the services they expect. That’s not what is being proposed here.
3
@John. Are you saying the wealthy in Denmark, etc do not pay more taxes than the average citizen?
1
Krugman is right as usual. The U.S. us not Denmark, nor does it aspire to be. Even the poor want to be rich, not equal.
Keeping Obamacare and adding a public option for those 50 to 65 would be great and the best likely to get through Congress.
Bernie is the choice of only 30% of Democrats and fewer of the rest. Go Bloomberg! With Amy as VP...
5
Sanders doesn’t position himself as a socialist but as a Democratic Socialist, which is an important distinction, but his failure to clarify the difference has resulted in a lot of confusion about what exactly he is for. All we hear is Revolution. He has long fancied himself a hero of a revolution. Aside from George Washington, history has given us revolutionary heroes such as Lenin, Che, Castro, Ho Chi Minh, Mao, Napoleon. Does he really believe this is what America needs? Or maybe it’s all rhetorical bluster. In either case, it’s become a rallying cry among his acolytes, and it isn’t helping unify us.
Buttigieg's proposals are many, and deficit reduction isn’t by any means a centerpiece. Although he has indeed said we shouldn’t be adding to the deficit, thereby constraining ourselves in applying a fiscal stimulus in the future if it becomes necessary. And he has provided details for how he will fund each of his proposals without using deficit spending. While some candidates pitch extraordinarily costly plans with no regard for fiscal accountability, Buttigieg makes the case for common sense. I don’t think that makes him a deficit hawk.
Servicing the national debt currently costs us nearly $400 billion dollars a year. Republicans used to at least pretend to care about deficit spending. After all, it gave them cover when they needed to cut social spending. With Trump in the White House, they no longer have to even pretend. It’s up to Democrats to be responsible.
11
The Primary has only just begun. Why do you speak as if Bernie and Pete are the only choices. Elizabeth Warren will fight against corruption and inequality to bring healthcare to all and she has the plans and character to form coalitions to succeed, all without having to defend the socialist label.
3
@Cran Warren is already on the 2nd tier of candidates. The likelihood of her winning the nomination has been greatly diminished.
@John You think you know how the outcome of the remaining 2000+ delegates when Bernie and Pete only have 21 and 23 so far? And Pete will soon be second tier?
"...Democrats need to build as broad a coalition as possible."
No, they don't need to build as broad a coalition as possible. What this suggests is that the votes aren't there without inviting into the tent the same views that got us where we are in the first place--a nation ruled by corporations and the plutocrats they breed. The Sanders phenomenon is still sending tremors through a political establishment that cannot believe that anyone who proudly bears the label of socialist can lead the field.
4
@Vincent Amato: There is no candidate who understands the fractal nature of corporation-based economies, or the fundamental reason why corporations were invented: because people die but their work must continue. The US really needs to go back to school.
@Steve Bolger What is the "fractal nature of corporation-based economies? I mean this sincerely, not snarkily.That they by virtue of having shareholders, their aim and influence is split? Which is not a bad thing, in terms of how to run a business, as known from the beginning in this country with the ships that came from England backed by corporate money.
Sanders and the rest of the progressive "left of center" candidates are missing a golden opportunity to fight back against a snarling foe; when they call you "Socialist" with a snide tone of voice inferring that it's bad, call them communists for being a satellite of Putin and Russia! I mean it. How can you continue to act like the adults ignoring a petulant child? If you do, he will win by sheer brute force of words whether true or not. Trump's 16,000+ lies worked.
As for Buttigeig holding up the dimming mantle of Deficit reduction, I've shown how the Republicans are making chumps out Democrats decade after decade as they steal the wealth Democrats created after every Democrat administration changes hands to Republicans. It's a decades long national robbery.
And one thing I learned about marketing is how to recognize numerous features to sell a product. The Democrats sound like a broken record with the same rhetoric and promises repeated at each stop. If the Republicans are going to rail against your singular features, throw a bunch at them. Overwhelm them with many programs featuring many goals. It's like throwing all the options into a new car deal.
One thing I do like however, is the growing bravery in the candidates in some. You may be discouraged by Democrat infighting, but it will all have come to mean something when the practiced fighter who prevails goes head to toe with the most furious Republican we have ever seen.
Just remember; nice guys finish last.
7
Sanders is a hypocrite. He wants to eliminate almost immediately all carbon based fuels, as he flies all over the nation, creating a huge carbon footprint, looking for votes.
3
Unfortunately, in this country we have an unlimited election period that requires unlimited money.
IF you can’t win......you can’t improve anything. At least Trump is clear. He doesn’t BELIEVE in climate change and has us to pay for Air Force One.......for campaigning and Golf.
3
It’s only February and I’ve grown weary of nearly every pundit from the New York Times, Washington Post and a slew of online publications.
Some how Sanders is a big mistake despite his support, and every democrat and republican leaning pundit is working overtime to prove their right and his supporters wrong.
Every MSM pundit who has expressed their disdain for Trump believe and have helped create the image that Sanders is as dangerous as Trump.
So sad, yes we are polarized, but it’s the stagnating status quo verses real change not democrats verses republican. Have it your way.
5
The brouhaha about "socialism" certainly makes this a more interesting election year than many in the past. The last one was Hillary's emails. Boring.
4
Old Dane, top Reader Pick says it all. Americans - I am one - who are going to talk about political change really need to learn about one or more Nordic countries.
A prize example came in replies to my simple comparison of Greyhound bus service in New England with the bus service I will use today to cross Sweden, Bus4You.
Greyhound - appalling, demeaning
Bus4You - totally enjoyable
One replier, John, told me that Greyhound among others is terrible because American culture differs from Swedish.
The other replier, told me that Greyhound is terrible because the role of bus transport in America differs from the role of bus transport in Sweden.
At least they did not write, bus transport in America can never be socialistic.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
3
You're right Krugman. He's not a Socialist, he's a hardcore Marxist.
Calls for the US economy to be controlled by the government. Five Year Plans anyone?
Honeymoons in the Soviet Union, adored Che, adored Fidel and Chavez.
Sanders is the American version of Corbyn.
I guess Krugman hasn't bothered to read the writings, or rants, of Sanders.
3
Thank you, Professor. I've been saying this all along: Sanders is NOT a Socialist. And considering how few Socialists there really are in this country, it's borderline-insane for him to self-identify as one. On the other hand, Donald Trump is either a Fascist or is doing a very good job impersonating one. If he were to use the Socialist label on Bernie, the senator could return the favor by using the "F" word (no, not that one...) against him- but only if Sanders would cut the nonsense and refer to himself as the progressive he truly is.
6
If the Senate does not flip policy will be a moot subject.
Any of the Blue candidates is better than the Grifter.
Will Blue voters turn out no matter who the nominee is?
3
As a typical right of center suburbanite, The bottom line is this: If you want a chance at defeating Trump, the only Dem I would vote for is Bloomberg. Despite his flaws and the repair work he needs to do with minorities, he did win reelection in NYC twice. If your standard bearer is one of the smurfs, you can sit back and watch a rerun of the nightmare of election night 2016.
2
It is past time for people to grow up and stop being afraid of the word "socialist"! Fear of the word, as well as the word "communist", were tools of politicians during the cold war (and of fascists through history), but the only thing to fear is fear itself. They are just words.
5
@tbs If you don't think Communism is a thing to be feared you ought to talk to some of the people that survived the gulags, and be glad you weren't a kula in the Soviet Union in the 1920's an 1930's.
Make himself a “target for right wing smears...?” Mr. Krugman, Bernie’s biggest problem is the center-right of the Democratic Party not the right wingers who will make things up when necessary. There are plenty of Democrats content with the existing economic system. Mr. Krugman, let’s carefully look at your point about Trump wanting to make America a “White Nationalist Hungary.” Let’s look at the racial make-up of the Democratic Party’s biggest contributors. Care to guess what it is? Very much like Trump’s contributors. I have a great deal of respect for you but you know that any assertion that the Democratic Party is fighting to improve diversity in America holds true so long as labor costs don’t negatively affect corporate profits. The problem Democrats have today has to do with credibility. The “Yes We Can” Obama promises may have led to increased growth and greater wealth but most Americans haven’t seen the benefits baby boomers experienced during the post war years. Bernie is the only candidate right now who has credibility with a plurality of Democrats and they will vote for Trump if he’s not the Party’s nominee. It’s all about credibility.
7
And if you look at Wikipedia's entry for Mayor Pete's family of origin you'll find two college professors, one of whom was connected academically to Marxism.
Is this for real? I have no idea. But I'd be stunned if the GOP doesn't use this against Pete if he's the nominee (which he may be), if only to slander him with the word. And scare away voters.
As Trump has shown again and again, by merely accusing someone of something vague ("Burisma!" or "Bengazi!") he can get his base revved up. Yet he's Teflon...so far. If he doesn't attack with socialism or marxism or pizza, he'll just make something up. Impossible to find a candidate who isn't vulnerable in some way. We've got to accept this and march on, ignoring what he says about our chosen candidate.
2
Bernie's top people, David Sirota and friends, were and are all huge fans of Cesar Chavez, Maduro and "socialism" in Venezuela. I think that says quiet enough except for the detail that Bernie is a Communist with a long paper and audio trail, not a Socialist.
2
Mr. Sanders is a shape shifter. Seems to me that when he speaks, he himself does not believe at all what he is saying. He will be 79 years old this year. He had a heart attack and lifesaving surgery six months ago. Time to stop and smell the roses. Nobody lives forever. Cannot believe this guy from Brooklyn is kicking as a Senator from Vermont. This is because Liberal NY would not have him and he knows it. He flails his arms because his mouth speaks not the truth of anything. I cannot stand his screaming and yelling about nothing. I do not see anyone Presidential here or a better replacement for the current screaming mimi in the White House. Give us Pete and change the world back to right.
Bernie doesn’t harp on being a socialist. The word only comes up when the media or his opponents bring it up. In his appearances he emphasizes what he wants to achieve. It’s you and others like you in the media who make a big deal over the label. If he finesses the messaging well he can make Trump’s “socialist” cries ring hollow. You could be helpful in that effort if you wanted to.
6
I only read the title and for once agree with Krugman: Bernie is not a socialist, he's a full blown /communist. This is not being cruel or partisan, it is an opinion based on his incessant diatribes in voicing his idea to tear down this nation.
1
Because Mr. Krugman's prognostication were so remarkably and invariably wrong in 2016, it's comforting to see him pick up exactly where he left off.
1
My comment is not about Sen. Sanders but former Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Please tell me a candidate that has closer everyday times to average Americans that Pete Buttigieg? There are none, zero, zip that has the experiences that Mayor Pete gained in his two terms. So if you want someone who had to deal with what the average American deals with up-close then there is no better candidate than Pete Buttigieg. I write this comment here because the article on Pete Buttigieg in today's NYT's written by Trip Gabriel does not allow comments. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the brightest and most intellectually nimble candidate. An example of his ability was when Pete was attacked by Sen. Warren for accepting rich donor's money, his retort showed her hypocrisy and at the same time came to her defense - it was a brilliant retort. Pete Buttigieg would make Donald Trump look like a complete fool in a debate. I believe Trump would have a core meltdown in a debate with the Mayor. Interesting as Pete is a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination yet there are no comments allowed in the article today about him...
I'll vote for the dog catcher's dog come Election Day. My fear is that Bernie's Boys, if he loses the nomination, will take their chips and go home.
Vote blue no matter who.
3
You do realize that Sanders did in fact call himself a socialist during an interview on C-SPAN February 3, 1989, right?
1
@James
Here, he clarifies and puts in context --
https://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/bernie-sanders-socialism-speech-216071
Maybe Sanders isn't a real 'socialist'. But maybe Krugman isn't a real liberal. Though he's always been playing one in the NY Times.
As many readers commented, Krugman's columns in 2016 totally rejected Sanders, and refused to even give him the respect to debate his proposals pro/con, or compare them to other civilized democracies, or explain how any alternatives would work to give us the benefits we all need.
Krugman has been basically an avid basher of Trump/GOP. It's gotten almost boring. Of course it's justified, and must give him and many readers plenty of emotional satisfaction.
Sure, we must beat Trump, and criticize the GOP, but it's not enough. What's lacking is positive examples and role models for better policies that are work in many modern democracies.
See NYT op ed "The Fake Freedom of American Health Care."
Health care #1 issue since it's related directly to life & death, disability and bankruptcy. Millions uninsured or underinsured, crushed by bills that profit off sickness, is a scandal. But Krugman just says 'improve ACA'. Then goes on to bash GOP/Trump again. Not productive.
Dozens of capitalist democracies have given their citizens the respect of universal HC. We don't. And much of our media, conditioned by our politics, wouldn't be caught dead advocating for it.
3
As always, daily criticism of Bernie Sanders. As you know, he’s an unconventional leader . Perhaps you disagree with the actual labeling of the product, but citizens are funding the Sanders campaign. Yes, I may not have your perceived intellectual heft, but this Boomer is all in for Bernie . A day without criticism of Bernie by the MSM including the Times,The Washington Post,CNN and MSNBC would be quite amazing !
7
Please also add Dems as defenders of the Farm Bill! And say Farm Bill!!! Where I live, the Farm Bill isn't considered an entitlement. I live in rural america, in a red state. The local food pantry is behind my house, the locals don't consider that socialism either! D'Oh!
3
I am so sick of status quo journalists ignoring what regular people want and not caring now much suffering and how many needless deaths there are from greed in this country. And any one who is humane enough to fight for the human rights of these people who have been robbed over and over again by certain low life elites is vilified for doing the right thing. These awful people who cause so
Much misery in the world with their desperate scavenging of others at any cost to feel worth anything. And the insane worship and kowtowing of main stream media of these rich monsters is so sad and here is Bernie threatening to end this mentally ill gilded age. Just a decent guy with compassion.
6
Capitalists have demonized socialism since Marx wrote "Das Kapital". In the United States anyone to the left of George Lincoln Rockwell has been branded socialist, communist or just plain red. Bernie Sanders can call himself whatever he wants. Krugman is right that Sanders is not a socialist, but a moderate welfare state social democrat, not even an anti-capitalist, nominally independent, but functionally an auxiliary Democrat. It wouldn't matter how he identified himself. Jesse Jackson ran for president in 1988 as a Democrat with nearly identical policy proposals and suffered the same calumny. Dennis Kuncinich called for socialized medical care when he ran for president, and was so marginalized by the NYT that his name appeared only in captions under photos with the other Democratic candidates.
Krugman patronizes both Sanders and social democracies when he writes they "are, in fact, quite nice places to live, with societies that are, if anything, freer than ours". Krugman is uncharacteristically right twice in a row. He has written favorably about social democracies in other venues, but agrees with with his hero Hillary Clinton, "we are not Denmark!". Social Democracy is OK for other countries, but it can't happen here.
Rather than advise Bernie Sanders on the subject branding, it would be an innovation if Krugman addressed how undemocratic socialism operates in America as corporate welfare, tax breaks for the ruling class and the socialized war machine.
10
Memo to Bernie: Use the term Socialist less (Democratic or otherwise) and use the words New Deal and Franklin D Roosevelt more.
4
Krugman is spot on - again.
Bloomberg for me.
@Simon
So you think running a lying, manipulative REPUBLICAN billionaire against Trump is winning.
How is trading Trump for slightly less rude Trump winning?
If you want me to stay home on election day, nominate Bloomberg.
There is no debate here. If the man says with his own mouth he is a Socialist then there is not much more anyone else can do to say he isn't.
Perhaps you should talk to Bernie. He is the person saying he is a socialist and yes . . . He is the one that says he is all in for all the things that Socialism Represents.
1
Hilary Clinton ran on the slogan: “Four more years.” This time, whoever it is, it looks like: “I am not Trump.” That will fail, too, unless Trump beats himself. How about a positive plan that resonates with the American people?
You wrote..
President Trump is trying to turn us into a white nationalist autocracy like Hungary. Which would you prefer?
Sadly, there are a lot of people who don’t read the Times and that’s exactly what they want.
1
@Steve Ell
We can join them or we can run a real alternative. Centrists are not a real alternative. They are the status quo nobody wants.
3
Goes to show, rumors, lies and abusing rhetoric trump reality.
1
We ought to be focused on selecting a presidential candidate (evil slayer) who can win the electoral college and also have big coat tails to enable winning the Senate. I doubt whether a gay or a self styled socialist will meet either of these two criteria. Even after super Tuesday, it is doubtful whether the primary Democratic electorate would have settled on such a candidate.
“We are what we pretend to be...so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."
-- Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night
1
Bernie Sanders is a socialist. Just look at videos of his old interviews. He has called himself a socialist many times over the years.
If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and calls itself a duck, it's a duck.
1
Mr. Krugman states that Bernie Sanders is not a socialist because he, " Doesn’t want to nationalize our major industries and replace markets with central planning." Based on those reasonable criteria, the Republicans and their sponsors are the true socialists. Look at how each industry has been centralized through mergers and acquisitions into fewer and fewer business entities. Our free markets have become "freak" markets ever controlled by fewer and fewer individuals---American Oligarchs!!! Putin can be proud of the whole GOP as he is of Donald!!
7
Paul, you are preaching to the choir. Those who do not know or act ambiguously do not want to know. Socialism , Communism are as fundamental a tenet as sin itself to their belief system. It can't be changed or overcome. You might as well try to convince them that the Devil is sitting in he White House.
Just call Bernie a Mensch and leave the labels and isms to others.
If you want to understand what he stands for read John Rawls. “A Theory of Justice.” Harvard University Press 1971.
4
Thanks Paul Krugman, your articles always make the NYT opinion worth reading. I think we can calm the fake "socialist" scare with informative articles like this. And perhaps Sanders should pivot his labeling.
1
beautiful argumentation.
But we need more articulation of what's best to advocate. A tragedy of the critical tradition in politics and academia is that activists who support detailed critique are left in an abyss about what's best to do. Critique unto itself tends to leave programmatic activists handwringing.
What's the selectively best synthesis of proposals by Warren, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg?
Voters need to see trending toward a cohering progressive pragmatism early on, in order to be disposed to think Democratic.
Elections get thrown by the voter who says "I'm undecided until the last news cycle throws my opinion one way" (like a coin flip—which is what happened in the week before the 2016 election: another Wikileaks dump and Comey's CYA memo to Congress).
Bernie never refers to himself as a "Socialist". Every time a pundit does - he quickly adds the word "Democratic" to the word socialist handle. Every time. He never misses that beat. He is very clear that he is a Social Democrat. The headline is entirely misleading.
5
Regulated Free Market Capitalism all that is needed is honesty. Pretty poor odds today
I often wonder why we don't recognize that healthcare expenditures are essentially passed on via the cost of goods sold to everyone & everything in our economy? In a very real sense America already have socialized medicine; they just don't realize it yet or how much it is actually costing!!!:-D
1
He is an out and out communist. While the left rails against authoritarianism they want to control all aspects of our lives. This is communism.
@JoeGiul Sorry, it's the right, not the left, that wants to institute authoritarianism and control our lives - authoritarianism by corporation. Corporations would be happiest if they didn't have to bother with human beings with our pesky needs like health care and child care.
What I need is to get a magnetic bumper sticker to help get Democrats elected, but I don't want to donate to anyone. Send me a bumper sticker, and I'll slap that baby on my car. That's how you win. Of course it's magnetic in case they lose, you know there's guns around here. I am realistic.
Sanders has always called himself a social-democrat, like AOC. He has just been called a socialist by the right and the left so much that he ran with it and said, fine, I'm a socialist. As you point out Paul, the policies he is pursuing and Danish style social democracy policies, he doesn't want to nationalize all private companies. Personally, I hope it is Sanders vs Trump and a real final referendum on Medicare. Either everyone gets Medicare OR no one gets Medicare...full stop. I'm tired of people who grew up with free union healthcare most of their life, who now get Medicare screaming about the ACA and M4A being GODLESS, EVIL, SOCIALISM!!! Ok, then lets completely get rid of all Medicare and you can buy from the free market you love so much. And if they ever want to bring Medicare back...it will be for EVERYONE, not just some privileged old people.
3
Germany has 80 million people & no land outside of it’s main borders, unlike Denmark which owns a massive ice block (Trump wanted) that used to be green with lots if life on it when the temperature was higher—so let’s look at the German healthcare system:
It is set up with multitudes of privately held insurance companies offering either the so-called private insurance or the standard insurance. The basic difference is the private insurance keeps you alive to 95% & the standard to 90% of whatever a life entails in this day and age. What about the remaining 10%? If you walk through a field of Uranium-234 no doctor is going to be able to help you! You get the idea.
Germany has the world’s fourth largest economy so it is on paar with America in terms of challenges faced, except America is way richer!
What are the essential key factors about this system?
1) It’s fully integrated with employers, which means, in typical German fashion, there’s a well-oiled system behind it. The government sets the rules and all employers must comply or go packing! That creates fairness.
2) It’s standardized in all 16 states; There are no state or regional monopolies. All companies are active everywhere, so, if you move, your insurance goes with you.
3) The standard insurance group never sees a bill except very small co-pays (ex. medication ~11 US dollars). The privately insured group pays mostly upfront out of pocket & gets reimbursed after submitting invoices.
Ordnung (Order) is good!
1
Actually, Bernie Sanders has praised Venezuelan Socialism.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/sanders-distances-himself-from-2011-editorial-on-his-senate-website-praising-the-american-dream-in-venezuela
Bernie advocated nationalizing major US industries:
Bernie Sanders in the 1970s urged nationalization of most major industries
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/14/politics/kfile-bernie-nationalization/index.html
I'll vote for any dem who doesn't say this is the most important election of our lifetime and/or now it's worse than Germany in the 30's.
1
Not even Bernie knows what Bernie is.… and the 'bros' know even less.
But they know they are 'angry' and they, like stumpy, want to 'break it to fix it'....
Mostly because they have no idea how to 'fix it'....
And I have no idea why anyone would give Bernie any serious consideration.
1
If Sanders says he is a socialist, but he is not, then does that make him a liar, a dreamer or a fool?
Since when has using the term "Socialist" ever been successful when used as a personal brand Paul? Answer - never.
@Kurt Pickard
It was quite popular a century ago and we had governors like LaFollete, mayors like Marcantonio and candidates like Debs (most of whose votes were discarded rater than counted).
"He has expressed admiration , not for Venezuela, but for Denmark"?
Then why did he write: “… the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina … Who’s the banana republic now?”
@stfarrar, I wouldn’t call that admiration, just a recognition that things are pretty awful for many Americans. We can’t even be as good as those countries... sad.
A wannabe socialist is more problematic than an actual socialist. You are either one and should act and talk like one or you should steer clear from any socialist agenda. Some of these Democratic candidates are starting to worry me. They need to be clear about their ideology and agenda and go full on with it. So far, Bloomberg has been the only one who seems to know what he's doing and saying.
I like Bernie.
That said, do we Americans say sentences like,
“Jack and Jill play soccer with the ball red.”?
Do we?
No we don’t; so, why does Bernie call himself a Democratic Socialist instead of a Social Democrat?
A Social Democrat adds some needed support systems to capitalism so society can flourish and a Democratic Socialist lets you vote on what was already decided by the party leaders, similar to how China does it. Be careful what system you vote for.
Is anyone else concerned that before his heart attack he aid that he would release his medical records and now he says that he won't? And that he could have another and if it happens during election season? That very red face he often has worries me. He is too old, forget about everything else.
For God’s sake, Bernie — you’re a “social democrat,” not a “democratic socialist.” Your policy positions and ideology are exactly those of most postwar European social democrats. Only the kooky left that flirted with communist ideology in postwar Europe used the term “socialist” or “democratic socialist” (the latter because they were competing for power in countries that were not single-party dictatorships).
“Democratic socialism” also harkens back to the vitriolic debates among warring left-wing factions in the early 20th-century on the eve of the Bolshevik Revolution (Lenin’s famous “What Is To Be Done?” features numerous references to these tedious clashes). Not the historical company Sanders needs to be associated with through his inexplicably poor choice of language.
If Bernie persists with this rhetoric, he’ll set himself up to walk into a buzzsaw in the general election. That no one in his campaign has the guts, brains or common sense to tell him all of the above is astounding — unless their goal is to lose the election and see Trump finish off American democracy.
Then the word “democracy” will join both “liberal” and “socialist” as words commonly used in the US in a way that uniquely disfigures their original meanings, which are largely still understood and appreciated outside of the excruciatingly odd, but tragically influential, American bubble.
Hey Bernie! You’re a “social democrat”!
I think the Times is getting really afraid that Bernie will become President. We’re now up to two or three articles a day on why he is unelectable.
Me thinks thou doth protest too much.
6
Before we get to “Denmark”, we can take affirmative regulatory actions to stop the rape of the American people by the insurance, health care, and pharmaceutical industries.
5
With all due respect Professor Krugman, this might be the most foolish & irresponsible column you’ve ever written.
Bernie honeymooned in Soviet Moscow and sang its praises back home. He’s on record saying the American Dream is more readily found in Venezuela. He’s been lately speaking of launching a nationalized power generation system that is intended to take aim at eliminating public utilities. He wants to nationalize health care and remove the private sector from the healthcare delivery system. Every one of these proposals is socialistic.
Suggesting that Sanders is not a
Socialist - despite the fact that he labels himself as such - is the height of journalistic irresponsibility. While everyone is free to their own opinion, you’re not free to your own facts.
1
@Keith Colonna
Makes me want to vote for him even more.
1
Nailed it! Thanks.
Oh, the irony of "conservatives accuse you of wanting to turn America into the Soviet Union." while doing exactly that by their support of Putin's designated president. Projection is their go-to technique of slandering opponents.
3
Methinks Bernie Sanders is representing what his policies mean for the American people, very well indeed.
Americans, by and large, now know that when corporate America and the wealthiest Americans, Trump and his Republican partners, the Republican-Lite Pelosi Schumer Biden democrats, and the mainstream media mount massive campaigns against Bernie, as they are doing, it means that collectively they are shaking in abject fear that "We the People" are wide awake, eternally diligent, and are impatiently waiting to enter a polling booth and make Bernie Sanders our 46th President.
This is the reality; Biden is history; Bloomberg will spend his millions, for naught; Warren flip-flopped undermining herself; Steyer is another version of Bloomberg; Buttigieg seems to be courting big money, all the while trying to hide it; Kloubaucher is worryingly approaching a kind of Hillary Clinton stridency, even wheedingly trying to appear meek as she tries to play the "let's elect a woman, this time" card, and the Pelosi Schumer democrats are getting more and more fraught, becoming babbling idiots as they try to come up with an "anyone but Bernie" candidate, desperate to maintain the status quo, even willing to accept a second Trump term to protect their pieces of silver doled out by their corporate masters and wealthiest donors.
Well, I got news for these charlatans, Bernie Sanders will be the nominee, and will beat Trump, and will be our 46th President.
5
@Mel Farrell I totally agree. Well said.
1
I believe Senator Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist. You know this, but if you acknowledged it you would have no story. Is your well that dry?
1
He isn’t a viable candidate either. Sorry bro .
To conservatives, anything to the left of feudalism smacks of socialism.
4
No way Mr. Trump loses in 2020.
1
Bernie Will WIN if we
#WriteInBernie
especially if it is between two billionaires!
1
I always think of George McGovern and Bernie Sanders to the man walk the same visionaries but Nixon won him in a landslide where America was not ready for liberal ideas and they're not ready for Bernie. I think by now the Democrats should learn, that history lesson of 1980, will harm again. The Democrat party should clearly run on a straight path to the White House there are only 2 candidates that could do that Michael Bloomberg has the money and the networking to be President Donald Trump. The other one VPJoe Biden but he's been tarnish by Pres. Donald Trump and family no way for Joe is time has come and gone. As sons deathbed, he told him to run but Hillary Clinton was running and lost the race Joe would've won the race you can look back at a time again would've should've could've all the possibilities.
I supported Michael Bloomberg because he has the powerhouse to defeat this President that's a winning ticket November 3, 2020. I don't believe America can take another hack election as President Donald Trump did in 2016 that's the only way he could win dirty.
But I hope Michael Bloomberg is up to it Republican Party will throw more mud on him than ever before his lifetime lies from Hannity cons and Rush Limbaugh awarded award they should never get a joke on American again by this president Donald Trump so when you go into ballot box November 3 vote for Mike.
Sanders is a Democratic Socialist, the correct label, not a Socialist. His ideas of governance are similar to those of the democratic E.U. (except Hungary and Austria), only without partial national ownership of corporations. In the U.S., rich corporations are given generous subventions--a sort of socialist aid just for them.
First world countries -- the E.U. and Canada -- show higher levels of education, pay, sexual equality, pro-environmental stances, free healthcare and happiness -- than the U.S.
Taxes are somewhat higher, but not arduously so, and governments are structured to ensure that funds dedicated to say, healthcare or education, are not diverted to "pet" causes.
E.U. countries deficit spend in the area of healthcare. This does not harm their economies.
Trump's deficit, caused by his tax break for the rich and bailouts for those hurt in his trade wars, is bad in that it benefits only the rich, or victims of Trump's bad judgement.
But a new Democratic administration, even if the rich are taxed proportionally, will need to deficit spend initially, to raise salaries, start green energy enterprises, build infrastructure, expand healthcare.
Mayor Pete's deficit hawk stance will hurt all Americans. Austerity didn't work in the E.U., it won't work in the U.S.
5
This article epitomizes why America is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to fundamental guarantees to its citizens. In 2020, Americans are still grasping the main tenants of socialism, and this is after seven decades of the Cold War, and three decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It seems the fatal blow to New Deal-era social welfare worked during the height of Reagan’s corporatization and the Third Way Democrats who followed; a deliberate public relations suppression of social welfare, increase public ignorance at working class peril.
The rest of the industrialized world knows socialism to a large degree; it’s function as an umbrella term which consists of both democratic socialism, social democracy, and small scale workplace democratization. It’s true these terms can be confusing, but what is clearly understood is that socialism is NOT the Soviet Union or Mao’s China. I would think Mr. Krugman, a very influential Keynesian, would convey this clearly to a public still understanding these century old questions.
Sanders represents an FDR-style approach to solving major inequities in the US. He can beat Trump on the issues. His biggest stumbling block might not even be defeating the fascist autocracy of the Trump administration, but instead convincing his fellow liberals to not cynically suppress a movement, continuously confuse the public, and eventually supply right-wing ammo against Sanders in a general election.
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@Oliver You are right of course, and the people of the US need to be educated, but whether Sanders can complete the education of Americans in such a short time is problematic at best. And we can not lose this election while trying to change the attitudes of many Americans.
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You can’t combine unfettered illegal immigration with promises of government to take care of all.
This is obvious to a wide swath of the electorate.
Sanders nomination would be the greatest gift for Trumps re-election. And everyone knows it.
Only question that remains is if the democrats are willing to let Trump get re-elected to squelch the rising socialism calls from within their party. It’ll take many election cycles to overcome the lopsided humiliation.
Two things. By freely admitting that he's a Democratic Socialist, Bernie inoculates himself against the term being used as an epithet in the election. And if "the polling evidence says that America is basically a center-left nation" then why do liberal East Coast elitists have such contempt for anyone who doesn't live near a coast?
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Given the NH election, it is clear that Sanders wing does not represent the center. Just add the Pete and Amy voters and you get a much greater number than the Sanders win. It would be a travesty to let Bernie steam roll the Democratic Party and down ticket it cold cause Nancy to loose her majority. I don't doubt that the Republicans are funding Bernie with dark money. And moreover he has been an ineffectual senator. What big law has he been associated with? So Elizabeth Warren has written pro consumer legislation. He has out organized the main part of the Democratic Party. He is the GOP's suicide pill for the Democratic Party. He is worse than another Ralph Nader. It is clear the majority of Americans have government they don't want but Democrats have real difficulty finding their center. And when we did the GOP stole then election from Hillary. Dems have consensus figure and win by a larger margin than Hillary's win. Moreover probably half of Bernie voters will sit on their hands come the general election; they are movement oriented and not party oriented.
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Agreed that Bernie Sanders is not really a socialist, but most voters, including Democrats, don't know very exactly what socialism is, and virtually all Republicans don't care. Eyes would generally glaze over were Bernie or anyone else try to "explain." It's a tag he's long chosen to exploit--for whatever reasons--and a label that continues to prove toxic.
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@Bruce Martin Most people do understand what socialism is but it’s a convenient word to use to indicate their policy differences.
Prof Krugman- please correct me if I am wrong, I am but a lowly econ student, but isn't Bernie a classic Adam Smith Capitalist? The Wealth of Nations discusses the necessity of government involvement in the free market to prevent monopoly, common goods, education, infrastructure, and a progressive tax system- all the trademarks of Bernie's platform.
I have been arguing for years that not only is Bernie NOT a Socialist, but he is in fact a classic Free-Market Capitalist.
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There's a significant difference between Democratic Socialism and Socialism, yet Paul Krugman goes with the incorrect term 100% of the time.
Michael Bloomberg, a republican hijacking the democratic primary via wealth is described by Paul Krugman as "progressive".
Single-payer healthcare is described by Paul Krugman as "not a popular position", despite medicare for all being supported by 70% in exit polls.
Paul Krugman waxes poetic about needing to form a broad coalition, somehow missing the most remarkable coalition of multiracial, multigenerational support of a candidate, Sanders, in modern history.
You'll be just fine ignoring professional wrong people like Paul Krugman.
Lots of demonstrated reasons to ignore Paul Krugman.
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36,7 % - that was my effective tax rate in Denmark last on a income of approx. 100 k USD - according to my final annual tax return, which was generated automatically - without me having to pay someone to help me "do" them.
The rate is based on:
8 % in "work marked tax" (which covers programs as unemployment benefit, sich leave, parental leave etc.)
11,13 % in "low brachet tax" (on all income)
15 % in "top brachet tax" (on income over 80K USD)
1 % health contribution (on all income)
23,8 % in municipal tax (on all income)
All rates are subject to deductions such as interests on my morgage, but more than half is a "employed" deduction (on the basis of being employed).
The only thing that is not included above is the value-added tax of 25 % on all goods and services. This might seem high, but as we are in a common marked with the EU, and have trade agreements with most of the world, I think some of the hit to consumer prices is mitigated by competetion. Additionally, there are no "mandatory" tips as you can safely assume that employees in the service sector are paid a good normal living wage and have assess to the same public services as you do, so a lot of the expences of this kind are not as prevailent (with the only downside being that the "tipper" does not get the feeling of being very generous while being served by someone working several jobs just to manage a living)
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@M This is very much different than what American Democrats propose. It’s clear that in Denmark, everyone pays in and benefits. The idea of Democrats here is to tax just the wealthy which is a house of cards that would quickly fail.
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Bloomberg
Klobuchar
Buttigieg
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If is looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck folks. Krugman and Sanders followers can spin his platform any way they like, but at the end of the day Sanders is as close to a Socialist as American politics has seen in generations. That he's leaning into that characterization, in my opinion, speaks to a fatal flaw in his campaign - the belief that enough Americans in swing states will opt-in to a much larger government, more taxes and less individual choice.
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The 2020 election will be dominated by fearsome, relentless negative advertising on the part of Trump, the RNC, and his dark money funded re-election campaign. Let's face it: Trump has very little to brag out for his first term; it's been an overwhelming failure. He can't talk about health care, or his tax cuts, or his world leadership or even his stupid wall.
We under-estimate the power of propaganda at our peril. Sanders, or any Democratic nominee, will be pilloried with nonstop, devastating attack ads, supported by Russian and extremist social media campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere.
If you doubt this, look around. It's already happening to Bloomberg, who suddenly has become the biggest threat to Trump, in Trump's mind. Mike is already being e portrayed as a raging, out of control racist, of course deflecting attention away from Trump's own sorry record of racial prejudice. The goal: suppress minority voting.
To repeat, the coming election will be a dis-information war of epic proportions. In that scenario, Sanders will be especially vulnerable. The eventual Democratic nominee will have to weather a vitriolic assault intended to motivate Trump's base while persuading vast numbers of potential voters to sit this one out. Only Bloomberg has the resources to counter this kind of campaigning, which is why he is already being bombarded with negative "news" stories.
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@paulb67 Which is why Bloomberg who has the resources, and the know how with media can defeat Trump. Bloomberg must be supported. Trump wants Sanders because he can defeat him - Sanders alienates many Americans. Bloomberg can unite both parties.
Mr. Krugman your wrong. Bernie Sanders always makes it clear that he is a Democratic Socialist not a Socialist. He is well aware of the right's attempt to conflate being a socialist with being a Communist or worse. Let's not forget the most popular Socialist program in the United States is Social Security and it has the word "Social" right in it's name.
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Bernie Sanders has recently called for national rent control and laws that only allow ALL employees to fired for just cause. The inefficiencies that this would impose on the economy would be staggering.
Bernie Sanders thinks that every problem can be solved with yet more regulation. He never acknowledges that government can often be stupid and wasteful in its policies and actions.
We all know that Bernie is actually a socialist capitalist. i believe that is what the European & Scandinavian countries call themselves.
What scares me is what we may have in the White House. Trump's love affair with Putin, his admiration of him, his taking Putin's word over that of his intelligence people, his private conversations with Putin where we have no idea what was said. Plus his admiration for dictators in general, and his increasing actions of a dictator himself.
Calling Bernie a socialist seems pretty tame compared to what he could call Trump, and the shoe fits.
Whoever ends up as the Democratic nominee is desperately needed to stop this wannabee dictator from destroying our government, our country and our planet.
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Excellent explanation of the lies and deceptions Republicans require to get any votes at all; and it's hard to counter unabashed lies and false narratives from actors willing to cover their true intentions with false narratives and fear-based emotional manipulations toslander their opponents. The comparison of Denmark to Hungary is brilliant and should have purchase with anyone smarter than a ferret.
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Paul, you’re nitpicking just like Mayor Pete, the great Neoliberal hope. Look I grew up in New Jersey during the height of the Cold War. Due to Trump ‘s bizarre alliances with modern Russia, I am almost nostalgic for those days of Khrushchev pounding his shoe at the UN ,and his quote, “we will bury you”. The Red Menace! American democracy used to be thought of as a good example to the world. Now, Bernie from Brooklyn comes along, and MSM is determined to denigrate Sanders and his supporters . The hatred and vitriol is very real. But, the electorate are with Bernie. The so-called Establishment would appear to prefer Trump or his richer and more dignified clone, Mayor Bloomberg. That’s fine with me-you are entitled to your opinion. But, this Boomer is supporting Bernie Sanders. As JFK and RFK used to say: “ we can do better “.
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I like Sanders but I’ll probably vote for Warren in the primary. Sanders thinks the DNC and the media are out to get him. But if the media and DNC are allies of Bloomberg I’d hate to see his enemies.
I agree with you Paul Krugman about Sanders and about the need for everyone to get behind and support whoever is the Democratic nominee. And I will even though my problem with Sanders is not his progressive leanings with I like, but his inflexibility and unwillingness to take advice and guidance from anyone. It is the reason he has been so unproductive as a federal representative.
Sanders is a benign narcissist unlike Trump, a malignant narcissist who has infected this country with hate, racism, and unlawfulness. Without question, Sanders would make a much better president than Trump so I will vote for him.
Thank you for your very wise advice. Let's hope Sanders is also willing to hear it.
I do wish that Mr. Krugman would stop with the dishonest description of Bernie...he is a democratic socialist. Including the word "democratic" matters when you are describing his political philosophy. The media as a whole time and time again persists in labeling him a socialist, which I'm sure they are aware triggers a lot of people negatively. Is the media that lazy that they cannot report basic facts of a candidate, is it willful ignorance or malicious intent? Or a combination of all three?
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The presidential election process is in the "primaries" phase right now and it is fine for candidates with competing ideologies to highlight their differences, including by using labels such as "socialist" or whatever. In the "general election" phase, while the selected nominee would represent the direction of the party's supporters to govern in one way or another, the competition with Trump MUST be a referendum on the Trump package (all aspects - good, bad and ugly, and very ugly). Just because Trump's misinformation machine could caricature his opponent should not be a good reason for Dems to not select whoever represents their views and direction - because Trump machine will caricature the opponent viciously no matter who the opponent is. It would be for the Media to make sure that the general election is a referendum on Trump - if in order to do that it means that Nancy takes out her "impeachment machine" one more time, so be it. But, the Media has to STOP becoming fooled by Trump and his minions - whatever they say is ONLY for effect - it has no relationship to truth or policy or genuine intent - the Media should report only what they do - not what they say
Evils of “socialism” are the same as the evils of "capitalism" - CORRUPTION. We only have to look to Venezuela and America for examples of both.
Only millionaires & billionaires in America get free stuff - where our social safety net mainly saves the wealthy - who paid to bail them out last economic collapse they caused leaving the rest of society out to dry? Indeed, income inequality sky rocketed as a result of the recession they caused.
No doubt they're angling for another trumpian-level economic bust they can profit from leaving the rest of us to fall through the safety net that only saves millionaires & billionaires.
Republicans slash social programs to pay their rich patrons a wealth transfer dividend from society - trillions at a time.
Reagan, the trickle-down trickster, smeared “socialized medicine” because it would destroy our freedom. As if millions of us with massive health care bills and asset transfers for As-Seen-On-TV drugs with life altering extortion level pricing feel free.
Yes, Denmark IS freer than America - routinely one of the happiest in the world - and isn't that a better measure than cruel-wealth? One can live and take risks without fear of ending up out on the streets. In America only the 1% get to take astronomical risks without penalty because the rest of us pay for it.
Whenever trump smears socialism, Dems should counter trump's economic central planning as economic fascism - the trump is a Kakistocratic-capitalist with too many examples.
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I believe you are absolutely correct in describing Sander's problem. We have a mass of people that will readily believe what our Liar-in-Chief says: so socialism is is next door to communism while deflecting due criticism of his monstrous performance.
I think Buttigieg may be posturing on debt - chasing that centrist vote - which puts candidates like Warren in a bind over the cost of her Medicare for all - giving a more nuanced change plan at one tenth the cost.
I also would like to thank you for pointing out that Buttigieg is actually in this race - most news skips over him to talk about those in 3rd -5th place. His test will come with voters of color: if he has the lead or nearly so, they may be fools to follow others that may not or cannot defeat Trump.
The conservatives hate government and want to drown it in some bathtub. Government is a necessary and vital institution and can greatly enhance the welfare of the people. The social democracies of Europe offer far more freedom to the people than whatever it is that the Republicans favor. It would be comforting to know that the government had our backs.
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From the Democratic Socialists of America website: “The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in the United States. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.”
“Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our government and economy must be radically transformed through greater economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives.”
“Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as much decentralization as possible. While the large concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel may necessitate some form of state ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.”
The long term goal of DSA is the elimination of capitalism, of private ownership of capital/means of production.
Sanders is not a member of DSA. DSA supports Sanders for President.
Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib are DSA members.
Sanders, a Presidential candidate aligned with DSA will lose badly to Trump in November.
All excellent points especially "not waste political capital cleaning up the G.O.P.’s mess."!
Bernie isn't a socialist, but he isn't a Democrat either. I will vote for any Democrat in a storm, but Bernie?
I’m afraid Sanders does not bridge the gap for the USA. Bloomberg can bridge and unite.
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“ ... if the Democratic nominee, whoever he or she is, turns the election into a referendum on either single-payer health care or deficit reduction ...”:
The election should be a referendum on *Donald Trump*!
These are the primaries, not the general. You outflank your opponents by either going left or right. Sanders goes left, and Buttigieg goes right. They are preaching to the choir. In the general they will presumably work on those annoying undecided voters... the ones who decide our elections.... the ones who can't find Ukraine on a map but also the ones who have given no thought to the benefits of single-payer health plans not tied to a job. The ones who might be convinced that the biggest welfare programs in America are give-aways to corporations and CEOs. It is wrong to assume that the polling today will not change. The deciders in our country are currently talking about American Idol and Got Talent. When they eventually realize that they hold the future of our republic in their hands, they might actually learn a thing or two by listening to the candidates. Imagine a Sanders-Trump debate. Talk about good television. America's Got Angry Old White Guys.
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So Cheney was right and ahead of his time when he said deficits don't matter...and was roundly criticized be Democrats.
I support Bernie Sanders for President ...
But I support his agenda, which really comes from FDR.
The one thing that irritates me about Bernie is that
he has taken FDR's agenda and done Trump's work for
him in helping everyone see it as communism, socialism,.
or some kind of a threat to the country instead of policies
that are needed to right the ship or state.
Why is Bernie as dumb as a sock of rocks on this.
BERNIE ... RE-BRAND ... from Democratic Socialist to FDR Democrat, GET IT RIGHT, and be done with it.
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Of course, Dr. Krugman. Why has no one in the punditocracy said this out loud until now?
If Bernie gets the nomination, I'll vote for him, but he can't possibly win in November. Tsar Putin knows it, and this is why his troll army supported Bernie in 2016 and is probably supporting him now (from senate intelligence, publicly available information).
Bernie can't win in November because he's much too old, he's already had one heart attack, he's too shrill and dogmatic, and his money math doesn't add up anyway. Trump would love to run against "crazy Bernie."
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Paul Krugman reports that “These days, if you call for something like universal child care, conservatives accuse you of wanting to turn America into the Soviet Union.”
I fail to see how providing universal child care for all who need it is the same as the Soviet apparatus that strips economic value from state resources and hands it over to cronies and oligarchs and crooks.
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