N.O. Pundit

Krugman vs. Krugman

Let's compare and contrast two different mainstream media pundits' points of view. It is clear that America is viciously divided. How can we as concerned Americans ever expect to bridge this divide?

First, the system works:

"I always get a little choked up when I go to the local school to cast my vote. The humbleness of the surroundings only emphasizes the majesty of the process: This is democracy, America's great gift to the world, in action.

"But during the last few days before Election Day I saw pictures from Florida that were even more majestic. They showed long lines of voters, snaking through buildings and on down the sidewalk: citizens patiently waiting to do their civic duty. Those people still believe in American democracy; and because they do, so do I.

"In truth, I wasn't sure what would happen in Florida this year. After all that has gone wrong with voting in that state, it seemed all too possible that many people would simply give up and stay home."

Second, the system is broken:

"President Bush isn't a conservative. He's a radical - the leader of a coalition that deeply dislikes America as it is. Part of that coalition wants to tear down the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt, eviscerating Social Security and, eventually, Medicare. Another part wants to break down the barriers between church and state. And thanks to a heavy turnout by evangelical Christians, Mr. Bush has four more years to advance that radical agenda.

"Democrats are now, understandably, engaged in self-examination. But while it's O.K. to think things over, those who abhor the direction Mr. Bush is taking the country must maintain their intensity; they must not succumb to defeatism.

"This election did not prove the Republicans unbeatable. Mr. Bush did not win in a landslide. Without the fading but still potent aura of 9/11, when the nation was ready to rally around any leader, he wouldn't have won at all. And future events will almost surely offer opportunities for a Democratic comeback."

I have to admit that I am surprised that I agree with the first pundit - I rarely do. The second pundit of course is exhibiting his usual pandering vitriol - something I have grown to expect with more regularity than my bowel movements. How do we get people so polarized together? It seems beyond even a Herculean task. Perhaps we just give up and realize that some folks were never meant to inhabit the same room (let alone the same country). This is America after all.

For the curious, the first pundit is Paul Krugman, patriot extraordinaire, writing in the New York Times on November 2, 2004. The second pundit is (he really needs no introduction!) Paul Krugman, bipolar paranoid enemy of everything Bush, writing in the New York Times on November 5, 2004.

It's amazing that the New York Times is able to keep two surely sworn blood enemies on the same payroll! Boy, would I like to be the fly on the wall when those two meet at the water cooler!

Posted by nopundit at November 5, 2004 02:57 PM