Krugman Humiliates Feckless (WSJ) Editorialist Brett Stephens on CNN. Best Takedown Ever.

[TrollBuster9090]

Damn, that was satisfying. This was the best takedown of a conservative shill I’ve seen in a long time. Watch the clip.

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/03/krugman-smashes-wsj-hacks-denial-reality

Fareed Zakaria GPS had a debate between Krugman and WSJ’s columnist Brett Stephens today on who/what to blame for the rise of Trump. Fareed accurately claimed that Trump was just capitalizing on decades of GOP dog-whistle racism, xenophobia, and politics of resentment, and blamed the GOP for capitalizing on these feelings, rather than condemning them.

Stephens then referred to his WSJ column this week entitled ‘Staring at the Conservative Gutter,’ and actually had the nerve to blame RUSH LIMBAUGH and MARK LEVIN for not calling out Trump for espousing these views, and then claimed that the conservative establishment had nothing to do with it.

Krugman then took Stephans completely off guard, by saying “I nearly fell off my chair after reading Brett’s column. Espousing Bill Buckley as the epitome of the ‘CLEAN conservative’?’” Krugman then pulled out a piece of paper, and read a quote from Buckley:

“ ‘Is the White community in the South entitled to take such measures that are necessary to prevail in areas in which it does not predominate numerically? Yes, because the White Community is the advanced race.’

I mean, this is part of how the right has gotten people to come out to vote for them for many many years, and all Trump is doing is splitting up the package. He’s saying you can have all that stuff (racism, xenophobia etc.) without having to buy into supply side economics.”

Stephens, visibly shaken and angry then says “well, I’m certainly not going to defend what Buckley wrote 50 years ago, but…”

Really, Brett? You’re WSJ column is USING what Buckley said 50 years ago as proof that ‘pure’ conservatism does not have a racist element. Here’s the first paragraph of your column…

“Staring at the Conservative Gutter
Donald Trump gives credence to the left’s caricature of bigoted conservatives.
By BRET STEPHENS
Feb. 29, 2016 7:22 p.m. ET
In the late 1950s, Bill Buckley decreed that nobody whose name appeared on the masthead of the American Mercury magazine would be published in the pages of National Review. The once-illustrious Mercury of H.L. Mencken had become a gutter of far-right anti-Semites. Buckley would not allow his magazine to be tainted by them.”

Sorry, Brett, but that ain’t no characature, it’s the reality, and you’re not allowed to edit Buckley’s quites.

Krugman then scored a second time when Stephens tried to blame Republican base anger on the economy. Krugman said:

“It’s become kind of a running joke, every time you see some very overt racism among Trump supporters you say ‘look at the economic anxiety.’”

Hah! After the second hit, Stephens' voice begins to shake, as he flails in all directions trying to defend the indefensible. Pretty good stuff!

Stephens then attempted to claim that 'establishment' conservatives, like the ones at WSJ have been fighting against Trump for a long time, but that wasn't the point. Neither Krugman nor Zakaria claimed that the establishment conservatives haven't been trying to stop Trump. They claimed they did nothing to stop the dog-whistle racist tactics that Trump is now exploiting.

Show me just ONE TIME that the F-ING Wall Street Journal condemned any of the following:

1. Ronald Reagan making a "State's Rights" speech in 1980 near the spot where civil rights workers were murdered in 1964; or invoking a dog-whistle 'welfare queen' collecting welfare while driving a Cadillac.

2. George HW Bush's Willie Horton ad.

3. Newt Gingrich referring to Obama as 'the greatest food stamp President,' or inferring that Obama is lazy, and spends a lot of his time sleeping and watching ESPN. Or saying that 'poor' 'inner city' kids have 'no habits of work.' 'Inner-city,' of course, being dog-whistle for African American.

4. Obama's citizenship and eligibility to be President being challenged for the last 7 years, often by sitting GOP Congressmen, or when Boehner was asked about it by Chris Matthews, having him respond "look, it's not my responsibility to tell the public what to think..."

Or having GOP Congressmen yell 'You LIE' at Obama during an address to Congress.

The amount of dog-whistle blowing that's been done by conservative politicians over the last 30 years is almost as deafening as the Wall Street Journal's SILENCE throughout ALL of it.

[nxylas]

1. In defence of Buckley...

...I believe he later recanted some of his more racist views. But there's also his famous "now listen, you queer" to Gore Vidal to take into account.

[Hortensis]

2. I can't think of Newt without remembering his

belief that poor minority kids kids should be taught to work instead of being lazy by having them scrub school toilets in return for lunch. I was poor back in what we think of as backwards days now, but I was trained in marketable skills in the library, school office, and handling a cash register in the cafeteria -- and got paid money it. The blast of disapproval should have been so strong he would have splashed down 50 miles offshore. But it wasn't.

Krugman was excellent.

How about Charles Krauthammer's evaluation of how to deal with the GOP's severe demographic crisis after the last GE? He advised that the GOP should OUT-reach to Latino conservatives, almost literally throw them out a bone, by agreeing cut back on the exploitation and persecution of illegals. Nothing more, and obviously no need to pretend to believe that they aren't all here illegitimately. As for how to win black conservatives, his take was that the nation "doesn't need two Democratic Parties." In other words, off the GOP list entirely.

Of course, Trump is merely another iteration of these people, minus the hypocrisy and Krauthammer's nauseating pseudointellectualism of course.

[pampango]

3. "... every time you see some very overt racism among Trump supporters you say ‘look at the economic

anxiety.’”

Krugman then scored a second time when Stephens tried to blame Republican base anger on the economy. Krugman said:

“It’s become kind of a running joke, every time you see some very overt racism among Trump supporters you say ‘look at the economic anxiety.’”

On the right there is always an excuse for racism and xenophobia.

[Vogon_Glory]

4. From A Very Conservative Paper Of Record To another Right-Wing Scuzz-bucket

The Wall Street Journal has been prancing through the daisies on the road to journalistic perdition well before Rupert Murdoch took it over. Paul Krugman delivered an on-time, on-target salvo.

Brett Stephens, you don't work for a reputable publication; you work for a publication that turned to blatant partisan w###### decades ago, and you're being called out for it.

Count your blessings, bub. At least it ain't physical. No post-liberation head-shaving, no scarlet "A."