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Paul Krugman: "A note to Tea Party activists: This is not the movie you think it is. You probably imagine that you're starring in 'The Birth of a Nation,' but you're actually just extras in a remake of 'Citizen Kane.'"

Portrait, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, 06/15/09. (photo: Fred R. Conrad/NYT)

Fear and Favor

Paul Krugman, The New York Times

04 October 10

A note to Tea Party activists: This is not the movie you think it is. You probably imagine that you're starring in "The Birth of a Nation," but you're actually just extras in a remake of "Citizen Kane."

True, there have been some changes in the plot. In the original, Kane tried to buy high political office for himself. In the new version, he just puts politicians on his payroll.

I mean that literally. As Politico recently pointed out, every major contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination who isn't currently holding office and isn't named Mitt Romney is now a paid contributor to Fox News. Now, media moguls have often promoted the careers and campaigns of politicians they believe will serve their interests. But directly cutting checks to political favorites takes it to a whole new level of blatancy.

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+23 # fredboy 2010-10-04 09:30

This is the natural progression of a phenomenon I noticed that prompted me to leave the media: objectivity was shoved aside; the new "journalists", or more accurately "egotists", had to be somebody, be important, be accepted, be part of the story.

Thus was spawned "community journalism," clouding the line between the press and those we had a duty to cover. And the watchdog was willingly leashed, and became the frightened, whimpering lap dog of today.

So why not take it all the way--put the public players we used to cover directly on the media payroll?

The final step: Direct party and special interest control of the media. Fox is just foreshadowing what's already evolving.

And when the tea party gets its way and puts its chosen in office, they--the government the tea party allegedly hates--will be in charge of all media.

And you know what will happen next.

+7 # Viva la Franco-Ameri 2010-10-04 12:51

...and all for a lousy $110 bucks (that's $110 million in Plutocrat lingo; Koch Bros. recorded polit. contributions)

Makes you wonder how much the entire world (or political control thereof) would cost. But then again who creates the stuff ("money") in the first place? 1,000 yrs. ago it was silver; 2,000 years ago it was gold; 3,000 yrs. ago maybe something like sea shells.

1) "Too-big-to-fail",
2) "socialized risk", and
3) "direct party control of the media"
are all FRANCE-101 trademark characteristics .

I hope any patriots out there can see past the (red herring) trees, to the FOREST that has already been (financially) planted, and is now growing up.

Maybe you're okay with it; maybe you're not. But you should at least know what is happening (to your country & society).

Thanks, Fred.

+21 # Diane 2010-10-04 10:11

YES, the US government has a thoroughly and almost completely CORRUPT system. Democracies -- REAL democracies -- do not.

0 # Interested Observer 2010-10-05 11:01

Name a "real" democracy (without quibbling about republic vs democracy etc, and not counting "peoples democratic republics" etc that are actually dictatorships) larger than, say, Rhode Island. Having done that, name one with any real economic or political clout in the world.

-28 # Tom martin 2010-10-04 10:54

Dear Comrade Krugman.
The Birth of a Nation was sponsored by collectivist of the day. Collectivist believe in artificial group rights and ignore the rights of real individuals.

The tea Party is about individual rights - we all have them with no regard to what group we are a member or what group we are not a member of.

+4 # Norman 2010-10-04 16:35

What I see and hear is a lot of Social Rhetoric and invasions on people who do not agree with your views. Thanks, but that kind of Freedom serves no one but the bullies who would have us all march in lockstep.

+9 # Phillip 2010-10-04 19:27

The limits of individual rights end when they impose on the fundamental rights of others. And, as a member of a civilized society fundamental rights are decided by basic principles of fairness, kindness, and justice.

PS Jesus was a liberal.

+8 # Ralph Averill 2010-10-05 02:19

Not surprisingly, Mr. Martin, you missed the point of Mr. Krugman's column. It's about the cynical manipulation of the country's political system for the benefit of a few invisible billionaires, and the detriment of good and decent people such as yourself.

You're being used, Tom. And when they're through with you, you, and your rights, will be tossed aside.

+9 # Ken Hall 2010-10-05 03:21

The Tea Party is about aligning yourself with corporate interests and thinking you are channeling the Bill of Rights. Cognitive disconnect.

+21 # Peacedragon 2010-10-04 11:12

I still believe there are enough sane people to outvote the tea party.

+3 # celeste 2010-10-06 09:16

A refreshing thought!

+23 # genierae 2010-10-04 11:52

It has been said that in the end-times, "Evil will strut about in broad daylight". It is astonishing just how in-your-face the "forces of darkness" have become. Corporate elites and their servants, the Republicans, are aided and abetted by the mainstream corporate media, in their takeover of this country. It is only by the majority of Americans rising up against them, that we can save it. I hope that we wake up before its too late.

+1 # Viva la Franco-Ameri 2010-10-04 13:50

It is never too late to get one's s__t together. 'Evil' (Shiva) is just the stalking horse role- no more; no less- trying to make US (normal people) faster. Don't panic... That's just playing the 'Evil' bullies' game. And, being bullies of course, they tend to further disrespect those whom they have already pushed around some.

Sorry to sound all eastern, but you control yourself first, to have some hope of positively influencing others over the long-term.

+3 # genierae 2010-10-05 06:28

I agree that we must not give in to panic, I think that we must rise to the occasion. We have great resources within ourselves, we must just call them out. The problem is that so many people in this country have been taught all the wrong things, and they have no inkling as to what life is supposed to be. And these agents of ignorance are being poked and prodded by Republicans, into armed revolt. I can't see them waking up any time soon. I have always thought, however, that if we want true change, we must be prepared to put our lives on the line. Great leaders, such as Gandhi, Jesus, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela, were willing to put their lives at risk, and that is what made all the difference. Yet I must admit that I am of two minds on this. It may be that we are witnessing the end of empire and the beginning of a new life for mankind. And so part of me wants to save America, and the other part says "let it go". We live in interesting times.

+18 # Rowland 2010-10-04 12:58

A vote for the Tea Party is a vote for the Koch Brothers, who already have quite enough power.

+9 # Michael Bugg 2010-10-04 13:26

Never underestimate the threat of the misinformed, the gullible, and the outright ignorant in this country. They mistakenly believe that everything is FREE in this country and that rules are for fools!

+14 # LeeBlack 2010-10-04 13:49

My parents were depression-era Democrats and raised me with the belief that Republicans were the party of the business community who had the power of money behind them. Democrats were the party of the many who needed the power of cooperation of many 'little people' to counter the power of the wealthy. The Republicans have been able to convince many of those who should work together for the benefit of the community that their religious or 'social' welfare is no longer part of the 'party of many'. A misguided view in MHO and as Krugman so ably points out. So sad.

+5 # hip 2010-10-04 14:15

"I don't care if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice"
- Deng Xiao Ping

+1 # Ralph Averill 2010-10-05 02:22

Huh?

+19 # George Hunt 2010-10-04 14:24

What were they in 1958, was it the John Birch Society? Is that what the Tea Party is today? I mean whenever the government does anything good for the people, like a rational person thinks it should, they call it SOCIALISM, which I believe they think is something bad.

+1 # George Hunt 2010-10-04 14:29

#genierae:
In that revolution you speak of, won't the side with the money (i.e., the corp[orations) have the most guns, and, therefore, beat we the people again?

+5 # Ken Hall 2010-10-05 03:40

Superior armament doesn't necessarily win, look at the US labor/anti-corporate movement that brought overtime pay, the 40 hour/5 day work week, the Ghandian liberation of India, the Viet Nam war, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the recent creation of East Timor, the Bolivian indigenous revolt that brought Evo Morales to power, etc. The elites intimidate with their guns but violence does not create legitimacy.

+2 # Jorge 2010-10-08 11:00

Quoting

Superior armament doesn't necessarily win,...... The elites intimidate with their guns but violence does not create legitimacy.

Ken Hall is correct. Overwhelming firepower, as in Afghanistan, could not conquer people with far inferior weapons (and ultimately could not convince locals of the right to invade their country no matter what the purported reason). For this election we need to hold our noses and vote for Democratic candidates and then organize for the next elections with a viable third party (Progressive or Green or Middle Class Party).

+3 # genierae 2010-10-05 08:57

A successful uprising must be non-violent, such as Martin Luther King's, Gandhi's, and Nelson Mandela's. Yes, there would be many killed, but I think that the people would in the end, prevail. We have a responsibility, as citizens, to protect and defend our way of life. This is true when we are threatened from outside, and it is true when we are threatened from within. Corporations, and their Republican shills, are the biggest threat that America has ever faced, and we must begin to take that threat seriously, or we will lose all that is precious to us.

+11 # Night Raider 2010-10-04 16:39

George Hunt, you have hit it on the head!

Anytime government does something for the good of all, the tea party call it socialism. They are so ignorant. If decent schools, healthcare, highways, education, cultural amenities and public libraries are socialism -- give me a big serving please!

They seem to think trillions should be spent running money down a manhole in the middle east killing the innocent, building infrastructure for foreign countries and doling it out to (the biggest portion) the contractors -- the greedy cronies of the Republican elite.

Spend it here in the U.S.A on John Q. Citizen and they go berserk!

+4 # Maleko 2010-10-04 18:58

Ignorance and immaturity rule in our country. Fundamentally there are no adults in charge.

+6 # Brenda Louise 2010-10-04 21:20

"Citizen Kane". Ya know, I was thinking about that movie yesterday. And the the Koch Brothers, Inc., were feeding the people with little intellect, a fair measure of "Kochka Kola" to make them more stupid and hateful of the President.

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