Paul Krugman begins, "There was a time when Republicans used to refer to themselves, proudly, as 'the party of Lincoln.' But you don't hear that line much these days. Why? The main answer, presumably, lies in the GOP's decision, long ago, to seek votes from Southerners angered by the end of legal segregation. With the old Confederacy now the heart of the Republican base, boasting about the party's Civil War-era legacy is no longer advisable."
Portrait, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, 06/15/09. (photo: Fred R. Conrad/NYT)
Abraham Lincoln, Inflationist
11 February 11
There was a time when Republicans used to refer to themselves, proudly, as "the party of Lincoln." But you don't hear that line much these days. Why?
The main answer, presumably, lies in the GOP's decision, long ago, to seek votes from Southerners angered by the end of legal segregation. With the old Confederacy now the heart of the Republican base, boasting about the party's Civil War-era legacy is no longer advisable.
But sooner or later, Republicans were bound to notice other reasons to disavow Lincoln. He was, after all, the first president to institute an income tax. And he was also the first president to issue a paper currency - the "greenback" - that wasn't backed by gold or silver. "There is nothing more insidious that a country can do to its people than to debase its currency," declared Representative Paul Ryan in one of two hearings Congress held on Wednesday on monetary policy. So much, then, for the Great Liberator.
Which brings me to the story of what went on in those monetary hearings.
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Maybe they should start calling themselves "The Party of Bush, Beck, and Palin"?
By implication, Krugman is also living in the past when he implies that racism is a major factor in the south. When I was a kid, ubiquitous racism in the south was being challenged but these days southerners are very likely to embrace inclusion and be proud of it.
He, like many of his ideological bent, conflates fiscal conservativism with racism and that conflation is false as can be seen by the growing number of minority group leaders and candidates that were nominated and, in a few cases elected, by fiscal conservatives -- some of them even from the south.
If we can dislodge the assumption that "fiscal conservatism equals racism", we might eventually have a civil dialogue on the merits of the economic policy case but as long as name-callers like Krugman lead the pack, rancor is sure the reign.
Lee Nason
New Bedford, Massachusetts
But, the point is, Lincoln was the presidential choice of the railroad and banking elite of his day. So, really, the Republican party has pretty much stayed true to form, backing the candidate of the elite to this day.
Ditto!
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