Wonkbook: Conservatives think they've caught Paul Krugman in an act of hypocrisy

Sponsored by Susan B. Anthony List | By Matt O'Brien There's nothing more predictable than people being in favor of deficits when their preferred political party is in power, and against them when it's not. Republicans, as you might recall, have spent the past eight years warning that President Obama's deficits would turn us into Greece to the point of actively trying to …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   Paul Krugman. (Scott Eells/Bloomberg News) By Matt O'Brien There's nothing more predictable than people being in favor of deficits when their preferred political party is in power, and against them when it's not. Republicans, as you might recall, have spent the past eight years warning that President Obama's deficits would turn us into Greece to the point of actively trying to force us to default on the debt supposedly as a way to keep us from doing so tomorrow, only to turn around and get ready to add $9 trillion of red ink now that they're in charge. Debt hysteria, you see, is reserved for Democratic presidents. It's the same sort of thing conservatives think they've caught Paul Krugman doing. Back in August, when it looked as though Hillary Clinton was going to win the White House, he wrote that it was still "Time to Borrow." But now that Donald Trump is getting ready for the most elegant, most tremendous inauguration ever, Krugman has said that "Deficits Matter Again." Now, this might seem like a pretty straightforward gotcha, but only if you don't read past the headlines. There's actually no contradiction here. Read the rest on Wonkblog. Top policy tweets The Obamacare repeal could be a big deal for consumers. But not yet. Lotta steps remain: https://t.co/d0LjiTssEz — Margot Sanger-Katz (@sangerkatz) January 13, 2017 Cancer patient tells Paul Ryan the ACA saved his life. Ryan responds with a brazen falsehood. 2017 will not be fun.https://t.co/i7p52d7pag — Steve Benen (@stevebenen) January 13, 2017 In a deregulatory administration, Ben Carson should take up the cause of housing deregulation. https://t.co/jCoZ09PQYR — Timothy B. Lee (@binarybits) January 13, 2017 ADVERTISEMENT   Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog Conservatives think they’ve caught Paul Krugman in an act of hypocrisy. They haven’t. There is actually a strong case for why what Krugman is saying is right, and what conservatives are saying is wrong. By Matt O'Brien  •  Read more »   Why the 'gluten-free movement' is less of a fad than we thought There's been an incredible rise in the number of gluten-free people, and they may not all be just making it up. By Caitlin Dewey  •  Read more »   Why Trump’s trade plan could be a tax on the poor China has hurt the U.S. working class. But so could Trump's proposed plan to deal with it. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   Indiana court overturns drug conviction after SWAT team detonates stun grenade near a baby It's not the first time officers in Evansville, IN have been reprimanded for reckless SWAT tactics. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   What Ben Carson got wrong about government assistance It was a theme during his confirmation hearing. But research shows it's wrong. By Tracy Jan  •  Read more »   Trump names Goldman Sachs executive counselor on economic initiatives Dina Powell, who has been at Goldman Sachs for nearly 10 years, was one of the highest ranking Arab Americans in the George W. Bush administration. By Renae Merle  •  Read more »   It's not the white working class that is hurting the most You've heard a lot about the white working class since the election -- but that's not the group that's struggling most By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Federal Insider Federal news and policy update, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071