Besides the whole Nobel Prize thing, it’s his ability to cut through the BS in the OpEd pages of The New York Times to get to the heart of the matter.
The most remarkable attribute Krugman has brought to the Times is rudeness. The social niceties that accompany his exalted position [on the Opinion page] are utterly lost on him. He does not seek out the company of famous politicians and cannot be courted with flattery or access. He understands that you can’t arrive at truth without explaining why mistaken beliefs are wrong.
Krugman’s favorite in-house target is David Brooks, a vessel for the respectable and generally mushy-headed conventional wisdom Krugman loathes. Last spring, Brooks wrote a column bemoaning the lack of civility in Washington, citing President Obama’s failure to invite arch-nemesis Paul Ryan for lunch. Krugman wrote mockingly in response, “The president, we were told, was being too partisan; he needs to treat his opponents with respect; he should have lunch with them, and work out a consensus.” The headline of Krugman’s column—“Let’s Not Be Civil”—neatly summarized his ethos. He is the man who was invited into the club and refused to be clubby.
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