Monday, April 13, 2015

Krugman on Polarization and the Next Eighteen Months

When it comes to his straightforward political analysis, Krugman is very good at stating what seems to be obvious but that no one else seems to have said quite so clearly.

How did the parties get this far apart? Political scientists suggest that it has a lot to do with income inequality. As the wealthy grow richer compared with everyone else, their policy preferences have moved to the right — and they have pulled the Republican Party ever further in their direction. Meanwhile, the influence of big money on Democrats has at least eroded a bit, now that Wall Street, furious over regulations and modest tax hikes, has deserted the party en masse. The result is a level of political polarization not seen since the Civil War.

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