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Contra Krugman

Join Bob Murphy and Tom Woods in this weekly libertarian podcast as they teach economics by refuting Paul Krugman's New York Times column. Plus, expect special guests like Ron Paul, David Stockman, and more!
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Contra Krugman
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Now displaying: 2017
Jul 9, 2017

Is a trade war in the offing? There's plenty of protectionist talk coming from the White House. Will it "save jobs"?

Show notes for Ep. 94

Jun 30, 2017

The official study commissioned by the city of Seattle is painting a grim picture of the consequences of the minimum wage increase in that city thus far.

Show notes for Ep. 93

Jun 24, 2017

Well well well, in a splash of serendipity, the one week Tom leaves the show in Bob's hands, Krugman devotes his column to zombies--and vampires. Specifically, the GOP idea that tax cuts on the rich are great for the economy is an idea that just won't die. And the Republican plan for health insurance reform must be kept hidden from the sunlight. (Just like a vampire, get it?)

Bob brings on Cato Senior Fellow Dan Mitchell to talk about the alleged supply-side failure in Kansas.

Show notes for Ep. 92

Jun 18, 2017
Krugman says Trump is wrecking the ship of state: the president's worse than even his harshest critics warned. Trump's petty politics on health care is causing insurers to hike premiums, while his foreign policy moves indicate corruption and recklessness.
 
We point out Krugman's flip-flopping on health insurers, and you'll also learn how to pronounce "Qatar."
 
Show notes for Ep. 91
Jun 12, 2017

Krugman wrote two columns in a row on Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Accord and the abdication of American leadership on climate change, and we reply to them both in this episode.

Our thanks to Marcus Brown for the Contra Cruise jingle! Check out his comedy podcast, Make My Day.

Show notes for Ep. 90

Jun 3, 2017
Krugman says Donald Trump is all wrong to want to give regulatory relief to the coal industry. That industry can't ever be revived to where it was in the old days, says Krugman, and it would be silly to try, especially when all these abundant clean alternatives are available. In fact, to try would amount to putting "the whole planet's future at risk."
 
(Krugman also makes a side remark about Trump's blasphemy on NATO, and we also comment on that.)
 
Show notes for Ep. 89
May 27, 2017

This week Krugman complains that workers are becoming less free: Obamacare is in danger of repeal, and more and more workers are being required to sign noncompete agreements. These things limit people's choices, says Krugman, so in a very real sense they are being made less free. Is any of this true, and is Krugman's understanding of freedom coherent? This is all especially good fodder for Contra Krugman.

Show notes for Ep. 88

May 24, 2017

For the second time, we recorded a live episode of the show in Seattle. We hit health care, foreign policy, taxes, and more. Thanks to the energetic crowd!

Show notes for Ep. 87

May 12, 2017

You probably know what Paul Krugman thinks of Brexit and Marine Le Pen, but in this column he urges European elites not to treat them as if they can be brushed aside. The populist wave is strong and real, says Krugman, and it's in part a response to the lousy job European politicians have done.

Show notes for Ep. 86

May 8, 2017

On the one hand, people are telling pollsters that they're bullish on the economy, but on the other, the economic statistics (like retail sales) aren't reflecting this kind of confidence. What's going on here? Krugman has a theory....

Show notes for Ep. 85

May 1, 2017

Krugman can't believe people still think tax cuts (particularly on "the rich," who of course pay most of the taxes) might have good and substantial effects on the economy, or that they could believe that the ensuing economic growth could make up some of the lost revenue. We look at the facts of the matter.

Show notes for Ep. 84

Apr 21, 2017

Krugman (correctly) wonders about all the emphasis on manufacturing employment, when many other perfectly honorable lines of work have also witnessed declines. Why the emphasis on manufacturing? Why, because white people tend to hold those jobs, says Krugman. What a surprise....

Show notes for Ep. 83

Apr 13, 2017

Krugman says Trump's recent strike on Syria is typical of the man: a one-shot action masquerading as policy. He also says that Obama was right to stay out, since there was no clear way through the morass there. Special guest Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report, joins us for this episode.

Show notes for Ep. 82

Apr 8, 2017

Krugman wonders what became of Trump's bluster about trade -- so far, the proposed changes to trade policy are minor. Bob and Tom discuss President Trump as compared to candidate Trump.

Show notes for Ep. 81

Mar 31, 2017

This week (with Krugman discussing Obamacare yet again) we decided to hop into our time machine and revisit a golden oldie: Krugman's response to one of Bob's articles on capital theory and business cycles. Now that's an episode!

Show notes for Ep. 80

Mar 24, 2017
Conservatives suffer from the delusion that government spending is generally waste that doesn't do anyone any good, says Krugman. Now that they're in power, they're seeing how great and important government is, and how much voters love it. So where are their promised budget cuts going to come from?
 
Bob and Tom sort through it all!
 
Show notes for Ep. 79
Mar 17, 2017

Krugman's opponents all live in a fantasy world where facts don't count. That's his dispassionate assessment of our present situation. He also can't believe anyone would think the Congressional Budget Office's reports might be politicized. Too bad he himself made that precise accusation in 2015....

Show notes for Ep. 78

Mar 12, 2017

Republicans are now figuring out that really, the Democrats have been right all along, which is why it's so hard to devise a true alternative to Obamacare. That's Krugman's argument in this column. They're also flubbing the way they're corporate tax reform. This isn't because their leader, Donald Trump, is a bozo, but because they themselves are shysters who are good at sloganeering but bad at governing.

Show notes for Ep. 77

Mar 5, 2017

We've covered Obamacare quite a bit on this podcast, but we had to address Krugman's claim -- advanced by many on the left -- that Obamacare has surely saved lives, and its repeal would undoubtedly involve the loss of life. Then we look at Krugman's worry about the prospect of a media in the regime's pocket, and private individuals and companies feeling pressured to toe the regime's line. Yeah, we've never seen anything like that before!

Show notes for Ep. 76

Feb 26, 2017

Krugman says the Trump Administration is wrong to expect economic growth in the range of 3 to 3.5 percent a year. We look at Krugman's analysis of what does and doesn't cause economic growth -- and why he thought it was reasonable to expect 3 percent growth a year under Obama, which never happened in any year.

Show notes for Ep. 75

Feb 18, 2017

You know the drill: Krugman says Republicans--including but not limited to Donald Trump--are blithering idiots who are actually proud of their ignorance. There are plenty of right-wingers we dislike too, but as usual Krugman's claims are utterly biased. We remember some of President Obama's "greatest hits" when it comes to diplomatic gaffes and botched policy execution.

Show notes for Ep. 74

Feb 10, 2017

In this episode we talk tariffs, taxes in general, and whether business can really "pass on" a tax to consumers.

Show notes for Ep. 73

Feb 5, 2017

Donald Trump was elected in part to keep manufacturing jobs in the United States and reversing that sector's decline. Krugman says his program will do the exact opposite.

Show notes for Ep. 72

Jan 29, 2017

Trump and his supporters live in a bubble and manufacture their own reality, says Krugman. That's Krugman talking, we remind you. Krugman is speaking about other people manufacturing their own reality. This from a guy who manufactures whatever reality conforms to the partisan demands of the moment, as we've shown in drearily copious detail.

Show notes for Ep. 71

Jan 21, 2017

We decided to depart from our usual format this week, given the significance of the Obama-Trump transition, to look back at and offer some thoughts about the Obama years.

Show notes for Ep. 70

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