Indeed, race is the Rosetta Stone that makes sense of many otherwise incomprehensible aspects of U.S. politics. -Paul Krugman on That Old-Time Dogwhistle
This may be the most poignant and relevant thing Krugman has written in quite some time. Calling a spade a spade, he adds:
Earlier this month the House Budget Committee, under Mr. Ryan’s direction, released a 205-page report on the alleged failure of the War on Poverty. What does the report have to say about the impact of falling real wages? It never mentions the subject at all.
And since conservatives can’t bring themselves to acknowledge the reality of what’s happening to opportunity in America, they’re left with nothing but that old-time dog whistle. Mr. Ryan wasn’t being inarticulate — he said what he said because it’s all that he’s got.
Acknowledging reality would mean acknowledging that wages are too low and we can’t admit that because it would mean the Job Creators may have to accept a slightly smaller than usual record annual bonus increase. The horror.