Economist Paul Krugman explains why Republicans are worse than Scrooge: Their economic policies aren’t merely self-centered — they’re ‘openly vicious’

During the Christmas season, one often finds liberals and progressives equating Republican economic policies with Charles Dickens’ fictional 19^th Century character Ebenezer Scrooge. But economist Paul Krugman, in a New York Times column published two days before Christmas, explains why he now finds Republican/Scrooge comparisons problematic.

“It’s common, especially around this time of year, to describe conservative politicians who cut off aid to the poor as Scrooges; I’ve done it myself,” Krugman explains. “But if you think about it, this is deeply unfair to Scrooge.”

Modern-day Republicans, Krugman observes, are overtly cruel to the poor in ways that never occurred to Scrooge. Continue reading