In his Friday column, Pointing Towards Prosperity?, the Nobel Laureate compares the economic plans of the two presidential candidates.
Well, as I’ve said before, Mr. Romney’s “plan” is a sham. It’s a list of things he claims will happen, with no description of the policies he would follow to make those things happen.
and Krugman says he can come up with a one-point plan that trumps Romney's:
Here it is: Every American will have a good job with good wages. Also, a blissfully happy marriage. And a pony.
He immediately follows that with
So Mr. Romney is faking it. His real plan seems to be to foster economic recovery through magic, inspiring business confidence through his personal awesomeness.
What about Obama's plan? Well, first remember that Krugman criticized the President for asking for a too-small stimulus. He does not consider the President's new plan inspiring:
His economic agenda is relatively small-bore — a bunch of modest if sensible proposals rather than a big push.
But there is more . . .
Krugman criticizes the President for "proposing bold short-term moves to move us rapidly back to full employment" although he acknowledges the political problem that the voters have been brainwashed to believe 2009's ARRA - the stimulus - did not work. Krugman is disappointing, but makes a pointed comparison between the President and Romney:
But a slow job is better than a snow job. Mr. Obama may not be as bold as we’d like, but he isn’t actively misleading voters the way Mr. Romney is.
For Krugman, the Affordable Care Act is also important, and asks people to consider the 45 million who might lose what they gained under that act should Romney win. In the middle of his final paragraph, during which he focuses on health care, he offers the most appropriate words to apply to Mitt Romney:
Mr. Romney doesn’t have an economic plan at all
Yep. At best he has a "snow job" and America deserves, and needs better.