That includes Marco Rubio, according to Paul Krugman. Of course, he's right. Zombie ideas have eaten Rubio's brain. Zombie economic ideas.
In case you’re wondering, a zombie idea is a proposition that has been thoroughly refuted by analysis and evidence, and should be dead — but won’t stay dead because it serves a political purpose, appeals to prejudices, or both. The classic zombie idea in U.S. political discourse is the notion that tax cuts for the wealthy pay for themselves, but there are many more. And, as I said, when it comes to economics it appears that Mr. Rubio’s mind is zombie-infested. ...Paul Krugman, NYT
Even when proven wrong -- serially wrong -- Republicans persist in their nuttiness.
... The zombie keeps shambling on — and here’s Mr. Rubio Tuesday night: “This idea — that our problems were caused by a government that was too small — it’s just not true. In fact, a major cause of our recent downturn was a housing crisis created by reckless government policies.” Yep, it’s the full zombie. ...Krugman, NYT
The facts?
No, the government didn’t force banks to lend to Those People; no, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac didn’t cause the housing bubble (they were doing relatively little lending during the peak bubble years); no, government-sponsored lenders weren’t responsible for the surge in risky mortgages (private mortgage issuers accounted for the vast majority of the riskiest loans). ...Krugman, NYT
There's more. Did government borrowing send interest rates sky high as the zombies predicted. No. Interest rates are at historic lows. Did deficit spending destroy jobs? No. Is the Republican party willing to back off, admit they got it wrong? No. They continue to believe that "apparently believes that all will be well if it just keeps repeating the old slogans, but louder."
The general consensus among the critics seems to be that an early 2013 film, "Warm Bodies," marks the end of the zombie fad. Maybe. As far as the Republican party goes, dead cold bodies seems much closer to actuality.
It's not Zombies, or anything that rational - the GOP is a religion, and the key test of faith in a religion is how strongly you can believe the tenets when the facts seem to contradict them. The more wrong you seem to be, the stronger you must hold to your beliefs to Prove Your Faith.
It's interesting - back when the core of this religion was laid down as opposition to the Class Traitor FDR and his existentially threatening Socialist policies, there was a real basis for this stuff, as stupid, selfish and greedy as it was (cf The Bible). The USSR did actually seem to be a real danger both from the outside and the inside, and even if we discount the ever-present urge to act in our own self-interest, a case could be made that the GOP Mammon-worshippers of the time were acting at least in part out of sincere interest in what they saw as patriotism. Even their children (GHW Bush, for instance) were still likely to at least consider the interests of the USA as something separate from, and larger than, their personal interests. However, the war-profiteers and sociopathic robber barons gradually out-competed them, and their grand-children became indoctrinated in the "Me first!" "I'm entitled to it!" "Government exists to give me money!" world-view of the Fundamentalist, Evangelical Mammonites.*
*Remember the Basic Rule of GOP shoutrage about their Enemies: It's always projection.
Posted by: JohnR | February 15, 2013 at 09:53 AM