Krugman’s Google+ Account: Fake

From the Real Krugman:

Well, this is interesting. I hear that the not-so-good people at National Review are attacking me over something I said on my Google+ page. Except, I don’t have a Google+ page.

No time to say more at the moment, but there you go.

Update (Doug Mataconis): The apparent originator of the hoax confesses:

Approximately a month ago, having been laid off and having too much time on my hands, I finally decided to create my own personal account on Google+. I found it to be extremely boring, mostly because no one I knew had an account and my needs for instant news had long been satisfied by twitter. To kill some time and fully delve into what Google+ had to offer, I decided to create a gimmick account of Paul Krugman and see what happened.

Last night, I made this post which caused quite a stir on twitter and blogosphere.

People on twitter might be joking, but in all seriousness, we would see a bigger boost in spending and hence economic growth if the earthquake had done more damage.

I do not regret writing it and I hope it will enlighten many on the perverse economic views held by a Nobel winning economist writing for the New York Times who also lectures at Princeton University. While Paul Krugman did not write the above statement, he has made similar statements within the year and I would not be surprised if Paul Krugman did not in fact hold this view.\

Sorry, dude but not really an excuse. If you want to criticize Krugman for his views, then it’s pretty easy to do just by basing it on what he actually said. I’ve done it here, here, and here. Making up quotes and pretending to be someone you’re not may be good parody, but you’ve really just made yourself look silly.

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Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. Rob in CT says:

    Hah.

  2. Sissy Willis says:

    I disagree in this way. Hoaxster used viral nature of social media to raise awareness of Krugman’s discredited Keynesian narrative. Ends justify means? Uh, oh. 🙂

  3. An Interested Party says:

    Hoaxster used viral nature of social media to raise awareness of Krugman’s discredited Keynesian narrative.

    How has Krugman’s “Keynesian narrative” been “discredited”?

  4. Rob Prather says:

    How has Krugman’s “Keynesian narrative” been “discredited”?

    It hasn’t been. Keynes is the only person who has anything useful to say in our current situation.

  5. PJ says:

    This is just too fun. Unemployed man who dislikes Krugman sets up a fake Krugman account and ends up making right wing and republican bloggers look like idiots….

  6. Bleev K says:

    @PJ: including this site.

  7. Barry says:

    @An Interested Party: By being against the interests of the economic elites, aggravated by first degree Agreement with Reality.