When you think of New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, a man who has been found by his own public editor to actually make up economic data when it fits his agenda, do you consider him to be the most influential commentator in America?
Well, hold on to your chair, for the Atlantic magazine does.
According to the Atlantic, Krugman is more influential than Rush Limbaugh, George Will, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly.
In fact, as far as these geniuses see it, Times columnists Thomas Friedman, David Brooks, and Frank Rich, as well as the Atlantic's own Andrew Sullivan, are more influential than Hannity and O'Reilly.
Actually, in the Atlantic 50, the man with the highest ratings on cable news is actually ranked 19th, while MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who typically attracts about one-third the viewers, is number 14 (h/t TVNewser):
Honestly, so many of the placements on this list are absurd it's hard to believe this isn't an Onion satire.1. Paul Krugman
2. Rush Limbaugh
3. George Will
4. Thomas Friedman
5. David Brooks
6. Charles Krauthammer
7. Glenn Beck
8. Frank Rich
9. Andrew Sullivan
10. Karl Rove
11. Sean Hannity
12. David Broder
13. Peggy Noonan
14. Rachel Maddow
15. Arianna Huffington
16. Fareed Zakaria
17. Maureen Dowd
18. E.J. Dionne
19. Bill O'Reilly
20. Keith Olbermann
21. Kathleen Parker
22. Glenn Greenwald
23. Nicholas Kristof
24. William Kristol
25. Robert Samuelson
26. Dick Morris
27. Eugene Robinson
28. David Ignatius
29. Josh Marshall
30. Mark Levin
31. Holman Jenkins
32. Bill Moyers
33. Richard Cohen
34. Jonah Goldberg
35. Gail Collins
36. Ruth Marcus
37. Steven Pearlstein
38. Joe Klein
39. Anne Applebaum
40. Michael Kinsley
41. Matthew Yglesias
42. Joe Nocera
43. Ronald Brownstein
44. Steve Benen
45. Lou Dobbs
46. Bret Stephens
47. Kimberley Strassel
48. Harold Meyerson
49. Ezra Klein
50. Hendrik Hertzberg
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Paul who?
September 17, 2009 - 09:24 ET by goldenthroatNever heard of this nincompoop - but now that I know who he is, I don't give the south end of a north bound house about him!
Anyone notice that he is appearing in this pic on the All Barack Channel?
"Who am us, anyway?" - Firesign Theatre
When I saw this I thought...
September 17, 2009 - 09:27 ET by Robert17....that there is no way they put Krugman ahead of Limbaugh. Then I saw they put Maddow ahead of O'reilly and realized they're just insane. Actually, on financial blogs, Krugman gets a lot of reposts, mostly laughing at him.
Did Atlantic actually
September 17, 2009 - 09:28 ET by motherbeltDid Atlantic actually chronicle those things that Krugman has influenced??
Oh, nevermind.
Well...at least there
September 17, 2009 - 11:59 ET by kgWell...at least there wasn't any criteria for the selections.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
Noel -- please post additional link
September 17, 2009 - 09:30 ET by Dr_LibertyNoel,
Could you hotlink to the web article or source for your statement where the NYT public editor found Krugman making up data?
Thanks.
<insert witty signature here>
Huh?
September 17, 2009 - 09:39 ET by GalvanicIt would appear that the only thing the Krugman and Maddow have influenced is declining advertising revneue on their respective media (NY Times and MSNBC).
How can Maddow possibly be more influential than O'Reilly, whose books go to the top of the NY Times Best-Seller list? It's O'Reilly who is the target of hate from the Left; how many people even know who Maddow is? Beyond being an openly gay host (Hey, DiGeneris and O'Donnell came out of the closet before anyone knew who Maddow is), what has she accomplished?
That bears repeating.
September 17, 2009 - 09:42 ET by RukusGary
Levi Johnstoned: The One Trick Phoney!
like Pat on SNL
September 17, 2009 - 10:06 ET by jon_torlinAnyone remember Pat from Saturday Night Live where you couldn't tell what sex that person was, during the 90s?
Madcow reminds me of that, maybe that's what's so influential, people watch the show trying to figure it out.
-Jon
See there they put Levin
September 17, 2009 - 12:02 ET by kgSee there they put Levin with over a million books sold?
"DumbAssity of Dope"
(dupe)
September 17, 2009 - 09:42 ET by Galvanic(dupe)
Thank you!
September 17, 2009 - 09:43 ET by Rukus: )
Edit: Rats! You are too fast! LOL!
Gary
Levi Johnstoned: The One Trick Phoney!
Maddow #14, Mark Levin #30
September 17, 2009 - 09:49 ET by SickofLibsBy what possible measure?
Well, waht do ya want a
September 17, 2009 - 09:54 ET by Dan The Man 2Well, waht do ya want a Rubber Biscuit? I mean its a lefty publicatuion so they cant give creedence to the right without over balancing it.
Really?
September 17, 2009 - 09:55 ET by Iowa BoyName 5 people whom has has influenced.
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
influence
September 17, 2009 - 10:20 ET by AgnosticI was influenced. After reading about half of ' The Age of Diminished Expectations' I was influenced to be on my guard about any economic theories from Nobel winner or from a liberal.
A person may be won over with logic and reason but the masses must be bought with spectacle and platitudes. - 2008 Elections
Wouldn't the correct word be...
September 17, 2009 - 11:21 ET by Iowa Boy...repulsed?
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
Click on Krugman's Link...
September 17, 2009 - 09:58 ET by MightyMouthClick on Krugman's Link... his "best stuff" sounds like the ravings of a lunatic!
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
Really??
September 17, 2009 - 10:00 ET by SpokerIsn’t this the same publication that voted the Hamburgler it’s leadings spokesperson for fine French cuisine?
If it wasn't for NB, I wouldn't even know Krugman existed
September 17, 2009 - 10:05 ET by R D Helm-Dave
I agree with Rush. It's time for Obama to resign.
Future Alantic Mag nominations
September 17, 2009 - 10:13 ET by ThisnThatI think I would like to see these nominations, instead:
ACORN for the most ethical organization -- ever
ABC's Charles Gibson for the most knowledgeable and current news anchor, bar none
Cash for Clunkers for the epitomy of Government-run efficiency
Obama's health care propositions for the clearest, best understood, above-board proposal we have ever had -- or will likely to have -- in our lifetime
The Stimulus bill as the leanest, un-porky Congressional feat possible
Carter -- who should should be declared World's Most Intelligent and Influencial Ex-Leader -- and who should automatically receive the Peace Prize each year forever
Each of these make much more sense than Paul Krugman as the most influential commentator in America.
___________________________________
"Tax the rich" is a basically unstable way of governing - The NYT
Where is Ann Coulter?
September 17, 2009 - 10:11 ET by MightyMouthWhere is Ann Coulter? Dammit!!
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
Influential?
September 17, 2009 - 10:24 ET by BKeyserInfluential... I thought it said incontinent. My bad.
This is a sad commentary on
September 17, 2009 - 10:33 ET by EdhenryThis is a sad commentary on the soon to be out of business media. Sad in that for so long when they said something this rediculous, they were unchallenged. and so much of the public was misinformed.
Now, they just get laughed at (north of 58th st and west of the Hudson anyway)
They can not be serious.
September 17, 2009 - 10:26 ET by d1carterThey can not be serious. This must be an Onion parody, right?
Pagh!
September 17, 2009 - 10:40 ET by slickwillie2001A reminder: Atlantic magazine is the magazine that hosts Sarah Palin-Birther Conspiracist Andrew Sullivan. It was once a respectable magazine. Lately it's becoming another Vanity Fair, –a coffeetable magazine for liberals to display in order to signal their politics to others that know the signs.
mb
September 17, 2009 - 10:47 ET by FranksamI knew right away you just joking. Interesting that so many think that the Onion might be parodied. That reminds me of Monty Python's 'Life of Brian', in which men pretend to be women pretending to be men. Calling Paul Krugman influential is no less absurd.
Well, I suppose it depends
September 17, 2009 - 11:03 ET by fitzfongWell, I suppose it depends on whom is being influenced. Given that President Alinsky seems hell-bent on instituting Krugman and Friedman policies against the will of the people, I'd say those guys are pretty damn influential.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
How did Krugman
September 17, 2009 - 11:03 ET by well99How did Krugman escape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_CAs3q7G48&feature=related
I have read a few of
September 17, 2009 - 11:15 ET by OhmingI have read a few of Krugmans' articles for a "balanced" input for myself. His words are similar to the rantings of a Left wing proffesor . Perhaps he can reach more impressionable kids through the NYT. Does anyone know his background? I'm curious.
Stewart & Colbert
September 17, 2009 - 11:20 ET by VengeanceIsMineAt least these fools didn't list those two clowns on the list or Bill Maher.
I would have liked to see John Stossel and Thomas Sowell listed.
"You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt." Daniel Hannan
What a treat
September 17, 2009 - 11:26 ET by FeynmanFanWhat a treat to see an unbiased list of the people who are influencing the country's thinking.
(sarc off)
If that were anywhere close to being accurate, we'd be screwed.
"Reason and persuasion are the only practical instruments against error. To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged" - Thomas Jefferson
Gotta love the profiles! Checkout Bathtub Boy...
September 17, 2009 - 11:30 ET by pvujoThe left's best answer so far to Bill O'Reilly, Olbermann possesses bottomless wells of outrage, expressed in segments like "The Worst Person in the World." His semiregular "Special Comment" is a rant, in which Olbermann talks directly to his target in a scolding tone. "The fiasco of prewar intelligence, sir, is your fiasco," he told George W. Bush. Olbermann's unflinching criticism of Bush—he ends every show by counting the number of days since Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq—has earned him a tremendous following among liberals. Where fans see a refreshingly aggressive posture, critics see rabid leftism.
Olbermann broadcasting career began in sports; he anchored ESPN's SportsCenter from 1992 to 1997. As Countdown's popularity increased, MSNBC turned to Olbermann to co-anchor its 2008 presidential-election coverage with Chris Matthews. As much showman as commentator, Olbermann recognizes a good stunt. Upon hearing that Fox News’ Sean Hannity had volunteered to be waterboarded for charity, Olbermann offered to chip in a thousand dollars per second.
Knowledge is Good
- Emil Faber
I had to reread it
September 17, 2009 - 11:57 ET by jdlybrandI thought it said most influential 'common tater'.
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
call me tater
September 17, 2009 - 12:33 ET by jon_torlinWhat does Ron White have to do with it?
-Jon
Michael Kelly's rolling over in his grave . . .
September 17, 2009 - 12:16 ET by KylerkI used to be a subscriber to the Atlantic
because when Michael Kelly ran it from 1999 until his death in Iraq in 2003 - it was a great read. I enjoyed the superior writing and thought it was one of the better monthlies
touching on Washington
politics, among other things. It was everything that JFK Jr. wanted his George magazine to be -- well-written articles, insightful,
and sometimes a little provocative, but politically neutral. Ever since James Bennet took over 3
years ago and gave it a biased editorial slant it has become just another liberal rag of little substance and diminished importance.
- Somewhere in Kenya a village is missing their useful idiot.
Educating Reader
September 17, 2009 - 13:02 ET by cajun2I must be one of those readers they are trying to reach(impune) because I only recognized 21 of the 50 names listed. It it wasnt for NB I would not have known anything about Kathleen Parker and Maureen Dowd.
Numbers?
September 17, 2009 - 13:24 ET by okiehawk44Since Paul "El Tigre" Krugman is a man of numbers and statistics (sort of I guess -- claims to be anyway and who wants to talk to this smuck and find out for cream-puff's sake), what is his estimated readership as compared to oh let's see just for the heck of it say Rush Limbaugh?
2000000000000,00.000,000 (in numbers for leftists) for El Tigre?
23 for Rush?
Yes!
September 17, 2009 - 18:31 ET by jaywlI for one am so happy Paul has been recognized finally. After Racheal Madcow, of course, I always consult Kruglemann on important decisions. Many times I have avoided the wrong time for a good crap by consulting one of the formost purveyers of crap ever to grace the Times. I'm kind of a late-in-the-day guy because he must stay up all night dreaming up the crap he.....
How come whenever I see
September 17, 2009 - 19:11 ET by CooltomHow come whenever I see Krugman on TV I always think of Tweek on South Park. Nervous lil fellow ain't he?
am i missing michelle
September 17, 2009 - 19:40 ET by Edhenryam i missing michelle malkin from the list?
nice list
Very nervous. Maybe he
September 17, 2009 - 22:01 ET by GregEVery nervous. Maybe he doesn't believe what he's saying? lol
Former Enron Adviser Paul Krugman
September 17, 2009 - 20:17 ET by thestalkinghorseIf you bashed this fraud 5 times a day every day, it would be enough for me.
BLAHAHAAHAHAHA!
September 17, 2009 - 22:00 ET by GregEBLAHAHAAHAHAHA!
>>> 1. Paul Krugman
September 17, 2009 - 23:22 ET by seanrobins>>> 1. Paul Krugman
>>> 2. Rush Limbaugh
Here we go:
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hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Whew! That's better....
sean robins
blog.seanrobins.com
You mean medical expert and former Enron Advisor Paul Krugman?
September 18, 2009 - 05:06 ET by OldJoeActually, according to former Enron adviser Paul Krugman, "In Britain, the government itself runs the hospitals and employs the doctors. We've all heard scare stories about how that works in practice; these stories are false."
...found that bit on the Wall Street Journal...so not original, but pretty funny.
Yep
September 18, 2009 - 07:20 ET by nadadhimmiKrugman's audience just absolutely DWARFS Rush Limbaugh's!. In a related developement, the Atlantic also reported that excercise guru Richard Simmons is the NFL's "Toughest Linebacker. (sarc off).
Easy answer
September 18, 2009 - 09:25 ET by octaviojDr. Charles Krauthammer