Several days ago, The New York Times thought it was a good idea to smear The Mises Institute as well as the powerhouse individuals who are affiliated with it. The Times also calculated that it would be best to place the hideous composition right on the front page. Translation: The Mises Institute is very important.
The smear was as repulsive as you can imagine, from the very first word to the last. The Times swung with their hips. Unfortunately for them, I believe it will turn out to be one big whiff. There are several reasons why.
First, it brought The Mises Insitute to the attention of people who may have never learned of it otherwise. There will be those who are curious and who will visit Mises.org. They need just browse around for a short time, and it quickly becomes obvious that what the Times says does not jive with reality. If they stay long enough, they may be so impressed as to never leave. For Mises.org is easily the most comprehensive and robust economics website in the world. You won't find anything else out there like it.
The next reason why I believe the Times smear will turn out to be a whiff can be described by the following name: Rudy.
We all remember when Rudy Giuliani decided to pull a stunt of his own:
On the surface, one would think: "Ouch, Ron Paul got boo'd pretty badly there...and on national TV." That's exactly what Rudy was going for. He knew that seething warmongers were sitting in the peanut gallery. But a funny thing happened. The whole thing backfired, and Rudy's performance only catapulted Ron Paul further into fame.
Today, Ron Paul is shining brighter than ever with The Ron Paul Channel, The Ron Paul Institute For Peace & Prosperity, and The Ron Paul Curriculum.
What's Rudy Giuliani doing?
*crickets*
To add insult to Giuliani's injury, Ron Paul's foreign policy ideas are charging ahead, and most recently, the American public gave a deafening "No" to Obama when he wanted to strike Syria. Lots of people, much to Rudy's chagrin, now know what "Blowback" is, and they don't want the U.S. creating more of it.
The New York Times may have gotten its short-term jab in, but Mises.org and the ideas of non-aggression, private property, free markets & peace are for the ages.
Chris Rossini is on Twitter, Facebook & Google+
I didn't discover Ron Paul until sitting in a lodge in NE Georgia mountains watching the 2006 primary debates at night when I couldn't sleep(while my family was at our campsite).
ReplyDeleteIt took me a full year to ever have heard of LRC after that, and it was thankfully due to a "hit piece" on Ron Paul in which LRC was mentioned...
I think it was the Washington Post...no matter...they inadvertently steered me to where I needed to go. So not only am I thankful to Ron Paul for eventually becoming an an-cap, but the Post! LMAO!
The analogy to Giuliani is brilliant and right on. In the past week, we've also endured:
ReplyDeletea) Krugman citing the monstrous and obfuscator liar "Lord (fixprice) Keynes" on the depression,
http://consultingbyrpm.com/blog/2014/01/my-response-to-krugman-on-mises-on-the-great-depression.html
b) the Sean Wilentz piece (of garbage) on Ed Snowden and Glenn Greenwald, libertarian fellow travelers,
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2014/01/21/sean-wilentz-court-historian-nsa-shill-and-lickspittle-liberal/
c) and "Confessions of a former Libertarian: My personal, psychological and intellectual epiphany
I was a Buddhist concerned with world suffering -- and I could no longer reconcile my humanity with my ideology" from Salon.com
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/26/confessions_of_a_former_libertarian_my_personal_psychological_and_intellectual_epiphany/
Since no non-Austro libertarian ever seems to understand simple basic concepts such as the NAP much less slightly more complicated concepts such as Cantillon Effects or economic calculation, these articles (like all of them) meticulously avoid mentioning these concepts.
This means only one thing. Our opponents are scared to death of us and know that they dare not engage us in a fair debate. They can only hope to smear us and suppress the expression of our powerful and un-refuted ideas.
Lord "fixprice" Keynes on Keynes and understanding German:
ReplyDeletehttp://larspsyll.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/keynes-mmt/#comment-9780
The NYT finally published my mean-spirited comment (as opposed to my other style of commenting) here on the Krugman blog regarding monstrous liars Krugman and "Lord Keynes":
ReplyDeletehttp://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/soup-kitchens-caused-the-great-depression-aff-edition/?_php=true&_type=blogs&comments&_r=0#permid=11045313
I was thinking about how can "Lord Keynes" show his face after being such a liar in public. Then I realized that he doesn't show his face. My secret agents caught up with him, however.
http://oakthorpesch.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/il_fullxfull_49028741.jpg
And here comes another Rudy Giuliani moment from Salon.com
ReplyDeleteLibertarians are a funny bunch. By funny I mean ignorant not only of basic economics but also the ride they’ve been taken on by the Christian Right and the neo-Confederates within the Republican Party.
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/30/the_gop_unrest_will_continue_as_long_as_its_bankrolled_by_the_libertarian_koch_brothers_partner/?source=newsletter