Princeton University Professor of Economics Paul Krugman was awarded the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize in Economics for his contributions to the understanding of global trade.
I was listening to Krugman speaking in a radio interview, saying he didn't think his winning of the famous prize was connected to his scathing critiques of President Geo. W. Bush. Krugman was later quoted as saying, "Nobel Prizes are given to intellectuals…a lot of intellectuals are anti-Bush."1
It wasn't until I opened this morning's paper and saw a photo of Krugman toasting a peer over his win that the realization hit me this was the Paul Krugman, the New York Times curmudgeon I held in such esteem as to cut out select articles from my newspaper, to use them as references for my own op-ed pieces.
Last year was one of those pinnacles of struggle between they who are convinced our Founding Fathers intended an inextricable bond between the U.S. Constitution and the Christian Religion, and they whose sacred conviction lies in the secularization of government. I read two books on the subject, one written by New York Times columnist Susan Jacoby titled Free Thinkers: America's Secular Tradition, which made the case for separation in no uncertain terms, with direct quotes from Washington all the way to the introduction of "One nation, under God" as a McCarthy-era cuckoo egg in the Pledge of Allegiance; and a highly readable book by beliefnet.com founder Steven Waldman titled Founding Fathers: Providence, Politics and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America. Waldman, more so than Jacoby diplomatically separated the opponents into their respective corners of the boxing ring for a conciliatory fireside chat of what Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and Madison meant by their often ambiguous deeds, if not their decidedly provocative words.
Waldman was at least successful in garnering readership from both sides. Reagan-era conservative Drug Czar and Heritage Foundation mogul William J. Bennett's boiler-plate testimonial was on the dust jacket.
Krugman wrote a piece for his syndicated column in April, 2007 titled "For God's Sake" that had nothing on the surface to do with economics, but cut to the core of a major point of divisiveness. Hence, my not making the connection between Krugman the economist and Krugman the social critic.
Here's the sentence that best summarized Krugman's criticism of religionist intervention in U.S. Government:
"The infiltration of the federal government by large numbers of people seeking to impose a religious agenda - which is very different from simply being people of faith - is one of the most important stories of the last six years. It's also a story that tends to go underreported, perhaps because journalists are afraid of sounding like conspiracy theorists."2
Krugman observed that the official platform of the Texas Republican Party was to "dispel the myth of the separation of church and state."3
Some other historian might someday earn their Nobel Prize explaining how slogans redress history and are taken as fact, when the preponderance of primary source evidence inclines toward its opposite.
For instance, the popular 18th Century Massachusetts Baptist Minister, John Leland, supported Thomas Jefferson precisely because Jefferson sought to keep the Constitution from regulating religious conscience.
"The exertion of the American genius, has brought forth the man of the People, the defender of the rights of man and the rights of conscience, to fill the chair of state,"4 wrote Leland (note: this past summer, one of my best friends' memorial service was held in the very church where Leland held pulpit).
As for the United States being a Christian nation, our history does seem to abound with Manifest Destiny rhetoric by effective decision makers, without regard to how history might have later weighed their effect on the cause of humanity.5
The surprisingly pluralistic George Washington alluded to a "Master Architect," but absent from his speech was any reference to Jesus Christ. Washington, like Franklin and many Deists of his day was a Free Mason. There is simply no proof that Washington a state religion, Christianity or otherwise.
He reassured a Rhode Island Jewish community in a famous speech, asserting their integration into a pluralistic nation.6 Jefferson was notoriously heretical with respect to standardized Protestantism, which might cause some of us to question the motives of Baptists like Leland who supported Jefferson.7 What the straight-laced preachers saw in Jefferson was the opportunity for their church to govern itself, free of government interference. If a man was free to be a heretic, he was equally free to belong to his congregation. Thinking forward, how might a Constitution that authorized Congress to impose state religion play out for Baptists, or Congregationalists, or Anglicans, Catholics, and Quakers?
Getting back to Krugman, an unlikely modern American hero, his win represents a victory for all of us on multiple levels. He is an accomplished economist, who helped us to understand why countries produce similar products. More emergent are his contributions to the present plight of rural America: Why people move from small towns to cities. The effect on migration has a profound affect on rural America's tax base. Towns now pay as much as one third to one half of their taxes to support education, but eventually lose the very children they educated.
Here vulnerable homeowners, especially the elderly and others on fixed incomes are at risk of losing their homes to rising property taxes. I heard one poor elderly woman sob upon the passing of a school budget at an Annual Town Meeting, "I can't afford to live here any more."
The Economist Laureate is an outspoken critic of our nearly monolithic Executive Administration, whose depredations on the Constitution are a marathon of Executive signing orders, a suspension of habeas corpus, and a peeling back of basic human rights that have been de rigueur since the Magna Carta. Now, there aren't all that many artifacts of history in the U.S. Capital, so there must be some reason for the Magna Carta being there. I know it's there, because I've seen it, and a kindly young Capital Guard escorted me out of the Rotunda when my friend offhandedly joked about carrying it out under his arm.
Beyond his professional achievements, Krugman's outspokenness belies no greater ambition. In his radio interview Krugman said he had no intention of being tapped for a cabinet position with whoever might be our next President. One has to admire a person who draws the line between avocation and vocation.
My mind is always abstracting comparisons with historical figures from across the ages. One unlikely character that comes to mind is Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary War hero of Vermont who asked, "Who would imagine that the Deity conducts his providence similar to the detestable despots of the world?" Or, perhaps Krugman resembles the maligned, but understated influence of Thomas Paine, whose heretical Age of Reason pamphlet sold in excess of 20,000 copies at the time, a solid one-tenth of the population of the Colonies.
1 Associated Press, Geoff Mulvihill and Ellen Simon, October 14, 2008
2 "For God's Sake," Paul Krugman, New York Times, April 13, 2007
3 Ibid.
4 Founding Fathers: Providence, Politics and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America, Steven Waldman, Random House, 2008 p 171.
5 "I believe we should be recreant in our noble mission, if we refused acquiescence in the high purpose of a Wise Providence. War has its evils. In all ages it has been the minister of wholesale death and appalling desolation; but however inscrutable to us, it has also been made, by the Allwise Dispenser of events, the instrumentality of accomplishing the great end of human elevation and human happiness…It is in this view, that I subscribe to the doctrine of ‘manifest destiny.'" – A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn, "We Take Nothing By Conquest, Thank God", Harper Perennial, 1990.
6 Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, Susan Jacoby, Metropolitan Books, 2004 ISBN: 0-8050-7442-2. "All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunity of citizenship." - Washington gives speech to Rhode Island Jewish community, p 32.
7 Ibid. "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg." - Thomas Jefferson, p 44.
Freelance journalist Gregory G. Lewis was a regular contributor to the West County News of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. As a correspondent to several Franklin County towns Mr. Lewis was better known by his Arts & Entertainment contributions, especially On the Marquee, a review of the region's outstanding art, music and drama.
"My assignments took me to dinners and breakfasts with the Governor; and to the 2006 Massachusetts Democratic Convention where I met candidate Deval Patrick, US Senator John Kerry, and even Kitty Dukakis," said Mr. Lewis.
Since the West County News closed its doors in August, Mr. Lewis has pursued the night life and high life of South Florida, in the
Proustian tradition. He now carouses tropical climes and exotic personalities, capitalizing on years of experience thrusting himself in the public eye.
His many published and exclusive stories can be found on his website, The Newsketeer!
Thanks for a great article. Just last night my wife and I were talking about Paul Krugman. We are so happy for his success. We have watched him repeatedly on Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow's show. He has shed new light on issues ranging from economic policy-making, separation of church and state and consitutional issues. Fortunately, he is also on Obama's team of economic advisors. If you have a chance, you might be interest in an article that I wrote entitled, "The Myth of Moral Superiority." Thanks again for a great piece about a talented individual. Be well.
Thank you for enjoying my article. I couldn't agree more with your happiness. Krugman's a versatile, modern Renaissance intellectual. I've enjoyed reading his NYT column immensely.
I will give you story a read, James, thanks for making me aware of it.
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