What's Wrong with Economists
Justin Wolfers asks:
You probably recall Hillary Clinton turning anti-economist in the dying days of her campaign:
"Well I'll tell you what, I'm not going to put my lot in with economists."
And more recently John McCain has jumped aboard:
"I trust the people and not the so-called economists to give the American people a little relief."
Honestly, I don't get it.
There is a very simple answer here. Economists are people who say that you can't have your cake and eat it too. As this is the core of the politician's populist message, they don't want anyone calling their bluff.
More on not wanting to hear the science here.
Update: One other thought, vis a vis climate and economics. Obama, I suppose, would be one to argue that the science of catastrophic global warming is "settled." But does he really think it is more settled than, say, the science that free trade leads to general increases in prosperity? The left is all for the sanctity of science, except in economics.
