Krugman responds to Ryan

Paul Krugman has criticized Paul Ryan's budget plan, saying among other things that it will increase the deficit, not decrease it as Ryan claims.

Ryan laughed it off, putting "an attack from Paul Krugman" alongside death and taxes as things he has learned to expect.

Krugman shot back with this:

“That’s not a substantive remark. I’ve never attacked him just for nothing in particular. I’ve gone after his arithmetic and said it doesn’t add up at all. And he has never offered a response to that. All he does is make scary noises about the deficit . . .  about how ominous it is, and then propose[s] a plan that would in fact increase the deficit. . . .  just claiming that he can find trillions of dollars from no specified source and in fact has ruled out the only place you could find it [increased taxes]."

Krugman added that it's amazing how "robust" the Ryan myth continues to be. . . .  "despite the fact that every time he produces an allegedly wonkish budget document it turns out to be totally full of holes. . .  He’s become this beloved symbol of the alleged responsible wing of the Republican Party [and] no one wants to go after him.”

Well, one person did go after him.  Remember when Newt Gingrich called Ryan's plan "right-wing social engineering"?    Of course, he had to sort of take it back after the uproar among GOP big wigs.

Ryan may very well wind up as Romney's VP running mate.   Well, it seems that there will be some tough questions both he and Romney will have to answer -- whether he's on the ticket or not -- because Romney has definitely drunk the Ryan Kool Aid, totally embracing the Ryan budget plan.

Or will this too just disappear in the Etch-a-Sketch moment?

Ralph