Paul Krugman, Thomas Frank discuss Obama’s legacy at Brooklyn College
Were Barack Obama’s attempts to tackle partisanship wise or did they only further contribute to the current political dysfunction in Washington? Did he do enough to push the economy along or would we be further ahead in the recovery had he pushed a big stimulus package? Is the president inadvertently responsible for the rise of the Tea Party? What about his record on the environment?
Thomas Frank, political analyst, historian and journalist, and this year’s Robert L. Hess scholar-in-residence, and Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times journalist, debated these and other issues for the annual Robert L. Hess lecture at Brooklyn College, which was dedicated to exploring the legacy of Obama’s presidency. During a nearly two-hour debate that was mostly friendly banter, the two men deliberated the issues that have swirled around the president’s six years in office.
While sharing some views, Frank and Krugman disagreed on the president’s economic policies, the rise of the conservative movement and what will be the lasting importance of the Affordable Care Act.