2008-05-11 Three Names Shock Me

2008-05-11 Brad DeLong Brad DeLong \2008 US presidential race\John McCain http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2008/05/three-names-sho.html Three Names Shock Me... Three Names Shock Me  Tyler Cowen tells me about economists who have endorsed John McCain's economic plan: Marginal Revolution: Economists who have endorsed John McCain's economic plan: Gary Becker, James Buchanan, Robert Lucas, Robert Mundell, Vernon Smith, Michael Boskin, John Cogan, Steven Davis, Francis X. Diebold, Martin Eichenbaum, Martin Feldstein, Kevin Hassett, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Glenn Hubbard, Anne Krueger, Deepak Lal, Burton Malkiel, Paul W. McCracken, Allan Meltzer, Tim Muris, June O'Neill, Michael E. Porter, Kenneth Rogoff, Richard Roll, Harvey Rosen, George Shultz, Beryl Sprinkel, John Taylor, and Arnold Zellner. Three names shock me: Francis X. Diebold, Anne Krueger, and Kenneth Rogoff. I am going to have to revise my opinion of each of them down several large notches. Even if you do think that the Republican Party is better than the Democratic one, right now--in the middle of John McCain's gasoline tax idiocy--is not the time to sign on. Right now is the time to extract a price in terms of policy consistency and rationality for one's support. Krueger, Rogoff, and Diebold know that very well--and ought to have acted on it.

Commentary: Digby points at this chart which shows that 66% of economists support Obama, and only 28% support McCain.

A substantial list of economists sign a statement supporting McCain's economic policy, but it is revealed that they are nowhere near the majority in their profession.   