Trying to parse political rhetoric is always a challenge, but the Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman would like us to at least make the distinction between disagreements, errors and lies.
Not quite “Liars, Damn Liars, and Statistics,” but still an interesting take. Here are his classifications:
- Disagreements — Differences of opinion: “You are wrong because we are suffering demand problems not supply problems.”
- Mistakes — Assertions that are logically or empirically indefensible: “Government spending can’t increase demand.”
- Lies — Making or insinuating false claims: “the CBO had concluded that Obamacare increases the deficit.”
via Paul Krugman at the New York Times