Paul Krugman: NRA Is 'An Insane Organization'

February 3rd, 2013 12:59 PM

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Sunday once again perfectly illustrated the intolerance of America's liberal media.

Appearing on ABC's This Week, he said the National Rifle Association is - and I quote! - "an insane organization" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

PAUL KRUGMAN, NEW YORK TIMES: But what really strikes me -- I don't know how this plays, you know, what will happen. What strikes me is we've actually gotten a glimpse into the mindset, though, of the pro-gun people and we've seen certainly Wayne LaPierre and some of these others. It's bizarre. They have this vision that we're living in a "Mad Max" movie and that nothing can be done about it, that America cannot manage unless everybody's prepared to shoot intruders, that -- the idea that we have a police forces that provides public safety is somehow totally impractical, despite the fact that, you know, that is, in fact, the way we live.

So I think that the terms of the debate have shifted. Now the craziness of the extreme pro-gun lobby has been revealed, and that has got to move the debate and got to move the legislation at least to some degree.

A few minutes later, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina pushed back:

CARLY FIORINA, FORMER CEO HEWLETT PACKARD: Paul said something that's illustrative of what I meant when I said people overplay their hands. What Paul just did was lump everybody together as a crazy radical gun-owner.

KRUGMAN: Not true.

FIORINA: Yes. So you're condemning people...

KRUGMAN: No, there are plenty of gun-owners who are fine. But the lobbying groups, the NRA is now revealed as an insane organization, and that matters quite a lot.

FIORINA: I said at the outset, I think the NRA overplayed its hand a bit.

KRUGMAN: More than that.

FIORINA: I think...

KRUGMAN: More than just overplaying its hand.

FIORINA: ... we should support universal background checks. On the other hand, we need to say that if -- let's just say Dianne Feinstein's bill passed banning assault weapons. It won't do anything to solve the problem.


Wow! A New York Times columnist said on national television Sunday that the NRA is "an insane organization," and the only person that pushed back was Fiorina.

Why didn't host George Stephanopoulos step in a challenge Krugman for going so far?

Likely, it's because Stephanopoulos agreed with him.

Says a lot about today's media, doesn't it?