Murphy Vs. Krugman Debate. - Campaign Started

ClayTrainor

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http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/campaign-0-1240

THE PITCH

See Paul Krugman debate Robert Murphy on Keynesian versus Austrian business cycle theory! Moderated by Ezra Klein, or another moderator of mutual choosing. All proceeds (less The Point’s 5% fee) will be donated to the Fresh Food Program of FoodBankNYC.org, a non-profit dedicated to feeding the hungry of NYC.

$2607 has been pledged so far. I'm gonna do my part and put in $20. Anybody else willing to pay to see this? I'd be surprised if Krugman actually accepted, but it's worth a shot. If this gets big enough he might feel the pressure.
 
$2607 has been pledged so far. I'm gonna do my part and put in $20. Anybody else willing to pay to see this? I'd be surprised if Krugman actually accepted, but it's worth a shot. If this gets big enough he might feel the pressure.

I don't get it. If this random number is met, both parties agree to debate???? I'll put money up if I can see were this agreement is written.
 
I don't get it. If this random number is met, both parties agree to debate???? I'll put money up if I can see were this agreement is written.

There is no random number to "meet", i don't think. People pledge how much they'd donate to FoodBankNYC.org to see this debate, and if it takes place, the money will be taken off the credit card they pledged with and given to the foodbank. I guess the idea is probably to compel Krugman to accept.
 
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Krugman does not have the balls to debate Murphy.

No, but if this gets big enough (and we spread it around on his blog and pro-Krugman places), it will attract his supporters and lead them to question why he won't debate a man they perceive to be an ignorant crackpot for charity. Surely their heroic Nobel laureate can debate a fool for an hour to help hungry children, right?

The pressure may force him to accept. And, hey, perhaps Krugman has actually convinced himself that he knows what he's talking about. If so, he may accept thinking its a good PR move. We all know how much he loves those. How many Hollywood cameos has Krugman done now?

The total is already over $4,000. I've donated. I'd encourage any Austrian to do so as well. If Krugman accepts, this has the potential to catapult Austrian economics into the mainstream.
 
Krugman will just shrug, deny something, change the subject, or ignore a part of a question if he doesn't agree with it; he's done it before, and he's done it when he's encountered an Austrian: http://mises.org/daily/4754

as pointed out by Murphy, in another article, he'll also resort to "but if" arguments to bolster his point to...ie: "yeah, but if we had not had the small stimulus we did, we would be even more worse off than we currently are".

These kind of people are difficult to debate, because they've got an answer for everything, even if you back them into a corner they can't get out of.

it might be useful to crushing Krugman's reputation though.
 
No, but if this gets big enough (and we spread it around on his blog and pro-Krugman places), it will attract his supporters and lead them to question why he won't debate a man they perceive to be an ignorant crackpot for charity. Surely their heroic Nobel laureate can debate a fool for an hour to help hungry children, right?

The pressure may force him to accept. And, hey, perhaps Krugman has actually convinced himself that he knows what he's talking about. If so, he may accept thinking its a good PR move. We all know how much he loves those. How many Hollywood cameos has Krugman done now?

The total is already over $4,000. I've donated. I'd encourage any Austrian to do so as well. If Krugman accepts, this has the potential to catapult Austrian economics into the mainstream.

I still think Krugman wont do it no matter what. He knows he would lose the discusion.

But it is still good pr. People will question why Krugman does not do it. It will undermine his already small credibility.
 
Added 75$ to the pot.

This is a win-win people. If Krugman doesn't agree to debate then you have contributed to the cause of making him look bad without spending a dime, if he does then you have helped some struggling folk in NY and you get to see him lose the debate.
 
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I pledged a few days ago. We are over $31,000 now. I can only hope this actually happens.
 
Krugman does not have the balls to debate Murphy.

Ditto. Krugman might consider debating someone of a Monetarist persuasion, a la Milton Friedman, and then claim his opponent's position to be the apogee of free market thought. But Robert Murphy boldly flouts the federal financier paradigm at its root. His medicine is just too strong for a self-important "court intellectual" like Krugman. Don't get me wrong; I'd LOVE to see this debate happen. I just don't see the stars lining up for us any time soon.
 
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