Paul Krugman really hurt Alan Greenspan's feelings


Seth Lipsky at The Wall Street Journal reports that Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, has backed out of a conference on monetary policy this summer because of a scathing blog post written by Paul Krugman in The New York Times.
The conference, organized by the American Principles Project, is meant to be a counter-conference to the Fed's annual retreat-cum-summit at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. According to the group, Greenspan bowed out because of a recent post by Krugman called "The Worst Ex-Chairman Ever."
Krugman has criticized Greenspan for his failure to recognize the housing bubble that led to the 2008 financial crisis, and his subsequent warnings that the central bank's stimulus efforts could lead to spiraling inflation. In his post, Krugman also dinged the American Principles Project, saying it "combines social conservatism — it's anti-gay-marriage, anti-abortion rights, and pro-'religious liberty' — with goldbug economic doctrine."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores