Krugman Op-Ed Piece Highlights Healthcare Again

Paul Krugman’s New York Times op-ed piece for April 4 focused on Elizabeth Edwards attack on John McCain’s health care proposal. He presents the basics of Edwards’ appearance, but intertwines her statements with policy details and an overall explanation of the healthcare system in the United States. He finishes by giving a similar evaluation to Obama and Clinton’s plans, and expressing the hope that healthcare would receive more attention once the basketball has finished.

The piece is an excellent example of the differences between a traditional newspaper article and an op-ed piece. While the newspaper article on Edwards’ appearances stated the facts objectively, Krugman clearly attacks McCain’s proposal, and cites the advantages of Clinton’s plan over Obama’s. Since it is a New York Times op-ed piece and not a random blog, Krugman is careful to use specific policy details and economics in his attacks on the candidates, but the impression a reader of Krugman’s piece would get is a very different one than the reader of the above article would take away.