Anti-Economist Bias Yes, Conservative Bias No

Notice also that Media Matters counts Ben Stein and Robert Reich as economists. I don't think they meet even Media Matters's inclusive definition. Both are lawyers. Ben's dad was an economist and he probably learned a lot from him. But that doesn't make him an economist. When you see him talk or read his work, you don't get the idea that he's an economist. Reich writes on economic matters but, again, that doesn't make Reich an economist.

Nor is Amity Shlaes an economist. Reich has a mater's degree in econ, though.

"Reich has a mater's degree in econ, though."

I don't think this is correct. I have only found reference to him studying PPE at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and no reference of him actually receiving a degree in PPE from Oxford. In addition, I have found no information stating that Reich received a Master's degree in economics.

The problem is the _economists_ who are economic illiterates.

Read any macroeconomists Intro to Macroeconomics textbook, and see what they write about "classical economics" and what they present as "Keynesian economics" -- and if you can't spot the massive economic illiteracy, I'd suggest you yourself are an economic illiterate.

"Notice also that Media Matters counts Ben Stein [as an economist]"

Ah! But! He played one in a movie. Does that count?

Dear Besttrousers,
Good point about Amity. I overlooked that because when I talk to her, I feel as if I'm talking to an economist, in a way that I don't with, say, Robert Reich.
Also, Niall Ferguson doesn't appear to fit the Media Matters criteria.
Best,
David

Ben Stein graduated from Columbia in economics. So I guess that makes him an economist.

He was a lawyer for the federal trade commission, which is heavily involved in economics and trade.

The Democrats accuse Republicans of being anti-intellectual. But the reality is that Democrats ignore the overwhelming evidence of free trade. They ignore how the Columbia trade deal will create jobs.

There is a consensus in free trade. It ranged from Paul Krugman and other liberal economists have defended free trade.

This "stimulus" plan was pushed through so quickly that most economists did not have enough time to breath out before it passed, much less comment.

Obama is riding a wave of triumphalism and using its momentum to make significant alterations to the structure of government, society, and foreign policy.

The butcher's bill for all of this will be high.

David,
I think you mean that Ben got an undergrad degree in economics. That doesn't fit Media Matters' self-proclaimed criteria.
When Ben was at the FTC, in 1973, he was working on misleading advertising. I remember a story his girl friend told me at the time about this case he had involving dog food. (I worked for his father that summer in the White House.)
Best,
David

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) has an undergraduate degree in economics.

I still remember Reich shouting down someone when talking about law, telling them that since they weren't a lawyer they should shut up. I've been waiting for PHD in Econ to do that to Reich ever since. That said, I think its a mistake to take formal education in econ as the end all, be all of whether you can engage in economics debates. Why don't we just limit the debate to PHD's or Nobel Prize winners (econ only). I think that it would be absurd, what we should want is disclosure.

The new definition of "Economist" seems to be anyone on the wrong side of the following statement. Today it means basically someone who is a political pundit:

"Political economists are in general quite suspicious of governmental intervention. They see in it inconveniences of all kinds—a diminution of individual liberty, energy, prudence, and experience, which constitute the most precious resources of any society. Hence, it often happens that they oppose this intervention."

Frédéric Bastiat