I’m not gonna lie, as some folks strangely like to say before saying something that makes us wonder “Why would anyone lie about that?” but I’ve had an ongoing back-and-forth on social media — a shot & chaser kinda thing, with me providing the chaser — with (pseudo) economist Paul Krugman, for years.

The same Paul Krugman who calls Barack Obama “one of the best presidents in history,” by the way.

The point is, Krugman is simply incapable of telling the truth about politicians and their policies and accomplishments. In a Friday New York Times column titled “Will 2024 Be a Vaccine Election?” — based on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “occasionally hesitant tone toward vaccinations” and a recent request for a grand jury probe over statements from COVID vaccine makers — Krugman declared: “DeSantis may make 2024 an election about vaccines.” Rest assured, Mr. Krugman, that the Republicans will make 2024 about, in part, liberal lies about COVID — starting with Anthony Fauci and the CDC, and on down the line.

Krugman began by parroting one of the Democrats’ favorite talking points, which were going to presumably hear for the next two years: DeSantis is just like Trump. While sanity begs to differ, as would DeSantis himself, Krugman continues to run with the silly comparison, as transcribed by NewsBusters:

Anyone imagining DeSantis as a more sensible, saner figure than Trump — a right-wing populist without the reality-denying paranoia — is delusional.

DeSantis hasn’t gone down all the same rabbit holes as Trump, but he has gone down some of his own, and his descent has been just as deep.

What rabbit holes has DeSantis gone down? Krugman provided the answers, in his mind that is.

Above all, DeSantis is increasingly making himself the face of vaccine conspiracy theories, which have turned a medical miracle into a source of bitter partisan division and have contributed to thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Although New York was hit hard in the first months of the pandemic, since May 2021, more than twice as many people have died of Covid in Florida than in New York.

Even taking Florida’s slightly larger and much older population into account, that’s thousands of excess deaths in the Sunshine State.

Delusional, of course, which is a perfect example of why Krugman in recent years has been reduced to a social media troll who continues his frantic efforts to remain (become) relevant. Speaking of social media trolling, in a November tweetstorm Krugman, said:

[O]ne thing I hope doesn’t get forgotten in the horse-race coverage is DeSantis’s major achievement as governor: the unnecessary death of around 20,000 Floridians.

Krugman being Krugman, I’m surprised he even referenced Florida’s large elderly population, given that nearly 9 out of 10 COVID-related deaths have occurred in people aged 65 and older. Moreover, Krugman had to ignore actual facts, in order to make his unmakeable case.

Even The New York Times reported that Florida’s “fully vaccinated” percentage of the population is slightly higher than the national average — 68 percent vs. 67 percent — which is significantly higher than Democrat-run states like Michigan and comparable to Oregon and Minnesota.

So, Paul? If DeSantis is anti-vax, he’s been doing a terrible job of showing it, hasn’t he?

Krugman and the Democrats have become terrified of DeSantis in recent months, as the popular Florida governor is increasingly viewed as the Republican to beat in 2024, while Donald Trump continues to self-immolate. As a result, Krugman is attempting to link DeSantis’s recent petition to the Florida Supreme Court for a state-wide grand jury on COVID vaccines, and his announcement of the creation of the Public Health Integrity Committee, to the governor being against anti-vax in general, which is incorrect.

In a December 13 statement on the official DeSantis website, staff members wrote:

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis held a roundtable discussion joined by Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and world-renowned physicians, researchers, and public health experts to discuss adverse events of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and announce new, aggressive actions to hold the federal government and Big Pharma accountable, including:

Establishing the Public Health Integrity Committee. The Committee will be overseen by the Surgeon General to assess federal public health recommendations and guidance to ensure that Florida’s public health policies are tailored for Florida’s communities and priorities.

Filing a petition for a Statewide Grand Jury to investigate crimes and wrongdoing committed against Floridians related to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Leading further surveillance into sudden deaths of individuals that received the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida, based on autopsy results. The state will collaborate with the University of Florida to compare research with studies done in other countries.

Given the details provided, it would be irresponsible of any governor who didn’t convene a group of experts to research “all of the above,” would it not? Yet along comes Twitter troll Krugman to make ridiculous accusations against DeSantis, in a cheap attempt to score political points against the Florida governor, among members of  Krugman’s peanut gallery.

The statement from DeSantis’s staff ended this way:

The Biden Administration and pharmaceutical corporations continue to push widespread distribution of mRNA vaccines on the public, including children as young as 6 months old, through relentless propaganda while ignoring real-life adverse events.

At today’s roundtable the Governor and health experts discussed data covering serious adverse events. These risks include coagulation disorders, acute cardiac injuries, Bell’s palsy, encephalitis, appendicitis, and shingles.

Not that Krugman has a conscience or gives a damn, but I’ve watched this guy make outlandish claim after outlandish claim for years, and his partisan-hack lies rival those of the “fake news” media.

Is there any wonder why Paul Krugman remains desperately irrelevant?