> I'm not sure Krugman's reputation is as reputable as you suggest

I know that winning the Nobel Prize is not the end of the world and that there are often political motives behind these prizes (Obama anyone?), but between believing a guy who won a Nobel Prize in economics vs. believing a random guy on HN with no real argument, the choice is easy (to me at least).

To the best of my knowledge, Krugman rarely (if ever) hurls ad-hominems: he always tries to explain why he strongly disagrees with conservatives, tea party, or Obama. The adjective he uses for them almost always fit his explanations.