In a column in the New York Times, David Leonhardt refers to "Edward Glaeser, a conservative-leaning Harvard economist."
The review here of Mr. Glaeser's book criticized it for "a series of unquestioned left-wing assumptions," including its claim that "there's no free-market solution for the great urban problem facing slums," its claim that "Over the past thirty years, American society has become more unequal," its assertion that in Israel "factions have wasted decades fighting over land," its advocacy of high-speed rail, its call for increased taxes on gas and carbon emissions, and its overheated rhetoric on global warming.
If Mr. Glaeser is, in Mr. Leonhardt's view, "conservative-leaning," what does that say about Mr. Leonhardt's own political leanings?
In any event, this is a standard tic of the left-wing press — conservatives must be labeled as such so that the left-wing readers can be adequately warned.
