There's a very weird selective credentialism among crackpots that you also saw during the pandemic. "Navarro must be right on trade, he has a Ph.D. from Harvard!" Ok, but ... 99% of people with economics Ph.D.s agree tariffs are a terrible idea. "Those don't count." www.axios.com/2025/04/05/m... - ThreadSky

normative.bsky.social • 13 days ago

There's a very weird selective credentialism among crackpots that you also saw during the pandemic. "Navarro must be right on trade, he has a Ph.D. from Harvard!" Ok, but ... 99% of people with economics Ph.D.s agree tariffs are a terrible idea. "Those don't count." https://www.axios.com/2025/04/05/musk-trump-tariffs-navarro-tesla

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thewesterhazys.bsky.social•13 days ago

There is also this approach, "of course GuyA disagrees with me, they have a degree from Harvard, a Marxist indoctrination factory" vs "we should listen to GuyB who agrees with me, he has a Harvard degree!"

sbwriter.bsky.social•13 days ago

It is this way on all topics. A rejection of expertise unless they can find one expert who agrees with them. Then that expert is an authority.

blasterprime77.bsky.social•13 days ago

Ron Vara says Peter Navarro is the best econ advisor & everyone should listen to him. You can trust Ron Vara's endorsement! 🙄🤦🏾‍♂️

artsulselva.bsky.social•13 days ago

Same goes for journal articles, every one they disagree with gets ignored/dismissed, but if they find one that seems to support their ideas it’s all “aha, science says we were right!”

steveknapp.bsky.social•13 days ago

What Trumpers always learn--eventually.

Airs of importance are the credentials of impotence.
Johann Kaspar Lavater

whyldflower.bsky.social•12 days ago

If you lived in San Diego, you know Navarro was a walking shit show. Not much has changed. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/08/trump-adviser-peter-navarro-california-170105

miksho.bsky.social•13 days ago

If you try hard enough, you can find a credentialed crackpot to agree with you.

normative.bsky.social•13 days ago

The credential is used to launder whatever people want to think out of tribalism or gut feeling—and you can find one or two cranks with a Ph.D. to say virtually anything—rather than any genuine interest in what experts think.

robert-e-630.bsky.social•13 days ago

Probably has a phd in project management from Harvards online diploma mill

sdfstu.bsky.social•13 days ago

Feel like the fact that the guy completely fabricated a non-existent “expert” to support his argument in one of his books kinda should nullify any attempt to portray him as credentialed, but what do I know

xeynon.bsky.social•13 days ago

Navarro also did his PhD on charitable contributions by corporations. He's not a trade economist and has no expertise in that area.

justmeanybody.bsky.social•13 days ago

Navarro is a complete loon

bdoggle.bsky.social•13 days ago

Navarro has never ever been right about anything ever.

eronwright.bsky.social•13 days ago

A manifestation of truthiness?

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