Mankiw is Popular

And I don't mean because of his book or because he was Bush II's economic adviser.  Plenty of posts about his recent comments.  All via Mark Thoma.

Mankiw doesn't know an invisible hand when he sees one.  Or rather, he sees one when it really isn't there.  It's a common mistake, plenty of people misquote Adam Smith, I'll give him a pass.
Brad DeLong things Mankiw endorses Obama.
Harold Pollack thinks Mankiw is giving the left wing ammo.
Dean Baker thinks Mankiw is doing a cover up job; governments are supposed to redistribute, but they've implemented a system that redistributes upwards.  I dislike one of Baker's examples about pharmaceuticals;  yes, the companies make a lot of money off one drug, but they also lose a lot of money on other drugs.  You want to make sure you still have pharmaceuticals making drugs?  Make sure they can cover the incredible risks they take.

To be fair, I think Mankiw isn't opposed to the government; I think he recognizes that government intervention is necessary when it comes to social benefits and redistribution.  I think he's considered a conservative because he believes the role of government in providing these two are lower than most liberals. He's a stingy liberal, if you will.  It's just too bad he thinks Romney'll do a better job than Obama...