What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
This David Brooks column is unintentionally hilarious. The central premise of the piece is that budget negotiations for Republicans have gone very well -- Democrats are willing to make massive cuts (really? what are they?), that some Democrats are willing to engage in actual entitlement reform (sure they are), and all they want in exchange for this is for the Republicans to agree to tax hikes.
In Brooks' world, this is a "no brainer." And he is hopping mad that the Republican Congress doesn't agree:
But we can have no confidence that the Republicans will seize this opportunity. That’s because the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative.
Now, in Brooks' world, Democrats offered entitlement reform in exchange for closing tax loopholes. I don't know where Brooks is getting this information, but I don't believe it has happened in the real world. And the downside with these budget negotiations going on in secret is that we have no ability to judge whether these cuts that he's talking about are real and substantive or not.
But how about that loathing of the Tea Party? It gets better. Turns out that those of us who don't like the increasing size and scope of government are just dimwitted yokels:
The members of this movement do not accept the logic of compromise, no matter how sweet the terms. ...
The members of this movement do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities. ...
The members of this movement have no sense of moral decency. ...
The members of this movement have no economic theory worthy of the name.
I told you it was hilarious. Do you think maybe these people don't accept "intellectual authority" because they noticed that these authorities got them into this mess?
Brooks is angry that the Tea Party is holding members of Congress accountable. I'm rather glad that the Republicans in Congress have gotten the message that compromise in defense of greater growth of government is neither wise nor prudent.
- Comment (34)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (0)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
When Sulzberger hired Brooks, for once in his life, he knew what he was doing. The loathing that the latter evidences for evangelical Christians and for critics of the administrative entitlements state verges on bigotry. Brooks is comfortable with people who are like him. I predict that he will once again back Obama for the Presidency. It is sad to see intelligence so misused.
May '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.:
Turns out that those of us who don't like the increasing size and scope of government are just dimwitted yokels:
I told you it was hilarious.
It's not hilarious. It's unsettling. These are the words of someone who does not respect your right to participate in government or even to disagree.
The only thing that separates such people from the worst dictatorships in history is power. They tolerate conservatives only because they don't yet have the power to be rid of us.
The American Left is increasingly willing to dehumanize the Right. It's a dangerous path.
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Sorry, Mollie! I was posting on this as you were posting on this!
Aug '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Mollie, I think the mistake is an honest one: the talking points got in front of the news. You can't blame the guy, after all..where is he going to get his news ? the WSJ ?
And did you know that Pinch Sulzberger ,corporate jet owner and bon vivant, just flew his Falcon over the state where Gerald Loughner was born. So what's up with that ?
And I also heard, from sources close to the story, that Joe Biden was born in the same country as Charles Manson.
wait a minute, I'm getting ahead of myself. where was I ....see Russia from house...John Wayne Gacy....tea party moral stature....darn-this low,sloping forehead can't assimilate various concepts.
Jan '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Kent Brockman, call your office!
The difference between politicians and humanity is that when politicians screw you, they expect you to take their word next time, and the next, and the next, no matter how often they screw you.
Sep '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Oh, my goodness. Where to begin? There are so many problems with this column that if I were a student newspaper editor, I'd refuse to run it.
Mr. Brooks repeatedly refers to members of "a movement" but does not have the courage to say who they are.
He says, "The members of this movement do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities." Well, good for them! One should never accept an argument merely on authority; that's a basic principle, one which Mr. Brooks has apparently forgotten, if he ever knew it.
Besides, the academy--of which I am a member--long ago lost its legitimacy by including charlatans like Ward Churchill and entire "gender studies" departments in the name of political correctness. If a large portion of the public does not accept "the legitimacy of scholars" I can hardly blame them.
Even his grammar is falling apart: "They are coming to the conclusion that if the Republicans are fanatics then they better be fanatics, too."
This is sad because I was once prepared to give Mr. Brooks the benefit of the doubt. No longer.
Edited on Jul 5, 2011 at 8:10amRe: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
I guess everyone was posting about this around the same time - my friend recently tossed it upon on Facebook (my generation's Agora), and here's what I put:
"Fanatic"? Lacking "moral decency"? Come on. Brooks has taken a series of Democratic talking points and cloaked them in his "sensible conservative" bravado.
For example: "They have agreed not to raise tax rates. They have agreed to a roughly 3-to-1 rate of spending cuts to revenue increases..." Revenue increasing? By any objective standard that sounds like raising taxes. Brooks, who takes it upon himself to be the arbiter of "intellectual authorities", shouldn't so readily buy into talking points.
Furthermore: "Harry Reid, has talked about supporting a debt reduction measure of $3 trillion or even $4 trillion..." Who actually believes the Democrats will do this? More importantly, what bill is Brooks referring to? There's nothing!
What strikes me more as "indefensible" is the cowardice of the current administration and Democratic leadership to rely upon speeches and distortion to hide their reluctance to lead. We don't even have a budget...
By definition, the left has behaved indefensibly, because they have yet to provide anything to defend.
Edited on Jul 5, 2011 at 8:08amMay '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
I share Rob"s admiration for "BoBos in Paradise" but think Brooks has become a Bobo in the more traditional sense than as a bourgeoise bohemian. It is perplexing that he can write so perceptively one moment (see his recent article on school choice) and then reveal himself as a total dunce.
I of course do this all the time. But I don't get paid for it.
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Your critique is much better than mine and the piece is so bad that it deserves widespread scorn. I think it could use another couple of posts analyzing its flaws.
May '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
I came to the conclusion long ago that David Brooks is not worth my time.
Sep '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
This is the common area of agreement of the left and the statist elites like Brooks. Brooks is the perfect "Republican" for the NYT because he says what they want him to say quite well and he's still a nerd and a dork.
Brooks, Frum et al are willing sock-puppets for the left.
Or somewhat like a pet chimp. "See he can add two-plus-two bananas almost like a human, if only all chimps were as smart as he is. At least it proves they can be taught"
There is a certain irony here. Conservatives and Republicans don't read the New York Times except as an exercise. Brooks is ostensibly talking to Republicans but they aren't listening. Why should we? It's not as though Brooks has his hands on the pulse of the nation or even the pulse of the right. They aren't reading the New York Times, they are laughing at the cocoonery of the Times. So the idea that Brooks is giving cogent advice to his fellow Republicans is false. What then? He's shoring up Democrat readers that, once again, they are reasonable and their opponents are not.
Mar '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
If the GOP followed this guy's advice, they wouldn't win the Presidency for decades, and would stay a perpetual minority in the Congress. Just the way Brooks would like it. I think Brooks liked it better when the GOP was the "Me Too" minority party of the 70's.
Mar '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Brooks' argument has two threads.
The first thread is his out of line, over the top, overly broad and frankly ill-tempered bile-spilling attack on the Tea Party--which, for whatever reason, he refuses to call by name. As if the Tea Partiers wouldn't recognize themselves. Lacking moral deceny...good grief! Some "new tone" of political discourse!
Which brings me to the second thread of Brooks' argument, and this one does have some legitimacy. There are some under our big tent who believe that every legislative session is a zero sum game--either we win or the communists do and that's it. But the administrative welfare state took nearly 100 years to build. It's going to take more than one sweeping bill to take it apart. This thread that has legitimacy is that we shouldn't sacrifice the 2012 cycle for the debt ceiling vote.
If the deal is actually like the one Brooks' describes, we should take it. Drive a hard bargain, but take the bargain, and use the momentum to win in 2012.
Oh, and about Conservatives and the NYT: we are discussing his article, aren't we? Got our attention, didn't it?
Jul '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
I didn't read the piece -- and I'm not going to: that's what the conservative intelligensia is for, to read Andrew Sullivan and David Brooks and Noam Chomsky, and to tell us who don't, weekly, that they're not worth reading -- but surely the laughest (laughiest?) line from it is, "The members of this movement do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities."
Is this sort of thing worth writing up? I mean, the NYT, David Brooks, says dumb things about conservatives? Really, did they? Let me wipe the screen free of coffee / say it ain't so Joe / well cover me in frosting and call me a cake. (winking smiley)
Apr '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
The "No Brainer" to me is every time the debt ceiling, or Republicans unwillingness to compromise is mentioned the first words that should be spoken are Democrats refused to pass their own budget when they could but instead spent, spent and then spent some more when they held the purse strings.
Who cares what David Brooks thinks anyway ....He is a No Brainer and that is obvious when he opens his mouth
May '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Brooks reminds me of William Joyce (aka Lord Haw-Haw) sitting in the studio of Radio Bremen, drunk as a skunk as Germany crumbles around him in 1945, wondering why Britain and Germany didn't find a way to peace in and unite against the Soviets.
There he is crying over missed opportunities that never existed in the first place.
Brooks is a statist and believes in the well-managed welfare state. That doesn't make him a traitor in Joyce's league, it just makes him an idiot, since statism and well-managed are mutually exclusive terms.
The notorious RINO duo of Brooks and Frum (the other half of the two Davids) seem intent on recreating the GOP on the model of their Canadian homeland. Sorry, but if I have to take advice from a wandering Canuck, I'll take the Steyn-way.
May '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Invite Mr. Brooks to the next podcast!
Sep '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Facebook (my generation's Agora)
That's a brilliant insight. May I steal it and take undeserved credit?
Jul '10
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
I think David Brooks is perfectly suited for the Times. They are compatibly irrelevant.
Mar '11
Re: What Color Are The Clouds In David Brooks' World?
Harry: Also loved the Agora statement.
Although (while we're on the topic of Greek references) the more I think about it, Facebook may be the Piraeus....*shudders*