David Brooks, Tired Of The GOP, Wants New Friends, More Hotel Variety & Sympathy For Being SO Smart.

[kpete]

A Second G.O.P.
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: January 28, 2013

.........

Americans are still skeptical of Washington. If you shove a big government program down their throats they will recoil. But many of their immediate problems flow from globalization, the turmoil of technological change and social decay, and they’re looking for a bit of help. Moreover, given all the antigovernment rhetoric, they will never trust these Republicans to reform cherished programs like Social Security and Medicare. You can’t be for entitlement reform and today’s G.O.P., because politically the two will never go together.

Can current Republicans change their underlying mentality to adapt to these realities? Intellectual history says no. People almost never change their underlying narratives or unconscious frameworks. Moreover, in the South and rural West, where most Republicans are from, the Encroachment Story has deep historic and psychological roots. Anti-Washington, anti-urban sentiment has characterized those cultures for decades.

It’s probably futile to try to change current Republicans. It’s smarter to build a new wing of the Republican Party, one that can compete in the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic states, in the upper Midwest and along the West Coast. It’s smarter to build a new division that is different the way the Westin is different than the Sheraton.

...........

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/opinion/brooks-a-second-g-o-p.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[JHB]

1. Doesn't that already exist? "Third Way" or some such nonsense?

On the other hand, Happy Splitsville, Elephant Man!

[Lesmoderesstupides]

3. Yes, Unfortunately the Third Way is affiliated with the Wrong Party right now

[factsarenotfair]

2. Brooks is always wrong in so many ways he's hard to counter.

"Americans are still skeptical of Washington."
That's the first sentence and I could spend at least an hour showing how it is a distortion and deception. I'm not sure, but David Brooks' best skill might be cleverly cramming more misinformation into his words than any other right-wing pundit while sounding erudite and non-sociopathic.

[JoeBlowToo]

4. Yes, Americans are so upset with Social security and Medicare being "shoved down their throats"

Even Linda Lovelace did not like having things shoved down her throat. So that is how righties characterize government. In reality very few people have anything shoved down their throat by our government. I think this dates back to the 1970s when they ginned up fear about racial integration, busing and affirmative action.

[athena]

5. I agree completely. Nothing he says or writes is sincere.

No one has hurt the liberal cause the way he has. He was the one who came up with the inaccurate but highly damaging stereotype of liberals as Volvo-driving, latte-sipping elitists. Even when he seems to be criticizing Republicans, he's really criticizing Democrats, if you read carefully. He makes all sorts of statements that are incorrect but sound completely reasonable and are therefore extremely damaging.

There are so many inconsistencies in this column. He appears to be criticizing the Republican party, but he's arguing that "Americans" (all of them) are against big government, as is the Republican party. In other words, the problem with the Republican party is one of style, not substance. He then claims that the problem is not small government but "globalization," "technological change," and "social decay," whatever that means. He says the reason Americans don't trust Republicans with "entitlement reform" is that Republican rhetoric is too anti-government. So all we need is for the republicans to tone down their anti-government rhetoric, appeal instead to people's fear of women and minorities, and the people will then trust them to take apart their cherished programs like Medicare and Social Security. The question he doesn't answer is how he will fix the problems of income inequality and education without strengthening any government programs. He accuses Republicans of not offering any solutions, but I see no solutions in his column -- just words that sound good and claim without proof that American values are Republican values, after all.

[factsarenotfair]

6. That analysis is brilliant.

It's a tragedy he gives us so much material, isn't it?

[amandabeech]

7. Brooks just needs a change of scenery.

Maybe he can move to the outback of Australia or to Patagonia.

The people of those places would be quite new to David, and the hotels will be different, too.

He must be able to tolerate sheep, however.

I just want him to go away.

[Octafish]

8. David Brooks is a Moonie

http://www.apj.us/20060508Scoobie.html