Down the Rabbit Hole With David Brooks

[maha]

I don't usually read David Brooks's columns, but I got suckered into it today because of the teaser line on the New York Times web site -- "The Republican Party has a problem this election year. It's the governing party, but it lacks a governing philosophy."

Of course, it's not true that the Republicans don't have a governing philosophy. It's just that they don't have a governing philosophy they will admit to publicly. Still, the teaser promised unusual candor on Brooks's part. So I read the column.

Reading a David Brooks column is a bit like falling down Alice's rabbit hole. You reach a place where the rules of logic no longer apply, and objective reality melts into dream. It's a place where the croquet-mallet flamingos of cognitive dissonance meet the Cheshire cat of political spin. Today's column is no different.

Brooks starts out by admitting that Republicans have lost credibility on the issue of reducing the size of government. But this is not the GOP's fault; those soft-hearted Republicans are just giving the people what they want -- "Republicans have learned through hard experiences that most Americans do not actually want their government sharply cut."


Read more.

[DBoon]

1. Translation

Republicans, once in power, realize that their political power base requires ever-costly government handouts.

[La_Serpiente]

2. alternative translation - thanks atrios

The Republican Party is truly truly horrible, but they are our only hope.

-From Atrios