David freaking Brooks: How Obama fell to Earth

I've searched DKos for a diary on this ridiculous Op ed but have not found any. I am completely surprised that no one wrote about this (and if there is a diary on this, please let me know!).

I believe the title says it all but view below for the link and some quotes.

link

Back in Iowa, Barack Obama promised to be something new — an unconventional leader who would confront unpleasant truths, embrace novel policies and unify the country. If he had knocked Hillary Clinton out in New Hampshire and entered general-election mode early, this enormously thoughtful man would have become that.

But he did not knock her out, and the aura around Obama has changed. Furiously courting Democratic primary voters and apparently exhausted, Obama has emerged as a more conventional politician and a more orthodox liberal.

That's how he starts off. He then goes on to accuse Obama of "fibs, evasions and hypocrisies that are the stuff of conventional politics". He then goes on to read the future that Obama will fail as a president because the promises he's made are stupid and unattainable.

No article about Obama would be complete without saying he's elitist:

Some of us love Hyde Park for its diversity and quirkiness, as there are those who love Cambridge and Berkeley. But it is among the more academic and liberal places around. When Obama goes to a church infused with James Cone-style liberation theology, when he makes ill-informed comments about working-class voters, when he bowls a 37 for crying out loud, voters are going to wonder if he’s one of them. Obama has to address those doubts, and he has done so poorly up to now.

There's more to this despicable article, go read it! I'll add more comments to this shortly, gotta go do something.... plus i'm not sure if this has already been discussed...

•  tip jar

  not sure how it works but i see people do this all the time. lol

  by Babylon on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 10:52:53 AM PDT

•  Posted previously here

  http://notasinformed.dailykos.com/

  by zenmasterjack on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 10:55:42 AM PDT

•  not to defend Brooks..

  but I am for one glad that this image is gone, it wasn't real because Obama has flaws, and it raised expectations to a level that was going to disappoint people and create a backlash

  Obama is more real now...and that's a good thing

  by PalGirl2008 on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 10:57:08 AM PDT

•  How do they know handwriting was his?

  One of the worst things Brooks says is that Obama lied about this questionaire on handguns when he said he never saw it.

  The "proof" that Obama did see it is that supposedly his handwriting is on it.

  But how do they know this? Obama claims it was filled out by a staffer, so how do they know it isn't the staffer's handwriting?

  Did they hire a writing expert to examine it or is there just an assumption here that the handwriting must be his?

  by Spock36 on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 10:59:21 AM PDT

•  David Brooks is a big baby

  Every time he makes a clever quip on the NewsHour he gets a silly grin on his face like he's waiting for mommy's smile of approval.

  by houyhnhnm on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 10:59:51 AM PDT

•  About half

  About half of what David Brooks writes is actually thoughtful, independent commentary (albeit with a conservative bent).  Even if I don't always agree with the policy ideas that that half leads to, I find it worth reading.  Sadly, this was not in that half, and in fact was rattling down in his "bottom five percentile" category.

  peace,
  lilnev

  by lilnev on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 11:11:37 AM PDT

•  Wishful thinking from conservatism's

  most out of touch fantasist.  

  by Urizen on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 11:17:41 AM PDT

•  Brooks is NOT All Wet

  I've caucused for Obama and I have two of his posters in my living room window for the world to see.

  But I want to say something here about Brooks and Mark Shields (on JIM LEHR last night).  They both agreed that Clinton and Obama made two huge errors during the debate last week.  They made absolute statements about not raising taxes for income families under $250 K and they were absolute about beginning the troop withdrawal process from Iraq in (what I believe was) 60 days.  Correct on that exact time line, if I am mistaken.

  This is pandering, people.  We need open and honest discussions about our debt, the burgeoning entitlement programs, and how we intend to pay for our crumbling infrastructure, health care, disabled veterans, aging baby boomers, etc etc.  Cutting earmarks and eliminating the Bush tax cuts will NOT cut it.

  I think Obama needs, one he disposes of the witch, to have a heart to heart talk with America about the pain of bringing this country back from the brink of insolvency.  

  We cannot and will not be able to afford / implement all those programs and initiatives outlined in Obama's blue print(s) for America.

  Anyone who thinks otherwise is in LA-LA land.  They are not being honest with themselves.

  Obama had a bad week.  He will recover and I believe put McBush in his place.  But part of that road to victory DEMANDS more straight talk with America.

  Otherwise we continue along this path to nowhere, as a nation.

  rh

  by RoddieH on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:08:31 PM PDT

  •  The real third rail

    Look, taxes are the real third rail of politics. Even allowing time-limited tax breaks to expire will get you burned.

    The Republicans have made taxes their best political tool. No Democrat can afford to say that he or she will raise taxes on even upper, upper middle class folks because all we'll hear is raising taxes during the general.

    People hate taxes. As shown in many polls, people tend to think that they pay too many taxes. And when they hear about some abuse or another, their confirmation bias about taxes makes them even more anti-tax.

    Pandering about taxes is a necessary part of the campaign. Remember the Mondale.

    What we need is for a sane president to start teaching (framing, if you will) about the necessity of some taxes. One of the two best ways I know of is to equate taxes with club dues -- dues to drive on highways, get college loans, defend the country, pay for entitlements. The second is to point out the alternative, that the burdens of national debt will fall on our children -- with college loans and mortgages and increased social security and Medicare payments, they'll have to pay extra taxes to pay off our debt.

    We also need presidents to keep showing the pie chart with (I forget the exact figures) 23% for defense, 22% for social security, 22% for Medicare, Medicaid, etc., 8% for interest on the national debt, and 25%  for everything else the federal government does.

    by exregis on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:25:34 PM PDT

•  Bowling for votes

  OK, so Obama can't bowl, though he should get an extrapolated 53 for a full 10 frames (instead of the seven frames he actually bowled).

  But Clinton can't bowl either, as she proved on Ellen D.'s show.

  Lastly, I can't imagine that McCain could ever bowl because of his damaged arms.

  So what good is bowling for deciding among the candidates? Surely there must be a better test, like boilermakers.

  by exregis on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:12:31 PM PDT

•  I'd like to see David Brooks live in Hyde Park

  Somewhere around 51st and Woodlawn.  He'd last twenty-five minutes.

  by nightsweat on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:18:03 PM PDT