David Brooks is on "book leave" from the NY Times, so readers have been spared his dissembling insights on Tuesday and Friday for awhile. However, it appears that having a staff of 10 interns actually writing the book does permit David to appear on Meet the Press, and even at something called the "Hero Summit."
Here are a couple of insights from David from yesterday showing once again that he is a hero of disingenuous cluelessness:
I.
Yeah. The question [President Barack Obama had] never answered in all these years is, "How do I build a governing majority in this circumstance?"
What circumstance, Dave?
When the Baucus committee pissed away months trying to reach agreement on health care with Grassley and Enzi, when it was clear that the chance of their agreeing to anything was less than that of Ted Cruz joining Code Pink?
When he had to abandon the Medicare buy-in at 55 plan not only because of unanimous Republican opposition, but because of Joe Lieberman?
When the stimulus relied on lopping off $100 billion because Susan Collins was "uncomfortable" with that amount of debt?
When the stimulus included almost half in tax cuts, and still attracted only 1-2 Republican votes?
II.
He's got 40 House Republicans who are never going to be with him. How does he siphon them off and get the other Republicans on his side to get a majority coalition? You have to anger the left a little to build that bipartisan coalition. He's never figured out a way to do that.
Never angered the left?
OK, Dave, You don't have to read the diaries and comments on Daily Kos to know that the "left" has been furious about many of these:
The NSA Program.
The perception that Obama did not fight hard enough for single payer or the public option.
The 2010 extension of the Bush tax cuts.
The 2011 Debt deal.
The 2012 Fiscal Cliff deal.
Chained CPI.
The threat to attack Syria.
It must be nice to earn tens of thousands on speeches when your fundamental premises are based completely on fantasy.
h/t Driftglass