David Brooks is the George Will of the New York Times -- "establishment" (i.e. Sunday yak-fest acceptable) conservative dishing out gassy blather that ignores the nihilistic turn of the Republicans, ignores the malign influence of the Koch Brothers' millions in the political process -- just generally ignores anything Brooks can't see from his office window at 242 W. 41st street, New York City. Like the middle class suffering.
Today's New York Times column by Brooks combines his every tone-deaf, asinine quality.
First, Brooks is famous for decrying the decay of Democracy without ever taking responsibility for cheering on those -- Reagan, Bush Junior -- who have done their best to pulverize it. Hence this sentence...
In the U.S., Washington is polarized, stagnant and dysfunctional; a pathetic 26 percent of Americans trust their government to do the right thing.
Hmmmm, let's see -- "polarized, stagnant and dysfunctional" -- might that be because of cynical, all-out "wreck and any cost" opposition of the Republicans to Obama from day one of presidency?
The events of the past several years have exposed democracy’s structural flaws. Democracies tend to have a tough time with long-range planning. Voters tend to want more government services than they are willing to pay for. The system of checks and balances can slide into paralysis, as more interest groups acquire veto power over legislation.
Ah, yes. Notice the rhetorical trickery here.
"Democracy's structural flaws"..."Democracies tend to have a tough time with long-range planning...more interest groups acquire veto power over legislation." All the result of right-wing efforts to empower Koch-style special interest money in politics --
something Brooks and his fellow right-wingers wholeheartedly approve of.
The Democrats -- Liz Warren, Bernie Sanders -- have a solution. The solution is to return democracy to the people by grounding the fleet of billionaire-financed Death Star PACs from carpet-bombing the American people with hundreds of millions of dollars.
So what does Brooks suggest?
The quickest way around all this is to use elite Simpson-Bowles-type commissions to push populist reforms.
I'm sorry -- my head just exploded. The solution isn't to get mega-money out of politics. Here's Brooks at his most definitive. The solution is for an elite group of our 'betters' -- Villagers all, vetted and approved by Brooks and Peggy Noonan and Rupert Murdoch -- to pat us on the heads and give us 'populist reforms' that, regrettably, will ween us off all those bothersome social safety net programs, force us from our comfortable hammocks and force us back where we belong -- earning a generous minimum wage serving Mr. Brooks his Venti Iced Sugar-Free Syrup Extra Shot Light Ice No Whip Skinny Hazelnut Macchiato at Starbucks.
How much ya wanna bet these 'populist reforms' include:
"Reforming" (destroying) Social Security
"Reforming" (destroying) Medicare
"Reforming" (destroying) labor unions
When some new version of the (failed) Simpsons-Bowles Commission approves these, Mr. Brooks will reluctantly endorse them as "necessary reforms" so that the Koch Brothers might then be able accrue 110 billion dollars, instead of the paltry 100 billion that causes them so much suffering. When the voters revolt, he will castigate the rabble for refusing to bow to the Wise Elders, millionaires all, who will never feel any pain from their actions.
David Brooks is worse than a waste of space. He's a Useful Idiot of the right-wing radicals he pretends to hold at arms length.