Good op-ed from David Brooks, "Dems, Please Don’t Drive Me Away"

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fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
88,251
55,803
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Anyone that looks at the unindicted co-conspirator and says "Wow, he's not at all someone for whom I would vote" and then looks at ANY OTHER candidate and says "Well, you lost me on this one tiny thing" and decides to stay at home is a moron.

I feel very strongly that you will see plenty of conservatives, possibly Brooks included make exactly that sort of rationalization next summer.

'I know the president is a felon who is possibly compromised by a hostile foreign power but Warren's position on Medicare is just too extreme'.
 

DrDoug

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2014
3,580
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Now you're posting about something Bobo says? David Brooks is another on a long series of worthless individuals known as conservatives opinion writers who hide behind the "moderate" label. He's no moderate and he's not worth spending a moment reading.

Still, thanks for the laugh, Ugly. A conservative quoting a NYT writer, even Brooks, is humorous.
 

DarthKyrie

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2016
1,617
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The idea that one cent of my tax money might be spent on someone who isn't as deserving as me is the core belief necessary to be a conservative today. With that perspective in mind, the idea of universal healthcare isn't exactly a tiny thing. Depending on how rich he is we are talking about thousands of dollars of "his" money being spent on "lazy minorities." Might as well burn down the government at that point, amirite? The fact that those missing thousands of dollars would not impact his life or lifestyle even a tiny bit never enters the equation.

It's the FYGM attitude of the boomers that came of age during an era when they benefitted from the New Deal and said fuck you to those behind them and sought the help of the nutty religious to get elected that has led to this GOP.
 
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kage69

Lifer
Jul 17, 2003
31,734
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Wtf are you talking about Brooks? Have you lost sight of his unfitness for office and contempt for democracy? Team Treason has to go no matter what, partisan sensitivities shouldn't enter into this. Rescuing the White House from this Russian asset should be every voting Americans duty in 2020.

At this point, I seriously believe something is wrong with you if you vote for Kompromat in 2020. There were excuses in 2016, I suppose. None exist today. Our Constitution is worth more than Trump's ego, it's time you Fox Noise lovin pissheads act like it.
 
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K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,797
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I feel very strongly that you will see plenty of conservatives, possibly Brooks included make exactly that sort of rationalization next summer.

'I know the president is a felon who is possibly compromised by a hostile foreign power but Warren's position on Medicare is just too extreme'.

Trump: ...and that's why I'd make it law for every child bearing white woman under 60 have 5 pure aryan children that are educated exclusively at Liberty University and can vote at the age of 2.

Chuck Todd: Let's turn to healthcare. You've heard the extreme plans from the Democrats to make sure people can get medical treatment to not die painfully while going broke and we all might have so pay a smidge more. Are you considering this Stalnist plan that will inevitably see us all in chains?

Trump: Nope too crazy. We're going to pass out a pint of cheap whiskey and ropes for people to hang themselves with to anybody who can't pay. Also we will cut taxes again.

Chuck Todd: Thank you for being here as always, Mr. President.

...

Serious Conservatives: Really it's the Democrats who've failed the republic making me vote for Trump again.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,440
10,730
136
He does a good job of summarizing where we're at. The push by the candidates to be the furthest to the left leaves the center disillusioned and not wanting to vote for them. The two party system is for the birds, we need more options.

Anyone who believes in trickle down is not a Democrat. Nor should we abandon helping people as our primary objective. Capitalism has evolved to a point where bold steps must be taken to ensure its survival. Our survival. Disparaging those efforts now only proves to separate the wheat from the chaff. Those conservatives who stand against the people VS those who will unite to save them from a failing system.

David Brooks’ Utter Ignorance About Inequality
Occasionally David Brooks, who personifies the oxymoron “conservative thinker” better than anyone I know, displays such profound ignorance that a rejoinder is necessary lest his illogic permanently pollute public debate. Such is the case with his New York Times column last Friday, arguing that we should be focusing on the “interrelated social problems of the poor” rather than on inequality, and that the two are fundamentally distinct. Baloney.

Right now the deck is stacked against the American people. Opportunity and wealth has escaped them. Ours is a mission to restore balance between public and private interests. To protect everyone's private wealth by creating a public system to ensure that they can attain any wealth in the first place. Akin to us applying bandages to a bleeding people, your quip is "let's not be too hasty, I may not want to pay for that". Well buddy, sooner or later those poor people won't be asking. Settle for balance now while we still can, Lord only knows what will come should we suffer a french revolution against our own nobility of wealth.

I do not wish us to fail at our mission, but we cannot afford to abandon our principles. We must press on.
 
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Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,686
136
Anyone who believes in trickle down is not a Democrat. Nor should we abandon helping people as our primary objective. Capitalism has evolved to a point where bold steps must be taken to ensure its survival. Our survival. Disparaging those efforts now only proves to separate the wheat from the chaff. Those conservatives who stand against the people VS those who will unite to save them from a failing system.

David Brooks’ Utter Ignorance About Inequality
Occasionally David Brooks, who personifies the oxymoron “conservative thinker” better than anyone I know, displays such profound ignorance that a rejoinder is necessary lest his illogic permanently pollute public debate. Such is the case with his New York Times column last Friday, arguing that we should be focusing on the “interrelated social problems of the poor” rather than on inequality, and that the two are fundamentally distinct. Baloney.

Right now the deck is stacked against the American people. Opportunity and wealth has escaped them. Ours is a mission to restore balance between public and private interests. To protect everyone's private wealth by creating a public system to ensure that they can attain any wealth in the first place. Akin to us applying bandages to a bleeding people, your quip is "let's not be too hasty, I may not want to pay for that". Well buddy, sooner or later those poor people won't be asking. Settle for balance now while we still can, Lord only knows what will come should we suffer a french revolution against our own nobility of wealth.

I do not wish us to fail at our mission, but we cannot afford to abandon our principles. We must press on.

You mean that all this trickle down job creator activity hasn't worked out the way the GOP said it would? That putting the financial fruits of progress & the future of America into the hands of the greediest people on the planet might not have been in the interests of the American People at all?

I just hope the GOP crashes the economy, again, *before* the election. They will crash it, of course. It's built right in to their capitalist ideology.
 
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JSt0rm

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
27,399
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I'm sure a lot of the Anandtech trolls would call Stalin a moderate.

tenor.gif




shut the fuck up you dumb bitch
 

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
I would still like to know what the OP “leans” left on and why he thinks it is the “lefts” position.


Pro abortion
Pro environmental regulation including major investments in renewable energy
Anti tax cuts, although my reasons probably don’t line up with the lefts reasons
Pro women’s rights
Pro education and investments in it, just not pro free college (see my other thread)
Pro universal pre-k
Pro net neutrality
Anti war
Pro marijuana legalization (does that mean lean left?)
Pro tax reform and anti loopholes. Do that and I wouldn’t mind higher rates
Pro gay rights
Pro military spending cuts (massively)

I’m sure there’s more, that’s off the top of my head
 
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Nov 25, 2013
32,083
11,718
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Pro abortion
Pro environmental regulation including major investments in renewable energy
Anti tax cuts, although my reasons probably don’t line up with the lefts reasons
Pro women’s rights
Pro education and investments in it, just not pro free college (see my other thread)
Pro universal pre-k
Pro net neutrality
Anti war
Pro marijuana legalization (does that mean lean left?)
Pro tax reform and anti loopholes. Do that and I wouldn’t mind higher rates
Pro gay rights
Pro military spending cuts (massively)

I’m sure there’s more, that’s off the top of my head

And just what is it that makes you think any of those things are inherently "left"?

btw, "pro abortion"? You go around encouraging people to have abortions? That sure ain't "left".
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,686
136
Pro abortion
Pro environmental regulation including major investments in renewable energy
Anti tax cuts, although my reasons probably don’t line up with the lefts reasons
Pro women’s rights
Pro education and investments in it, just not pro free college (see my other thread)
Pro universal pre-k
Pro net neutrality
Anti war
Pro marijuana legalization (does that mean lean left?)
Pro tax reform and anti loopholes. Do that and I wouldn’t mind higher rates
Pro gay rights
Pro military spending cuts (massively)

I’m sure there’s more, that’s off the top of my head

And pro "Burn it down!" at the same time.
 

GodisanAtheist

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2006
8,519
9,953
136
The center right are politically homeless in this country, and it's painful to watch in a train wreck kinda way.

They are not deep enough in the hole to think Trump is anything but a sack of crap, nevertheless years of pub programming makes them incapable of voting for a Democrat if the country depended on it.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,440
10,730
136
The center right are politically homeless in this country, and it's painful to watch in a train wreck kinda way.

They are not deep enough in the hole to think Trump is anything but a sack of crap, nevertheless years of pub programming makes them incapable of voting for a Democrat if the country depended on it.

Oh no, it is all good and fine so long as the "Democrat" is one of them.
 
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theeedude

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
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David Brooks enabled the GOP, then it went off script, and now he thinks that the Democrats' job to be what the old plutocratic but not ape-shit crazy GOP was for him.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,440
10,730
136
David Brooks enabled the GOP, then it went off script, and now he thinks that the Democrats' job to be what the old plutocratic but not ape-shit crazy GOP was for him.

In a way, I suspect the Clinton era "We need to help people... a little" is an old position ripe for the taking to any sane Republican out there. Just don't expect us to take the bait and join them in holding this nation back.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,686
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David Brooks enabled the GOP, then it went off script, and now he thinks that the Democrats' job to be what the old plutocratic but not ape-shit crazy GOP was for him.

David Brooks has been in Denial about the GOP faithful being ape shit crazy for 25 years. Their leadership revs up the craziness quite ruthlessly, winning at top down class warfare & looting the Treasury being their only real goals. Laughing at the rubes behind their backs, all the way to the bank. Trump, of course, is the greatest charlatan of them all.
 

HomerJS

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
39,918
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136
Hillary was a moderate candidate. She was slightly right of center. Unfortunately she didn't excite the left wing, who decided they didn't want to vote rather than give her theirs. David Brooks is clearly a solidly conservative individual, so I hope he's not trying to claim he falls into the moderate territory. But him claiming he could never vote for Trump is good, it means that even as the Republican party has embraced the extremist alt-right, evil that not all conservatives are falling for that bullshit. Perhaps those like him can start the drive of the Republican party away from the fascist land they now inhabit.
I like to use fewer words, sometimes
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,839
2,625
136
I like David Brooks as a columnist and author, but I greatly doubt he has voted for a Democrat ever in his life. He is a dyed in the wool old school GOP conservative, who like so many honest conservative talking heads (but essentially no politicians) has moved away from the GOP out of disgust over how Trump and his ilk have corrupted the brand.
 
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