"The Center Holds"

I hate David Brooks with the burning intensity of 10,000 suns. Helpfully, my (token Republican) friend Russ sent me his latest ramblings, and here is my response. (Thanks to the NY Times for no longer charging a fee to read their most popular columnists.)

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Interesting, but Brooks is hardly an objective observer. The Republicans have done very well *for awhile* by appealing to a rather narrow slice of their base (religious conservatives), but clearly that tactic has severe limitations. The same may be true on the left, but it's too soon to say.

Brooks' arguments are deliberately skewed. He ignores any results or trends that don't agree with his premise. For example, clearly voters in the last election wanted a more definitive policy for withdrawal from Iraq than was being offered by "mainstream" politicians and some surprising candidates won - he fails to discuss this at all. Similarly, Hillary Clinton may be ahead in the polls, but she hasn't won yet, so it's a little early to declare that her approach is superior.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/25/opinion/25brooks.html

September 25, 2007
NY Times Op-Ed Columnist
The Center Holds
By DAVID BROOKS

In the beginning of August, liberal bloggers met at the YearlyKos convention while centrist Democrats met at the Democratic Leadership Council’s National Conversation. Almost every Democratic presidential candidate attended YearlyKos, and none visited the D.L.C.

At the time, that seemed a sign that the left was gaining the upper hand in its perpetual struggle with the center over the soul of the Democratic Party. But now it’s clear that was only cosmetic.

Now it’s evident that if you want to understand the future of the Democratic Party you can learn almost nothing from the bloggers, billionaires and activists on the left who make up the “netroots.” You can learn most of what you need to know by paying attention to two different groups — high school educated women in the Midwest, and the old Clinton establishment in Washington.