Reining In the G.O.P.'s Parade (Just a bit)

[rodeodance]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/09/opinion/09brooks.html?th&emc=th
April 9, 2005
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Reining In the G.O.P.'s Parade
By DAVID BROOKS

The Republican Party is running into a problem: the conservatism of the American people. Over the past decade, the Republicans have set themselves up as the transformational party. That's fine for a party with big ideals.

But the American people, who can be quite bold when it comes to transforming their personal lives, tend to be temperamentally conservative and cautious when it comes to government. They have a taste for order and a distrust of those who want too much change on too many fronts too quickly.

It's become increasingly clear that the Republicans are bumping into some limits........



This does not mean good news for Democrats. That party is at risk of going into a death spiral. The Democrats lost white working-class voters by 23 percentage points in the last election, and now the party is being led by people who are guaranteed to alienate those voters even more: the highly educated and secular university-town elites who follow Howard Dean and believe Bush hatred and stridency are the outward signs of righteousness........

[cornermouse]

1. I see he couldn't resist slipping in an attack on the democrats

along the way. I'm getting really tired of this. If Brooks wants to see a highly educated university-town elite, perhaps he should make a trip to the nearest mirror.

[Fovea]

2. David Brooks -- UBER POPULIST!

Nah, I can't see it, even if I squint *and* shout...

His idea of the common man is George Bush, that should tell you from the start how down home the boy really is.

[Elidor]

3. Shorter David Brooks:

The republicans are crazed, power-hungry madmen, lacking scruples and with no sense of moderation.

But at least they're not democrats.

[deacon2]

4. Yup, that's the ticket