It's Too Late Now

Now that the economy is in a death spiral and moderate policies are being unraveled at an alarming rate, the talking heads are coming out with their mea culpas. here's David Brooks, who can be found blathering away on all the political talk shows.

David Brooks, New York Times 11/21/2008:

"Believe me, I’m trying not to join in the vast, heaving O-phoria now sweeping the coastal haute bourgeoisie. But the personnel decisions have been superb. The events of the past two weeks should be reassuring to anybody who feared that Obama would veer to the left or would suffer self-inflicted wounds because of his inexperience. He’s off to a start that nearly justifies the hype."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/opinion/21brooks.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

And just 15 weeks later:

David Brooks, New York Times, 3/2/2009

"The U.S. has never been a society riven by class resentment. Yet the Obama budget is predicated on a class divide. The president issued a read-my-lips pledge that no new burdens will fall on 95 percent of the American people. All the costs will be borne by the rich and all benefits redistributed downward.

The U.S. has always been a decentralized nation, skeptical of top-down planning. Yet, the current administration concentrates enormous power in Washington, while plan after plan emanates from a small group of understaffed experts.

The U.S. has always had vibrant neighborhood associations. But in its very first budget, the Obama administration raises the cost of charitable giving. It punishes civic activism and expands state intervention.

In the past weeks, Democrats have legislated provisions to dilute welfare reform, restrict the inflow of skilled immigrants and gut a voucher program designed for poor students. It will be up to moderates to raise the alarms against these ideological outrages."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/opinion/03brooks.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


It's too late now Mr Brooks