On NPR’s All Things Considered, David Brooks was discussing how Nancy Pelosi would convince House members to vote for HCR. He said she would say something like, “Well, you’re going to lose your seat over this, but for the good of the country, you need to make this vote.”
Horseshit.
Pelosi would say the opposite: that failing to pass HCR would be a body blow to every Democrat, and if you’re in a tough district, switching your vote to oppose HCR will make you look like a waffling, unserious, gutless wonder. She’d also say that people appreciate consistency and loyalty, that they’re sick to death of hearing about this bill, and they’ll consider you a useless wanker for wasting their time yakking about reform while delivering nothing.
I realize that DougJ has the Brooks beat, but this was some of the most vapid “analysis” I’ve heard in a long time.
Incertus (Brian)
She might throw in a little “earmark here if you vote for it, no earmark if you don’t” while she’s at it, and I’d be perfectly fine with that.
Mnemosyne
Did EJ Dionne laugh in his face or did they turn his mike off? Dionne is usually the “counterpoint” to Brooksie on NPR.
robertdsc
Bobo is a Serious Person. /eyeroll
JGabriel
Yeah, he’s always struck me as more of a sub.
.
Mike E
Bobo the Concern Troll. Obviously, the people with the most to lose are the ones lining up at Applebee’s salad bar.
Incertus (Brian)
I should add that Brooks was probably being honest when he said that–honest insofar as he hopes the Democrats won’t control the House after the next elections, and that his “advice” would put them even closer to that end.
Bob L
I see Brooks is concerned about the liberal agenda.
dmsilev
Personally, I think “If you vote for this, you’ll make David Brooks cry” would be a pretty convincing argument in favor. But that’s just me.
-dms
MikeJ
Calling Brooks vapid is being far too charitable. He knows it’s horseshit but it advances his story.
What’s funny is Brooks is trying to push the unpopularity of HCR, and he ends up making the Dems look more courageous than they actually are.
J.W. Hamner
I would be a lousy whip too, since I’d want to say:
You’re going to lose your seat anyway, so why don’t you vote for HCR so you can at least have a story about how did something principled once in your life to toss out there when you’re standing around the watercooler at your K Street lobbying firm?
craptractor
I agree, but along the same lines as I would that kittens are superbly cute. I mean, we’re kinda stating the obvious right? Let’s challenge ourselves.
mistermix
@Mnemosyne: No, it was Clarence Page, who’s useless.
Cacti
As March 18 draws closer, I’d expect to see a lot more Concern from the Serious People.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
Thankfully, none of the rock throwers from the peanut gallery can stop the momentum to bring this thing to a close. It’s not a certainty, but concern trolling is over on this issue. Now dem members have to go face to face with the party leaders and tell Nancy Pelosi no. Nothin’ I’d want to do on hers and the presnits and our signature issue. They may fear the tea baggers in reddish districts, but the wrath of Nancy trumps that, I suspect.
Lancelot Link
Brooks would be a lousy journalist, too.
Cat Lady
I suspect Nancy has Rahm’s Pen1s of Doom on speed dial. Also too.
kay
Well, that’s noble of the Democrats.
David Brooks is telling us Republicans would never give up a seat for the good of the country.
In so many words :)
Cacti
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
And having to explain to the core group of Dem voters in their reddish distrcit that they absolutely depend on…
“Well, I voted against a 7-decade Democratic Party priority, but I promise, if you keep sending me back, we’ll get something even better some day.”
That would go over well.
Cacti
@Lancelot Link:
He’s already a pretty lousy propagandist.
geg6
All I have to say about Bobo is that the concern troll is concerned.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
The political analysis seems sound to me. I’m just curious to see if the terms “Whip” and “David Brooks” are enough to summon the Project Wonderful high heels lady from her Fortress of Solitude somewhere out there in Google Ads land. Because that would be full of win.
Comrade Mary
Dayum. That man has talent. Or maybe he’s packing a lot less Doom than I thought he was, those speed dial buttons being so tiny and all.
ruemara
I listen to the oldies and rock radio stations now. Now my blood pressure is much lower and the hoarseness in my voice is from singing, not yelling at asinine David Brooks on NPR. Much happy is to be had from “Smoking In The Boys Room” done at 70 mph.
Napoleon
Jesus, Brooks was not trying to analyze anything. That was just his way of injecting the Republican talking points into the debate. That is what Brooks does, he may be another flavor of wingnut that is designed to appeal to the NPR crowd but he is just as much wingnut at any of the others.
cat48
BoBo gets a pass from me today since he devoted his column today to his Obama love.
liberty60
This is the meme of the day, that passage of HCR will spell doom for the Dems.
Which would be laughable, if there weren’t gutless wonders tucked in their hidey holes, convinced they can buy the mercy of the Tea Party/ RedState Strike Force with a no vote.
Do these people think for one moment that any Republican will ever, ever, relent in their drive for absolute power and Party purity, just because a Blue Dog voted it down?
Considering that Lindsey Effing Graham is considered a traitor, and even Newt Gingrich is in danger of being purged from the Party (and airbrushed out of photos no doubt), the Dems have only two choices- absolute surrender or discovering a spine.
Litlebritdifrnt
Okay bear with me here, I have basically been running errands for my boss all day so I have spent the majority of the day in the car listening to RWNJ radio all day (pity me). I listened to Ingram, Limbaugh and Hannity and then my local RWNJ host discuss the week with Dan Gainor from business and media. To a person they were all saying “if the dems pass this bill they are going to get slaughtered in the fall elections”. Dan Gainor said “they will be in the political wilderness for years” if they pass the bill. Soooooooooooo why are the RWNJ radio talking heads (and the tee-vee RWNJ talking heads) screaming so loudly? If passing the bill will DOOOOOOOOOOM the democrats why are they fighting tooth and nail against it? It appears to me that the RWNJ concern trolls are concerned. However, Limbaugh let slip a snippet of truth, “if the bill passes it will never be repealed, even if we have the house and the senate in November” Hmmmmm why would that be? Cause the people would not let them repeal it, cause they like it, just as they would never, in a million years allow anyone to repeal social security, once this bill passes, the people will never allow it to be repealed. So, to review the RWNJs are screaming against a bill that will DOOOOOOOM the democrats in November and the RWNJs will take back the house and the senate in November. Am I missing anything here cause I haz a confoozed.
jeffreyw
Yeah, since his last offering, anyway.
DougJ
@cat48:
It was a good column, I agree.
On other hand, I feel that any one of us could have written that column.
Zuzu's Petals
I finally turned it off before my blood pressure blew.
I’m not giving that outfit another red cent, even if it means having to see Ira Glass suffer.
Mark
@JGabriel: Bobo’s had his nuts crushed by his dom a few times. I just wonder why he was so sketched out by the Senator who touched his thigh.
Zuzu's Petals
@Mnemosyne:
Which one of them said nothing would happen for four years even if it passed?
Whoever it was, I can’t believe the host didn’t call them on it immediately.
Oh wait, it was NPR. Ne-ver mind.
Pat
That’s a good trick; I’ll have to remember that. “No no, I totally think you should do that thing I’m against. I mean, it’s great to martyr yourself. Die in a blaze of glory and all that. I’ll be sure to take care of your wife.”
Zuzu's Petals
@Zuzu’s Petals:
Sorry, that linked to the House bill stuff. Here’s what in the Senate bill that would happen right away.
Jay in Oregon
@Zuzu’s Petals:
This American Life is actually produced by Chicago Public Radio, not NPR, and you can listen to the podcast (and donate directly to them, if I remember correctly).
Napoleon
@Jay in Oregon:
Periodically on the podcast Chicago Public Radio will request donations to cover the bandwidth to put out the podcast.
Batocchio
Brooks knows it’s horseshit. He’s concern trolling the issue, as was Tony Blankley on Left, Right and Center today. They don’t have many moves.
tc125231
Brooks is a professional at earnestly presenting BS as 24K gold for the benefit of his sponsors.
His continued presence on serious outlets like PBS and NPR reveals the total intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy of the American media.