David Brooks' Magical Mystery Tour of Barack Obama

[ErinBerin84]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/david-brooks-magical-myst_b_116734.html


David Brooks' Magical Mystery Tour of Barack Obama, by Joseph Palermo


On Face the Nation yesterday, the right-wing pundit David Brooks offered his sage advice to the John McCain campaign: "In the short term they have to try to define him as someone who thinks he's above everyone else. And in truth, he's a kind of elusive guy. I've been studying Obama for a long time, I have no idea who they are." Later in the interview Brooks added: "the thing about Obama is the guy's written two autobiographies, but it's still hard to find out who he was."

Although David Brooks claims to have been "studying Obama for a long time," I would suggest that in the future he uses a far more rigorous, less partisan, and more objective methodology.

It might be a good idea for Brooks to turn his awe-inspiring analytical skills to "studying" John McCain who is far more perplexing and mysterious than Barack Obama given his constantly shifting stands on virtually all of the key issues.

Brooks should ask: Who is John McCain?

Is he the "maverick" who stakes out positions independent of Republican orthodoxy or is he the party apparatchik who votes with the Bush Administration 95 percent of the time?

Is McCain the guy who opposed Bush's tax breaks for the wealthy and giant corporations or the one who is now calling for making those same regressive tax breaks permanent?

Is McCain the candidate who called Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance" or the candidate who grovels at their feet seeking their imprimatur for his current presidential bid?

Is McCain the politician who sought to deal with immigration in a comprehensive way or the one who is now pandering to nativist anti-immigrant fears?

Is McCain the guy who voted against a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1983 or the guy who commemorated the 40th anniversary of King's death with a campaign stop at the Lorraine Motel?



snip



Where is this mysterious "void" in Barack Obama's background that David Brooks and other right-wing commentators keep wringing their hands about?

Brooks and other Republican media mouthpieces want to repeat over and over again the Big Lie that Obama is "elusive" and an "unknown entity" to make it easier for John McCain and his minions to define Obama in their terms. This tactic serves two purposes: it raises doubts about Obama and distracts the public from McCain's hypocrisy and inconsistencies.

On Face the Nation, Brooks also expressed his puzzlement about the idea that "we're the ones we've been waiting for?" According to the CBS transcript, Brooks asks: "Why have been -- we been waiting if we're the ones we've been waiting for?"

Let me answer this garbled question for you David.

It all depends on who you include in the word "we." You have been a water-carrier for the myths and illusions of the Bush-Cheney-Rove era. You are not part of the "We." Obama is trying to cut through the official lies and propaganda that you continue to perpetuate. Remember all those nice words you wrote about the "Ownership Society" at the time when Bush was trying to privatize Social Security? I haven't heard a peep out of you about the "Foreclosure Society."

Brooks' pop-sociology about Obama reminds me of the kind of "analysis" one finds in the waiting room of a dentist's office where there's nothing else to read but outdated issues of Readers Digest.


(I'd like to acknowledge Dr. Stan Oden's contributions to this one.)

[yourout]

1. Brooks in an asshole of the nth degree.

Enough said.

[bunkerbuster1]

2. "You are not part of the "We." "

Great line.

[pretzel4gore]

3. a scary story lil kids, and redstate voters, will unnerstand

"There once was a fellow named America who was healthy rich and powerful and he was bound for someplace called Glory and strolled along the road watched enviously by his enemies, who were mainly skinny little trolls who hid away in the hills, and they fled every time America looked towards them. Nearby, in the bushes, were gnomes and elfs who ate bananas and who cheered mr america along. A gnome finished a banana, and threw it aside, but the wind flipped the peel onto the road, where America nearly stepped on it. America had so much stuff in his pack, the enemies in the hills drooled as the thought of all them riches, and the gnomes and elves thought about the riches too, but did nothing, because America was so strong even the greedy leers of the nearby friend elves added to the avarice of the enemies hardly concerned the Big Lug. A particularly greedy gnome had finished his banana, and, casually, accidentally, tossed the peel onto the road, and America stepped on it, lost his balance and nearly fell, but fortunately regained his footing and continued, with his bulging backpack. The other dwarfs (and enemies) noticed the near fall, and they then casually threw banana peels onto the road, without eating the bananas even! America stepped on a peel, his foot slipped and he staggered forward, stepping on other peels, slipping some more, but by dint of strength and will he maintained his footing. Just ahead, the road entered a valley, and America hurried on, avoiding the banana peels (which the gnomes/trolls said were all thrown by the enemies in the hills!)
A few minutes later, America was watching the enemies while going downhill, and naturally he stepped on some real juicy banana peels, his feet shot straight up in the air and blah blah blah"
Thus, America was wiped out in the ditch, bleeding, all the riches gone, his clothes a mess, his boots tied together etc
Boy was he mad at the enemies up in the hills (who saw the whole thing)

[blondeatlast]

4. McCain's written two autobiographies too--where's Brook's deep, thoughtful analysis of those?

I'm guessing still in his bowels. This from the ultra-white rich guy who thought he knew Applebee's better than we of the hoi polloi...

That asshole is about to swallow you whole, DB. I'd have it checked out...

[TexasObserver]

5. He's written two books. Every aspect of his life is known.

And they still have the balls to say "who is this guy?!"

What they really mean is: "Why isn't he sleazy, like most of the politicians we cover?"

[blondeatlast]

7. What they really mean is "He's not like us in the DC press corps."

DC politicos they get; politicos on the outside who know real people confuse the hell out of them.

They can't figure US out, either.

[Muttocracy]

6. kick