Saturday, December 01, 2012

In Which David Brooks



(from PBS, with emphasis added):
DAVID BROOKS: And so what happened is, the election happened. Obama wins. Clearly, he ran on raising tax or raising revenue from the top 2 percent, centerpiece.

Republicans are not stupid. They sort of understand that. And so they went through a process. The day after, Boehner said, OK, revenues, but not rates, and some began to drift over, OK, rates.

And so you have had movement, until Friday or until yesterday, Thursday, when Tim Geithner goes up there and delivers an ultimatum, which is a chest-thumping stick in the eye to the Republicans.

And all the migration suddenly stops, and suddenly they get outraged. And so they are back -- they are going back to where Grover Norquist wants them to be, because they are outraged because they feel they have been insulted. They feel this is not a negotiation, this is a war.

And so I think what had yesterday from the administration was a bit of negotiation incompetence, because they have pushed us -- the psychological process the Republicans were going through, which they have to go through, has now been pushed way back.
Delivers Andrew Sullivan his talking points (emphasis added):
But he just got re-elected. It's a classic time for magnanimity - and yet he began the critical negotiations by poking the defeated GOP in the eye. This is not the new politics. It's the old partisanship.
Only in the precious, punch-drunk imagination of the Apostate Conservative is actually learning from your previous confrontations with vicious, reckless assholes considered an insulting affront to magnanimity.

Only measured by the dissolute sensibilities of the Apostate Conservative is opening negotiations by saying that you intend to do what you were just re-elected to do a stick in the eye.

15 comments:

moorespeed said...

The poking in the eye isn't the problem. Stopping short of the frontal lobe...that's the problem.

Unknown said...

"Magnanimity", my ass. And it IS a war, because they make it one.

blackdaug said...

"the psychological process the Republicans were going through, which they have to go through, has now been pushed way back."
WTF??
So now the administration is supposed to kiss the GOP's collective ass because they are going through a "psychological process"?
DFB:You lost an election not a loved one you insipid child. I guess living in a constant state of denial has blurred the lines for you all around.
Now, excuse me while I poke Sullivan in the eye with the stick up DFB's ass.



Anonymous said...

The Repuppetkins had their feelings hurt cause The President asked for what he campaigned on? Seems these jerks are more concerned about getting TV time then doing their jobs. Here tell that they'll only be using 1/3 the available days that they should be in section. Just how much will get done?
Otto66

Grayson said...

How dare Obama hurt the fee fees of GOP toads like Mitch McConnell who have promised to wreck the U.S. economy if they don't get EVERYTHING THEY WANT.

After all, Obama should be elated to work with Republicans after they and their surrogates spent the past four years calling him everything short of a n***er in public and on the airwaves and God only knows what else in private.

Obama is doing the right thing by taking his proposal to the public. And notice how there is no 'GOP Tax Cuts for the 1% Bus Tour".

Mitt Romney is now reduced to pumping his own gas and spending Thanksgiving eating Boston Market and going over the blueprints for his car elevator. I bet he sets aside five minutes to cry softly to himself everyday.

Bish said...

The democrats actually bargaining in a politically crafty manner is such an affront to their delicate feelings because it hasn't happened in such a long time. And since they haz such a big sad for being losers we should be 'magnanimous'? Really David and Andy? The president acts on what he campaigned on and that's a stick in the eye?

I seem to remember dubya declaring a mandate to privatize SS after a campaign that pretty much never mentioned it. And this time we have the 'hairy scary fiscal monster that may only be appeased by the blood of the aged and the downtrodden' (paraphrased from Charles Pearce) pushing everyone to act now now now. And Boehner has a hissy because they are expected to name the spending cuts they campaigned on but didn't name. Hey Paul Ryan, where ya gonna cut the budget?

marindenver said...

"But he just got re-elected. It's a classic time for magnanimity - and yet he began the critical negotiations by poking the defeated GOP in the eye. This is not the new politics. It's the old partisanship. I hope it works. I fear it won't. "

**Gah, must control impulse to bash monitor repeatedly with a rock**

THE REPUBLICANS DID NOT RE-ELECT OBAMA you turkey. The Democrats did. The Rethuglicans did everything they could to keep him from being re-elected. And what Grayson Mendenhall said. So why in the name of all the gods does Obama owe them magnanimity? I can think of a lot of things he could give them but magnanimity is not making the list.

Roket said...

Meanwhile the drums beat
Obstructionism is the game
The cliff beckons thee

Phil said...

Poke 'em again.

Anonymous said...

And let's not forget - the only reason the Republicans have any negotiation room at all is because they gerrymandered the congressional districts so that the representation in the congress does not reflect the distribution of the population. The fact that Republican's have a majority in the The House of Representatives when getting a minority of the house popular vote is a fucking disgrace.

Anonymous said...

Soo ... according to Brooks, and the others in our nation brain trust, when the GOP was in charge Obama failed to placate them by capitulating fast enough. Now that the GOP have suffered a defeat Obama has again failed to placate them by capitulated fast enough.

No matter who is in power the advised course of action, from the very wealthy, but very concerned villagers is to 'give the mad/sad men what they want'.

Fiddlin Bill said...

Everything is a tactic to the Rs, including of course Brooks himself. Either they poke the sticks or they whine that someone is poking them with a stick. I have forsworn any further financial support of PBS until Brooks leaves the scene. He's visible enough.

Hattie said...

But they hurt their feel-feels.
They CAN'T forgive.

Anonymous said...

Why are the Repiglickin's feelings and egos always so much more important that doing what's right for the nation? The number of time they have whined like this is countless. "We would have cut taxes for the middle class but Obama called us fat cats. Whaaaaa! We're going home to our mommies!"

Anonymous said...

Brooks...another tone deaf idiot