David Brooks: The Pundit Both Sides Love To Hate

Washington Post:

David Brooks is used to hanging around with liberals -- his wife and three children, among others, support Barack Obama -- but has grown angry at the condescending talk about Sarah Palin.

"Three times someone told me they thought she was trailer trash," the New York Times columnist said.

When it came time to judge the Alaska governor's fitness for high office, however, Brooks watched her ABC interviews and turned thumbs down. "She looked fine," he said, "but not like someone I'd be comfortable with as president in time of war."

An erudite author and talking head, Brooks, 47, is sometimes cast as the left's favorite conservative. At times he seems to delight in taking on his own side, drawing fire from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, and yet he drives some liberals up the wall.

"I look at a lot of commentary, and so much of it is campaign advocacy for one side or another," he said. "That turns me off in a visceral way." Brooks pronounces himself "disappointed" in both Obama and John McCain.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[YeahDonkey]

My only problem with the guy is that he is wrong about 89% of the time. He's no Bill Kristol but of course Bill Kristol is wrong 100% of the time.

[ladyv]

From the article:

"Radio host Laura Ingraham distributed an e-mail chiding Brooks for elitism. "Sarah Palin might not have read all the books David Brooks has read, but she has an ability to galvanize an electorate," she says now."

Obama has the ability to galvanize an electorate *and* he has read all the books David Brooks has read.

[StillAmused]

When you get down to the nitty, Brooks will always be one of the shameless, effete cheerleaders for the invasion of Iraq. When you've blown it THAT big -- with the attendant horrible consequences and loss of life -- all the peachfuzz about his 'quirky' politics and schizophrenic opinions is meaningless.

Only an equally confused and disoriented reader, completely lacking in conscience and any sense of accountability, would find his aimless, self-involved babbling of interest.

[MadeinAmericaProud]

Agree 1000%. I do not donate money to PBS with him on as if his opinions has value. It does not for my money.

[Manx]

Brooks is consistenly inconsistent. The fact that his wife and children support Barack Obama might explain his schizophrenia.

[BlaryFnorgin]

David Brooks is cool. But then, I'm a liberal, so maybe that doesn't help him. The Friday Newshour is my weekly innoculation against the static we get from other news sources.

Don't be like the right. Don't hate everyone who disagrees with you. Brooks is rational; that should be enough.

[GuyFawkes]

Man...he's only 47? That's gotta be a typo.

[bbbbmer]

It isn't that David Brooks is 'hated', per se... It's that he's dead wrong most of the time, with his attempt to dignify neocon ideas in a world that has passed them by... He's an anachronism in his own day, an already feeble minded old man feeding off of an ethos of yesteryear attempting relevance in a politics that rushes by like a bullet train... It seems there is no there there in his thinking much of the time, and he is as relevant today as a horse and buggy and as potent as cream of wheat and cheese....

[MadeinAmericaProud]

great comment.

[Einstein44]

Brooks fits the part as a fuddy-duddy guy.

[honeydiva]

another wad with too much press.

[bascombe]

he's FOS, that's why.

[MadeinAmericaProud]

and moose poop in the FOS.

[Eoin45]

I read Brooks sometimes and I find him to be consistently wrong about nearly everything - a typical country club, inside the beltway type who pretends to empathy with blue collar folks but is hopelessly out of touch. I don't understand why anyone would pay him for his opinion except that he's marginally more erudite than most conservative columnists.

[flymic]

The truth leans heavy to the left..... david is far from being on the side of truth.

He should DEFINITELY know better.

[V4Vigilance]

This liberal says, "David who...?".

I certainly wouldn't waste anything as strong as 'hate' on this monkey with a typewriter.

My apologies to any monkeys out there I may have offended with that last line.

[MadeinAmericaProud]

good one.

[indyleftist]

This seems like a shameless advertisement for Brooks and the NYT

Reminds me of the stories I see claiming that Joe Scarbarough is loved by liberals LOL

Also I am always amazed how bad of a media critic howard kurtz is. Does anybody watch his show on CNN. its horrible. But I suppose that's what he gets paid for, not criticizing the media

[MadeinAmericaProud]

i do not purchase TV. making other people rich, to talk down to me with a condescending tone is just as asinine to buy hazardous to my health products from communist china. Buy America safe products. Vote for people who will reward companies who bring jobs with higher than burger king wages back to America.

[PKSSK]

I have to say, David Brooks is inconsistent with his views and, for me, that is part of the appeal. At times he is too far right and then he will surprise me and have a totally rational view that may sway me to the center or move me further left. It is the reason I continue to regard him as caustic, compassionate or utterly out of his mind, but I will always a fan.

[MadeinAmericaProud]

That is why Americans appear to be dysfunctional to the global viewer. The words people speak have no value with people like David Brooks. There can never be any measure to the man. In the public eyes. what does he value?