David Brooks On 2012 Field: Obama 'Beatable,' Gingrich Should 'Not Run A 7-Eleven'

Would you be interested in hearing about what sorts of upper-middle-class feelings David Brooks is having about the 2012 election's field of candidates? Probably not, so click "close tab" and treat yourself to something special. But just in case you are, Gilbert Cruz of Time magazine has asked. Here are the basics.

President Barack Obama: "I would still give him a slight odds of being re-elected," Brooks said, "but he's definitely beatable," in 2012, because "the economy is not in great shape, and he has real problems in the Midwest," where Republicans have "done extraordinarily well." At least up until, say, yesterday!

Newt Gingrich: "I wouldn't let that guy run a 7-Eleven, let alone a country." Okay, but what if you wanted that 7-Eleven to break up several marriages?

Haley Barbour: It's not included in the video, but the Reliable Source quotes Brooks as saying that Barbour looked "'too much like the guy Michael Moore would cast' as a Southern governor." Uhm ... not to nitpick, but Haley Barbour isn't just someone Michael Moore would cast as a Southern governor, that's literally what Haley Barbour is.

Who he likes: "Mitt Romney, Mitch Daniels, Tim Pawlenty ... I think those are the three." This is a reminder that David Brooks gets his kicks above the Mason-Dixon Line, sunshine.

"I'm not sure there's a huge number of great candidates," Brooks said. "Of the weaknesses that Obama has, the one strength that he has, so far, is what looks like the weakness of the Republican field."

For more, see below. Brooks' new book, The Social Animal, is on the shelves now, along with his bracing anthropological studies of people who like granite countertops and artisanal cheese.

RELATED:
10 Questions for Columnist David Brooks [Time]

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Comments

[RWC CT]

09:23 AM on 03/13/2011

Hah, he is not even a RINO?? NYT lapboy.

[cla65]

12:38 AM on 03/13/2011

David who? Nuff said.

[yiinmun]

12:07 AM on 03/13/2011

While I don't always agree with Brooks, he is one of the very few intelligent, articulate, moderate republicans. People on the right should listen to him instead of the crazies that seem to run the party.

[gbrooks]

06:27 AM on 03/13/2011

Uhh...he's fond of Tim Pawlenty--warmonger extraordinaire. Brooks is a status-quo wea.sel.

[wwwTHENOIREFFECTcom]

12:06 AM on 03/13/2011

Anyone who enters any type of competition has the ability to lose or either win. No one will no until the night of the election. Many polls can be done to sway people one way or the other based upon the propaganda put out there but hopefully people are become more aware and able to filter the information the receive. If we want real change we have to start in our immediate communities and be aware of who are city council members are on up to mayors and elected state legislators. The White House is the center but must work with Congress and Senate - so elect qualified people into your local offices and do the same for national and we might be able to make some real change.

[kaptaintripps]

11:19 PM on 03/12/2011

This is fabulous! These people are so, so steeewpid, that my 5-year-old granddaughter could make a better pick for "Chr!st!@n-Country-U.S.A.-2012!" Get a snake! Get a biiiiible! Join the pack!

[Matt12]

10:26 PM on 03/12/2011

this guy is a fraud

[syllepsis]

03:18 AM on 03/13/2011

and Obama takes him seriously.

[CoolwithCoolidge]

07:45 PM on 03/12/2011

7-eleven has demanded an apology. They would never hire a man of such poor character, let alone promote him to manager.

[nogornc]

06:57 PM on 03/12/2011

Isn't this the pansey who is afraid of Michelle Obama's arms?

[LasloPferg]

05:41 PM on 03/12/2011

Codswallop has got to be Santorum cause it sounds dirty.
Applesauce would Barbour, because it sounds rural, country bumpkin.
Garbage would be Giuliani, because of his wife and NYC sanitation.
Drivel would be Bachman as every word she speaks makes no sense at all.
Romney would be folderol, sort of a more well spoken drivel.
Palin is the embodiment of trash. Trailer, white or otherwise. The Wasilla hillbilly.
The Right Reverend Huckabee is wishy-washy as he dithers about running.
Pawlenty is tripe, a cheap cut that no one buys.
Trump personifies trumpery, big talk with no intellect to back it up.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

04:39 PM on 03/12/2011

Brittany Spears could make a pronouncement which means as much. Sorry David, go sit down.

[bobbski]

09:10 AM on 03/13/2011

Hmmm, I was thinking much the same thing about most comments here, including yours. Go figure. You know what opinions are like, everyone has one. ;)

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

12:24 PM on 03/13/2011

Including you, unfortunately.

[Craig Koebelin]

03:45 PM on 03/12/2011

This Republican 2012 roster is a weak hitting, poor fielding lineup of aging journeymen, minor leaguers, and overpriced free agents, without a legitimate starter or closer; I see them fading in September.

[badtimes]

05:28 PM on 03/12/2011

Reminds me of the '08 roster. Very weak team.
Just for comedic value, I want Bachmann to run.

[Deb Jesser]

10:24 PM on 03/12/2011

---Just for comedic value, I want Bachmann to run.---

Gingrich/Bachmann 2012, the ticket to beat ;)

[Izzymeister]

02:47 PM on 03/12/2011

Tripe, codswallop­, folderol, trumpery, wish-wash, applesauce­, rubbish, trash
drivel, garbage

[Michael Swaine]

04:34 PM on 03/12/2011

Oh, cool! A guessing game. Which Republican candidate does each of those terms describe? I got trumpery, that was easy, but some of the others are tough. Is Pawlenty wishy-wash?

[Izzymeister]

05:19 PM on 03/12/2011

If I had to match these qualities with candidates:

Tripe = Palin
Codswallop = Huckabee
Folderol = Barbour
Trumpery = Trump
Wish-wash = Romney
Applesauce = Daniels
Rubbish = Gingrich
Trash = Bachmann
Drivel = Pawlenty
Garbage = Santorum

[Maezeppa]

01:45 PM on 03/12/2011

David Brooks is the laziest hack out there.   He sounds smart, he has a civil demeanor and his intellect is a foot wide and an inch deep.   He is not an independent or creative thinker and cannot be taken seriously even when I agree with him - which in this case -- ho, hum.    Yeah, David, we know Newtie is a crank and we know  even strong, tough, smart candidates like President Obama are sometimes (rarely) beatable.  So what?   

[haxman]

02:26 PM on 03/12/2011

Sounds like you haven't read his books, read his columns or heard him lecture. He's extremely smart, well read, and deeply thoughtful. What's eating you? Why all the whining?

[Maezeppa]

07:20 PM on 03/12/2011

Why the mischaracterization of my extremely astute analysis?  Apparently some people are far too easily impressed.

[Cthulhu On Call]

12:58 AM on 03/13/2011

I agree.

What I read here, is that he seems to be a master at pointing out the obvious. He just went after all the low hanging fruit.

I would've taken his Newt Gingrich comment one step further to say that if I owned a 7-11 and Newt walked in the door, I'd call the cops because he's probably just there to steal something.

[Maezeppa]

09:12 AM on 03/13/2011

Bingo!  Fanned and faved for your sharp call and cool avatar.   As I said elsewhere, I judge Brooks more harshly because I think he actually is relatively smart.   Liberals oooh and ah over him because he figured out how to sound like a "reasonable conservative" to them.   I love my fellow Democrats, every blessed one of them but there's a sucker born every minute and some of them are ours.

[milliband]

01:31 PM on 03/12/2011

Gringrich has all the pomposity an unsufferable of college professor, without any on the knowledge.

[ckfan]

01:50 PM on 03/12/2011

Well, he is smart. His issue is he's not as smart as HE thinks he is. All boils down to self-esteem issues. He was the last kid picked for the dodgeball team - and he's never gotten over it.

[WheelsOnFire]

12:51 PM on 03/12/2011

Gingrich should be appointed as a divorce court judge.