David Brooks: Its Palin spasm over, GOP is a responsible party again

The Fresno Bee ^ | November 9, 2014 | David Brooks, New York Times columnist

[2ndDivisionVet]

Every party in opposition goes a little crazy. For Republicans in the early Obama era, insanity took the form of the Sarah Palin spasm. Veteran politicos took the former Alaska governor seriously as a national figure. Republican primary voters nominated the likes of Todd Akin, Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle. Glenn Beck seemed important enough to hold a big rally at the Lincoln Memorial.

Fortunately, serious parties eventually pull back from the fever swamps. That’s what’s happening to the Republican Party. It has re-established itself as the nation’s dominant governing party. Republicans now control 69 of 99 state legislative bodies. Republicans hold 31 governorships to Democrats’ 18.

When the next Congress convenes in January, Republicans will have their largest majority in the House of Representatives since 1931; they will have a majority in the Senate, dominate gubernatorial power in the Midwest, and have more legislative power nationwide than anytime over the past century.

Republicans didn’t establish this dominant position because they are unrepresentative outsiders. They did it because they have deep roots in four of the dominant institutions of American society: the business community, the military, the church and civic organizations....

[2ndDivisionVet]

If she's so "over, washed-up, irrelevant, ditzy, stupid" and all that, why is this faux conservative and the rest of the media still talking about her and trying to convince us of the above? Bueller? Bueller? And what office has Glenn Beck ever held?

[Finalapproach29er]

They stand for nothing different that Democrats.

[taxcontrol]

Gov Palin lives rent free in the Dem’s heads.

[cpdiii]

Republicans didn’t establish this dominant position because they are unrepresentative outsiders. They did it because they have deep roots in four of the dominant institutions of American society: the business community, the military, the church and civic organizations.

All he needed to add is belief in The Constitution and he would have the almost total description of Sara Palin. He did not mention corruption. In Alaska Governor Palin crushed much corruption in business and it was mostly Republican. The left and the right of both parties have never forgiven her for this.

[Salman]

My guess is we haven’t heard the last of Sarah Palin. :)

[KarlInOhio]

Finally the Republicans are done with those rabid Tea Partiers who have absolutely no appreciation for the sharpness of a man's pants crease. < /Thurston Howell III mode>

I just wish the MSM would make up their minds. Are the responsible Republicans who know how the game is played after being baptized in the waters of the Potomac in charge or is this thread true: Bible Belt Republicans to rule Congress, push far-right agenda

[Sarah Barracuda]

If Sarah Palin is SO washed up, then why did the candidate that SHE endorsed, Joni Earnt..win in a landslide victory..oh Dave, poor poor moronic Dave..he has Palin derangement syndrome, its common in leftist douche bags

[elengr]

I would love to be able to vote for Sarah Palin again, only this time at the head of the ticket.

[definitelynotaliberal]

David Brooks would be well advised to find another crease and worship the man who wears the pants that bear it.

[tcrlaf]

yeah...
That must explain why all the memes I am seeing from Daily Kos to facebook are talking about “Those CRAZY, Radical Republicans!” that just got elected.

[matt1234]

The author comes across as very elitist and I bet he hasn’t a clue.

[BenLurkin]

If by being “responsible” you mean willing accomplices in the out of control growth of government.

[okie01]

Such condescension...from a columnist who worshipped a crease in somebody’s britches.

[bray]

Nothing makes more sense than a hardcore Marxist explaining who Palin is.

Pray America is waking

[RginTN]

who the hell is David Brooks? Just an op ed writer who hasn’t achieved a thing. What a jealous drama queen he is!

[5th MEB]

David Brooks is just a tired old whore and is pissed that nobody listens to him any more.

[nathanbedford]

Republicans seemed to detest the craft of governing. Hothouse flowers like Sen. Ted Cruz preferred telegenic confrontation to compromise and legislation.

David Brooks says it was Republicans who "seemed to detest the craft of governing"? Could Brooks be more disingenuous? It was Harry Reid who foreclosed Republicans from governing and forced Ted Cruz and other principled conservatives into "telegenic confrontation" precisely because the opportunity to govern was closed to them. We are expected to ignore the depredations of Harry Reid, not to mention Barack Obama (because he was not mentioned) and believe that it is Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz who have made the party "image" toxic!

This article is not about Sarah Palin, she is merely a token of the left whom this leftist writer, pretending to be a Republican, cites as Manhattan shorthand for grassroots Republicans. The article is about co-opting the Republican majority in the House and Senate and deflecting it from conservative principles.

Now that Harry Reid no longer has power, David Brooks wants regular order restored:

Republicans are also talking about restoring the traditional practices of the House and Senate. Let individual members introduce bills. Let those bills work through the committee structure and get votes. Pass budgets on time and according to the rules.

David Brooks is not advocating that Republicans turn the other cheek to Harry Reid, he wants Republicans to restore the status quo anti and limit their power to govern under the rules established by Harry Reid. This Republican wants to give Democrats the very rights they had stolen from Republicans to prevent Republicans from undoing the damage committed by Harry Reid's Democrats.

Having taken care of the matter procedurally, Brooks now lectures us about what kinds of laws to pass under the recommended procedure:

… trade, corporate taxes, the XL oil pipeline, the medical devices tax, patent reform, maybe even tax reform generally

On trade make no mistake, Brooks means fast-track authority to Obama for trade treaty negotiations, a position dear to the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal the favored opinion sheet of the Republican establishment, an organ which is also dear to the heart of David Brooks. Corporate taxes and the XL pipeline are matters equally favored by the Wall Street/establishment Republican axis but at least not directly at the expense of the middle class as would be any deal Obama cuts with the Chinese under fast-track authority. The medical devices tax is to focus on a hang nail on a arm infected with gangrene but it is further in keeping with corporate interests, especially health insurance company interests. Patent reform? This is going to restore the Republic and prevent us from going over the fiscal cliff? Tax reform would be welcome to conservatives as well as to establishment Republicans alike but reform is ever in the eye of the beholder.

No exhortation from Brooks to repeal Obamacare, to cut spending, to deal with militant Islam, and, certainly no exhortation to close the border and stop Obama from destroying the American franchise with illegal aliens. That has been left to the likes of Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin.

It was not the Palin era, Mr. Brooks, it was the Obama/Reid era and it was Obama and Reid who with their excesses (not Palin's, not Cruz's) put the Republican establishment back in control of the Senate. Palin and Cruz were heroes of that fight, Mitch McConnell is an opportunist, the proverbial jackal who comes to steal the kill.

[Bryan24]

David Brooks, media person, celebrates that the person who is the biggest threat to his power/access is (in his eyes) irrelevant.

[urbanpovertylawcenter]

“We haven't heard the last of Sarah Palin.:)”

Not with every progressive numbnutz who can't think of a republican to denigrate with a deadline looming.

She will be Ronald Reagan in a skirt.

The establishment pols fear honesty in public life like cockroaches the kitchen light.

[Nateman]

I was reading an interesting bit of history the other day. It was about an organization opposed to FDR called 'The American Liberty League'. FDR used tatics very similar to the Occupy Wall Street mobs of Obama. Because this organization was started by rich people the tactic worked . Since the Tea Party is organic and came from the bottom up Obama's efforts have failed. Go Sarah!