Conservative pundit David Brooks – How Democrats Won the War of Ideas

As an independent and former Republican (and Democrat), David Brooks is one of my favorite conservative pundits and authors. He is a regular participant on PBS Newhour’s Friday recap show with the more liberal Mark Shields. Like other key conservative pundits, MIchael Gerson, George Will, Ross Douthat, Eric Erickson and Max Boot, he is hoping that America votes out the incumbent president.

In his usual articulate and even-handed fashion, Brooks penned the following editorial last week called “How Democrats Won the War of Ideas.” The link is below, but I will highlight a few paragraphs for your review and comment.

“Over the last 100 years, Americans have engaged in a long debate about the role of markets and the welfare state. Republicans favored a limited government, fearing that a large nanny state would sap American dynamism and erode personal freedom. Democrats favored a larger state, arguing that giving people a basic economic security would enable them to take more risks and lead dignified lives.

That debate ebbed and flowed over the years, but 2020 has turned out to be a pivotal year in the struggle, and it looks now as if we can declare a winner. The Democrats won the big argument of the 20th century. It’s not that everybody has become a Democrat, but even Republicans are now embracing basic Democratic assumptions. Americans across the board fear economic and physical insecurity more than an overweening state. The era of big government is here.”

Brooks cites a few survey facts from last week’s New York Times/ Siena poll.

2/3 of Americans support allowing people to buy health insurance through the federal government

2/3 support Joe Biden’s $2 trillion plan to increase renewable energy and build efficient infrastructure

72% of likely voters and 56% of Republican voters favor another COVID-19 relief package

59% of Americans think government should do more to solve problems

2/3 think government should do more to fight climate change

60% support increasing the minimum wage and providing tax credits to low income workers

82% of voters and 70% of Republicans would like to expand requirements for paid family medical leave

Brooks also cites a study by the Mercatus Center which notes that Republicans are also moving left, just not at the pace of Democrats. This is contrary to what is believed by the media.

I have long said that more than 1/2 of the Republican voters are voting against their economic interests and do not know it. This survey indicates many do favor policies that would help them, but are sold a bill of goods packaged to woo their votes, but mask the purposeful deterioration of rights and opportunities.

A great example is the Affordable Care Act. When people are surveyed about the features of the act, the features receive high marks from all, including Republicans. The only feature that did not was eliminated – the mandate to buy coverage. Ironically, this elimination is the basis for 25 Republican Attorney Generals who have case to declare the ACA unconstitutional in front of the Supreme Court after the election, which should not occur as the case is not solid, but one never knows with these things. Sadly, the White House chose not to defend the law, which affects expanded Medicaid, exchange and employer-provided benefits.

Please read Brooks article below. It is very well done, as per usual.

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A note to a progressive

The following post is from a comment posted on a Progressive blog that I follow. She provided a well-written and respectful response.

Bernie is a class act and I have always appreciated his willingness to tell people the truth. I have two favorite moments in mind when I think of Bernie. In 2016, the most Christian and heartfelt speech to the students of Liberty University was made by a little Jewish Senator from Vermont. He actually won some folks over. The other is he stood up in front of coal miners in West Virginia and told them the truth – your jobs are going away. But, here is what I propose to do about it. (It should be noted politicians, including the president, have lied to these coal miners for almost ten years).

It is time to honor Bernie and galvanize to help defeat the most corrupt and deceitful president in my lifetime, including Richard Nixon, who was a crook. Joe Biden may not be everyone’s first choice, but he has a long career of public service. I recognize fully he is imperfect like Bernie is, but both are a far cry above what we have now. I also urge you to ask some why questions. Like he did before, Trump and his sycophants have been wooing Bernie voters for some time now. I would wager that a couple of folks who appear to be ardent Bernie supporters and think Biden killed someone’s mother may be agents of Trump.

If Democrats vote, the party will win and we can address climate change, civil rights and return to being respected around the world. Right now 64% of Europeans do not trust the US president, trusting Putin and Xi more.

Bernie called Trump what he is a “pathological liar.” Gary Cohn, Trump’s former economic advisor called him a “prodigious liar.” Michael Cohen, Trump’s fixer, under oath called Trump “a racist, a con artist and a cheat,” and Republicans did not bat an eye. But, my favorite quote is from conservative pundit David Brooks who said the Trump White House is “equal parts chaos and incompetence.” We have seen that with the COVID-19 issue. Why Trump did not step up in January and forewarn Americans about the risk is beyond me.

My comments may not sit well with some of your readers. I am an independent voter who has been a member of both parties. I appreciate your blog and thank you for letting this old fart offer his opinions.

A weekend at Bernie’s

Yesterday, I spoke of the value proposition of Joe Biden. While I need not tell this to those “who feel the Bern,” Bernie Sanders value proposition needs more selling to those who may not be so enthralled. But, what is missing from a true evaluation is needed context.

The US economy is not a pure capitalistic system and, has been much less of one, since the changes required by the Robber Baron period. To be frank, this is the period Donald Trump wants America to return to and with the tax cuts and vast deregulation, we have come closer than before to this oligarchy period. Since that time, we have added several “governors” on capitalism and layered in some socialistic underpinnings to protect those in need. On the former, think interlocking boards, collusion, monopolies, insider trading, and bankruptcy restrictions and protection. On the latter, think Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment, Workers Compensation, food stamps, etc.

So, the US is a fettered capitalistic economic system with socialistic protections. And, to make this even more obvious, if we did not have bankruptcy protection, Donald Trump would not have any money as his companies have declared bankruptcy six times. This context is needed, as the debate we should be having is what is the right balance?

Bernie is pushing for several changes that would add more socialistic protections for people. He has also discussed the government taking over the quasi-governmental, but publicly traded utility industry, to address climate change. Addressing climate change is key, but is that the preferred path forward? As an independent and former Republican and Democrat, I would much prefer the argument to be shaped with the context I note above.

As an example, Medicare for All is something to consider, but it should be evaluated with detailed cost projections on what it means for various groups of people and taxpayers. There are many considerations such as should it be obligatory, should it be an option, should it be an extended version of the current system to younger retirees, etc.? As this will take time to evaluate, shoring up the ACA is needed. I mention this as if Democrats don’t keep the House and get 60 senators, Medicare for All will have difficulty getting considered. But, if framed as something to study, it may get consideration.

While Bernie is much scarier to some as much as he is appealing to his base, it would behoove us to consider the following. Bernie is a decent person with integrity and compassion. None of these three words could be legitimately used to define the current president. It is all about Donald Trump. It is that simple.

I believe Bernie is not as scary as portrayed by the right and he should not be as aspirational beyond what he can deliver. Just like tax cuts, free stuff sells. But, everything has a price tag. The better answer is what makes the most sense to do, based on impact and cost, and the fact we have $23 trillion in debt, expected to grow to $35 trillion. If Bernie is the nominee, I would prefer him to offer needed context to his discussions. Otherwise, he is getting people wound up for disappointment.

Those imperfect candidates

The search for nirvana, whether it is the perfect partner, job, setting, workout, dinner, vacation, etc. is an endless search. There is no such thing. The same goes for presidential candidates, regardless of party, country, state, locality, etc. And sadly, the better candidates get tainted once they have been elected as they make compromises and decisions which you may not like. Or, maybe when looked back on with a different context, those decisions look foolish.

I have been watching the circular firing squad of the Democratic party candidates for several months. I see more fanatical followers of candidates use a scorched earth mindset to destroy the candidates that are not their favorite. I witnessed this in 2016, when some Bernie Sanders were so adamantly against an imperfect Hillary Clinton, they could not bring themselves to vote for her. The current US president used this ammunition to create even more distaste and get those voters to stay home, vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein or even vote for him as a change agent. It worked as he needed less than 100,000 voters spread among three states to win.

Every Democratic candidate has good selling points. And, every Democrat candidate has faults. I will not belabor either one of these lists, as my purpose is not to analyze the veracity of one or the other here. I will save that for a future post, when the slate gets more manageable. I will add every Democrat candidate has a better moral and ethical compass than that of the incumbent president. Conservative writer David Brooks noted that Trump does not seem to be able to show empathy. Almost every situation is exploited to elevate himself. Yet, in so doing, he reveals a very shallow and egomaniacal person. At times he reveals his corrupt nature.

Yes, I want the next president to focus on climate change, healthcare, career training for new and emerging jobs, better gun governance, etc. Yes, I would like them to deal with the debt and deficit. Yes, I would like them to restore America’s reputation as a trusted, fair and reasonable global partner. But, I would like my president to represent our better angels, not our worst demons. The current one does not. Issues are used to divide, not galvanize. I want a president to shine a spotlight on poor behavior, not condone it or discount it.

So, as people look for perfect candidates, remember this biblical example. We had only one perfect person walk the earth – and we killed him. Let’s not kill the Democrat candidate in search for nirvana.

Weariness and Frankness

This independent voter is weary of people not addressing the obvious and rationalizing actions and behaviors that are less productive. Having been a member of both parties, a Democrat for about ten years of my early adult life and about twenty years as a Republican, I define myself as fiscally conservative and socially progressive. Both parties have some good ideas, while both have some bad ones.

So, let me be frank with my opinions, built off this foundation.

Democrats can defeat Trump, but they can also lose to him. Please study why George McGovern and Walter Mondale got shellacked in 1972 and 1984 and why Michael Dukakis and John Kerry lost in 1988 and 2004. It is not ironic that winning candidates Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were more moderate Democrats. Democrats cannot beat Trump without Independents and some Republicans. They could start by working now to address shoring up the ACA as they committed to do in the mid-terms and not waiting until 2021. Medicare for All is worth the discussion, but we need to address issues today, especially after the healthcare fiasco the GOP went through in 2017.

With that said, people need to look under the hood as to why more progressive Democrats have a few socialistic ideas. We should not ignore that the US economy is fettered capitalism with some socialist underpinnings. On the top end down, we have rules that govern collusion, monopolies, interlocking boards, insider trading, bankruptcy, etc. and on the bottom end up, we have socialistic programs that offer Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Workers Comp, and unemployment protections. Yet, the reason for their focus is America has a widened disparity between the haves and have nots. The key is to have a good debate as to how we address this disparity, not name-call ideas to win elections. Plus, this discussion must be done in the context of our huge debt and deficit problem (see below).

Seeing a dozen Oregon Republican state lawmakers leave the state to avoid voting for a Carbon Cap and Trade bill should be a clarion call. Cap and Trade used to be a GOP idea, but fossil fuel funders told them not to like it. We are facing a climate change crisis and voters must ask what candidates are going to do about climate change. Let me emphasize I left the GOP twelve years ago in large part due to its stance on climate change. Fortunately, climate change action is not waiting on head-in-the-sand politicians, but could be leveraged by more federal help.

My concerns are exacerbated as not only did the US president announce our withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accord, he asked the G20 this week to soften language on climate change. It should be noted this is in contrast to his businessman stance, where a few years ago Trump staff requested in writing the Scottish government give them permission to build a sea wall at one of his golf courses to hold back the rising seas due to climate change. The word you are looking for his hypocrisy. The other words are fossil-fuel funding.

An issue not being discussed is rising US debt and deficit. Both parties are to blame. Nonpartisan groups and the Simpson-Bowles Deficit Reduction Committee clearly state this problem cannot be solved with just spending cuts and tax increases – it must have both, as the math will not otherwise work. These groups also note the GOP tax cut in December, 2017 was imprudent. But, Democrat candidates speaking of tax increases to pay for new social programs are being imprudent, as well. We need tax increases and spending cuts to pay for the poor stewardship of their predecessors.

When America forgets its ideals, we become just another country. I hear we must be a nation of laws, but we are treating migrants like chattel and not following due legal process. There is a reason so many attorneys are volunteering their services to migrants. If we are concerned about illegal immigrants, punishing companies that hire them would limit the economic slavery that goes on every day. Yet, we should also recognize that these folks are doing many jobs Americans don’t want. So, a thoughtful, humane and fact-based solution is warranted rather than a political one. Both parties are to blame, but I hold this president to account for making a recurring problem much worse with his words and actions. He reneged on a bipartisan agreement sixteen months ago and the House never took up a bipartisan Senate bill passed in 2013.

Finally, if we are to be a nation of laws, we should be gravely concerned the country is being run like a mafia family. The White House incumbent is clearly making money off the presidency and favoring countries where he sees business growth for his empire. It greatly troubles me that is daughter and son-in-law are serving unvetted and unapproved roles in the White House, because the president values loyalty over competence and experience. Then, comes the lying, bullying and denigration of critics, allies, media, public servants, etc. I have long been concerned over his setting policy off his lies be it climate change, voter fraud, Russian influence, Saudi prince innocence, Iran nuclear deal, the ACA, environmental pollution, and so on.

There is so much more I could write about. We need Americans to pay attention to better news sources, question things, and push back on politicians asking what they intend to do about issues. We need Congress to remember their job of governance. I feel this president is a clear and present danger to our democracy, our planet and even the Republican party. We are a Republic, not a kingdom and certainly not a mafia-ruled domain.

Fast break

With the NCAA March Madness tipping off, let me use fast break as a way to quickly comment on news items. For non-basketball fans, a fast break is an attempt to score before the defense sets up after a possession change.

– Congressman Devin Nunes is suing two Twitter accounts for making fun of his questionable and unethical actions as a Committee chair. Unfortunately, he has brought more followers to the two sites.

– There are a number of experienced and quality candidates running for the Democrat Presidential nomination. Dems need to avoid the “circular firing squad syndrome” which attack candidates’ imperfections. My suggestion is to listen to what each has to offer.

– The US President is headed to Ohio to save face by asking in person for GM not to close two plants hastened by his tariffs and not helping when asked last year. The union leader and two Ohio Senators asked  the President to help GM retool the plants to build SUVs rather than the sedans last year. Senator Sherrod Brown noted now the President is paying attention as it makes him look bad.

– The Brexit “troubles” continue, but hopefully the EU will agree to the delay. And, Parliament needs to use the time to clearly define what Brexit means versus staying with the EU, something they have not done. This needs to be thoughtful and data-driven. I would hate to see a state leave the US based on politics only to wake up to a terrible hangover.

That is all for now. I hope your bracket for the tournament is successful. Fast breaks are fun to watch and usually the team doing more of them wins.