I once trashed New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks for coming off like a smug asshat. (That post is HERE) Today I return to his writings not out of personal animus, but to make a point: Disdain for Mr. and Mrs. America seems to be in the DNA of many journalism “elites.” From a recent effort by Mr. Brooks:
“Trump voters are a coalition of the dispossessed. They have suffered lost jobs, lost wages, lost dreams. The American system is not working for them, so naturally they are looking for something else. Moreover, many in the media, especially me, did not understand how they would express their alienation. We expected Trump to fizzle because we were not socially intermingled with his supporters and did not listen carefully enough. For me, it’s a lesson that I have to change the way I do my job if I’m going to report accurately on this country.”
Give Mr. Brooks credit
for at least nibbling at some crow before spitting it out. We are not here
today to debate the merits of candidates, but here is his closing argument:
"As the founders would
have understood, [Trump] is a threat to the long and glorious experiment of
American self-government. He is precisely the kind of scapegoating,
promise-making, fear-driving and deceiving demagogue they feared. Trump’s
supporters deserve respect. They are left out of the economy. But Trump
himself? No, not Trump, not ever.”
Translation: I am an
esteemed columnist counseling Trump voters that it is not too late to repent
and return to the GOP establishment/Democratic Party tent. I’ll be back another
day with different condescending remarks for Cruz and Sanders voters.
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