Only David Brooks could write this

The inimitable David Brooks, on the whys of political dysfunction and government's crushing stagnation:

We now have one liberal tradition that believes in using government to enhance equality. We have another conservative tradition that believes in limiting government to enhance freedom. These two traditions have fought to a standstill and prevented Obama from passing much domestic legislation of late.

And here I thought unilateral obstructionism accounted for the paucity of legislation of late ... which is a delicate way of saying: since January 2011, when the House Republican majority began obstructing all legislation in concert with Senate Republicans' minority obstructions.

Turns out, it was instead the clash of ideological traditions. Even more briefly: the "both sides" alibi.

From there Brooks proceeds to a bizarre discussion of Obama's need to revive Whiggery, which was modern liberalism's 19th-century activist-government precursor in the pursuit of equality enhancement, which Brooks just got through telling us is at least half responsible for bringing this government to a ghastly standstill.

It's all very confusing, or, rather, confused. But it's also a quite nifty argument ready to be embraced, if one is indifferent to historical integrity, contemporary reality, and logic.  

 

Comments

[Peter G]

Nothing allows for the pursuit of happiness like not being able to afford health insurance for your family if you dare to think about starting your own business.