David Brooks is a conservative op-ed columnist for The New York Times. Tuesday night he was also the featured speaker at the Baltimore Speaker Series. David described that being a conservative political writer at the generally more liberal newspaper was sort of “like being a rabbi in Mecca.”
It probably isn’t accurate to label David Brooks as an ideologue conservative. His politics tend more towards the center right. For instance, he said he thought that President Obama was “the most reasonable person in Washington right now.”
At the same time he criticized the president for trying to do too much too soon, and for spending too much money. He said Obama is addicted to hitting home runs when he might be better off trying for a few singles and doubles. He said the president is “very perceptive, intelligent and calm”
David feels that the problem with Congress is bourbon. It wasn’t that long ago, he explained, that members of both parties would meet for drinks after work and get to know each other as individuals. That doesn’t happen much anymore. He said they barely know each other now and that the emotional anger and bitterness is at the highest level he’s ever seen. He believes our governing culture has changed a bit for the worse on the past ten years.
After listening to his talk I also became convinced that the current health care reform bill that Obama is trying to ram through Congress is a bad bill that will do little if anything to reign in escalating health care costs.
I’m disappointed in both parties for their inability to deliver comprehensive health care reform. As far as I’m concerned both parties have failed the American people.
Maybe it’s time for them to try and meet for drinks again.
The Gift of Human Kindness
6 hours ago
3 comments:
It seems to me that the Democrats deserve a lot more blame for not getting health care reform done by now.
Was there really NOTHING the liberal Democrats could have done to get the conservative Democrats on board? All the leaning across the aisle Obama was doing last year seems comical - he couldn't even get his own political party behind him.
You'd think after being the second-class party for ten years, the Dems would jump at the chance to get together and run some things through, but all they could do was bicker and play games with each other.
"It seems to me that the Democrats deserve a lot more blame for not getting health care reform done by now."
Tell that to the Speaker of the House.
She got greedy.
Who's against heathcare? You might as well ask who's against pizza or puppies.
The Democrats got greedy, and wanted to serve their own political ends. Unfortunately for them, that was not the same as the Merican Peeples' ends. Ergo, confusion and disagreement ensued.
Perhaps being in touch with their constituents might be the answer?
Let's fix the problem, instead of fixing the blame.
Bad bill. Bad process. Does not fix the problems.
One bad. Do over.
Except this time, let's think.
Unfortunately, the Republicans reneged on their pledge to work for bipartisan cooperation on health care. The Dems bent over backwards to accomodate some of the conservative proposals and were left holding the bag when the Republicans walked away and vowed to kill any chance of reform.
The status quo isn't working. 50 million AMERICANS don't have health insurance. Thousands are dying each day because of this. Public hospitals are going bankrupt. Health Insurers are jacking up premiums and raking in outlandish profits while cutting services/coverage.
The time for talk is over. The health coverage death spiral must stop now.
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