The Rare Sane Voice

David Brooks, The New York Times' best-known conservative voice, has written a column that is receiving wide notice, with good reason:

The Republicans have changed American politics since they took control of the House of Representatives. They have put spending restraint and debt reduction at the top of the national agenda. They have sparked a discussion on entitlement reform. They have turned a bill to raise the debt limit into an opportunity to put the U.S. on a stable fiscal course.

Republican leaders have also proved to be effective negotiators. They have been tough and inflexible and forced the Democrats to come to them. The Democrats have agreed to tie budget cuts to the debt ceiling bill. They have agreed not to raise tax rates. They have agreed to a roughly 3-to-1 rate of spending cuts to revenue increases, an astonishing concession.

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A normal Republican Party would seize the opportunity to put a long-term limit on the growth of government. It would seize the opportunity to put the country on a sound fiscal footing. It would seize the opportunity to do these things without putting any real crimp in economic growth.

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But we can have no confidence that the Republicans will seize this opportunity. ...

The members of this movement do not accept the logic of compromise, no matter how sweet the terms. ...

The members of this movement do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities. ...

The members of this movement have no sense of moral decency. ...

The members of this movement have no economic theory worthy of the name...

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Over the past week, Democrats have stopped making concessions. They are coming to the conclusion that if the Republicans are fanatics then they better be fanatics, too.

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If the debt ceiling talks fail, independents voters will see that Democrats were willing to compromise but Republicans were not. If responsible Republicans don’t take control, independents will conclude that Republican fanaticism caused this default. They will conclude that Republicans are not fit to govern.

And they will be right.

Couldn't have said it better myself, although god knows I've tried. And tried. And tried. And...

Others have noticed too, of course; some are even conservatives. But these are, you know, thoughtful people. Ones with facts. Ideas. The kind of people, it must be said, that teabaggRs actively ignore. They'd rather stay stupid. They'd rather lie.

Our only hope (contra current evidence) is if there are also thoughtful voters out there, in numbers enough to oust those recently-elected and enormously destructive teabaggRs. And if, against their recent track record, Democrats can find an effective voice, saying the obvious to the oblivious.

And convincing them.