Posts Tagged ‘David Brooks’

In which The Gay Recluse wonders why David Brooks is still in office. Ohai! We thought we’d play a lil game in which we pull quotes from three pieces about the exurbs, two written in 2k4 by David Brooks in The Times — “Take a Ride to Exurbia”  on the opinion page and “Our Sprawling, […]


In which The Gay Recluse becomes increasingly obsessed with the city. More than any other candidate in recent history, Barack Obama can be considered a product of the city. And not just because he’s black, obvs, but because he lives in a city and seems to genuinely appreciate its fundamental character, not only in a […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times. David Brooks/Obama Admires Bush The Short Version: Obama is smarter than his press releases sometimes make him seem. In his words: “Everybody knows that Obama is smart (and he was quite well informed about Lebanon). The question is whether he’s seasoned and tough enough […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times. Bob Herbert/Here Come the Millennials The Short Version: The youngs are seriously fucked, which is why they should vote for Obama. In his words: “This is a generation that is in danger of being left out of the American dream — the first American […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times. Paul Krugman/Thinking About November The Short Version: Obama’s probably going to blow it because whites don’t like him!   In his words: “In recent decades, Democrats have had little trouble unifying after hard-fought primary campaigns. ” Score: F (Failure) This is a depressingly cynical (but untruthful) column that implies […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times. David Brooks/Combat and Composure The Short Version: Hillary is a monster! In his words: “But, as Sunday’s contrast made clear, Obama still seems like a human being.” Score: B (Basic) We’ve also been put off by Clinton’s completely over-the-top (and hilarious) attempts to distance […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times. Paul Krugman/Party of Denial The Short Version: I still love Hillary even if she supports that stupid gas-tax holiday. In his words: “But if the Democrats really want to pin the denialist label on John McCain, health care is the place to focus.” Score: D+ […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times. Bob Herbert/The Pastor Casts a Shadow The Short Version: Oh nos! The Reverend is going to wreck everything! In his words: “Faster than anyone could have imagined, the young Mr. Obama became Senator Obama and then the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.” Score: […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Bob Herbert/Clueless in America The Short Version: Kids are stupid. In his words: “While we’re effectively standing in place, other nations are catching up and passing us when it comes to educational achievement.” Score: F (Forgettable) If you’re in the mood to be scolded […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Paul Krugman/Clinging to a Stereotype The Short Version: Obama makes me mad! In his words: “Over all, none of this suggests that people turn to God out of economic frustration.” Score: D (Desparate) Krugman is really annoyed that Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning the nomination […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Bob Herbert/Some Perspective on “Bitter” The Short Version: Pennsylvania is filled with racists! In his words: “In his San Francisco comments, Senator Obama fouled up when he linked frustration and bitterness over economic hard times with America’s romance with guns and embrace of religion.” […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Paul Krugman/Health Care Horror Stories The Short Version: Health care is a disaster! (Barrack blows, vote for Hillary!) In his words: “You may think that this was an extreme case, but stories like this are common in America.” Score: D (Dour) We’re not sure […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinions in The Times. Bob Herbert/A Different Kind of Election The Short Version: Even racist Democrats might vote for Obama given how much they hate Bush! In his words: “The table is set for the Democrats.” Score: B- (Basic) Nothing here to disagree with, but nothing you haven’t heard […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Paul Krugman/Voodoo Health Economics The Short Version: The Maverick is an idiot. In her words: “[T]he McCain health plan — actually a set of bullet points on the campaign’s Web site — is entirely based on blind faith that competition among private insurers […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. David Brooks/Pitching with Purpose The Short Version: The key to life (and baseball) is mental discipline. In his words: “Not long ago, Americans saw the rise of a therapeutic culture that placed great emphasis on self-discovery, self-awareness and self-expression.” Score: D (Destroyed) Although we […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Paul Krugman/Loans and Leadership The Short Version: When you look at policy proposals, McCain is a Nazi, Clinton is progressive and Obama (who annoys me just because) is less progressive. In his words: “McCain is selling the same old snake oil, claiming that […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Bob Herbert/With a Powerful Speech, Obama Offers a Challenge The Short Version: I’ve been on vacation, but let’s pretend I wasn’t because I still want to talk about Obama’s speech. In his words: “Racial prejudice, ignorance, hostility — whatever — has caused millions […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Paul Krugman/Partying Like It’s 1929 The Short Version: We’re fucked, the only question is exactly how much. In his words: “The financial crisis currently under way is basically an updated version of the wave of bank runs that swept the nation three generations […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. David Brooks/The Bailout Artists The Short Version: There are reasons why even free-market types should embrace a bailout in the housing crisis. In his words: “It makes sense to try to find some circuit breakers so the housing market doesn’t totally collapse.” Score: A- (Astute) […]


In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times. Paul Krugman/Betting the Bank The Short Version: Economically, we’re fucked. In his words: “I’m more concerned that despite the extraordinary scale of Mr. Bernanke’s action — to my knowledge, no advanced-country’s central bank has ever exposed itself to this much market risk — […]