Soflasnapper
02-27-2011, 04:49 PM
According to Bill-O:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> David Brooks, to the right of O’Reilly: Paul Krugman’s new column is very important. But first:
Consider two letters about his colleague, the fading David Brooks.
For unknown reasons, Brooks’ work has seemed weaker and weaker of late, even as his pique with Krugman’s work has seemed to grow. This morning, two letter-writers flag a groaner from his most recent column.
On Tuesday, Brooks wrote about Scott Walker; he called the governor’s critics “amusingly Orwellian.” According to Brooks, “Whatever you might say about Walker, he and the Republican majorities in Wisconsin were elected, and they are doing exactly what they told voters they would do.”
Governor Walker is doing exactly what he said! Today, two letters correct that claim. If anything, the letters are a tad too kind to Brooks:
LETTER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES (2/25/11): David Brooks repeats a claim that Gov. Scott Walker makes: As governor, he is simply doing what he said he would do.
In fact, while he said repeatedly that he would ask public employees to pay a bigger share of pensions and health care costs, Mr. Walker did not during his long campaign make clear that he would move to take away bargaining rights, essentially putting public employee unions out of business.
Given the strong reaction to his post-election surprise actions, it is not a stretch to say that if he had been honest with the voters about his plans, he might not have been elected.
Sorry, but no—whatever one thinks of Walker’s current proposal, he didn’t campaign on the promise to end collective bargaining. How far off-track has Brooks now gone? Last evening, on the Fox News Channel, Bill O’Reilly was careful to make this point, contradicting Laura Ingraham again and again.
O'REILLY (2/24/11): But according to this poll, Walker has not won the hearts and minds of his citizens in limiting collective bargaining. He has not.
INGRAHAM: Well, but he won the election campaigning on it.
O'REILLY: In everything—everything else he won, he's winning, but not in this.
INGRAHAM: Governing by polls is also quite difficult; as you said it's difficult to measure. I don't—do you know anyone who answers their home phone to even do a poll? So you know, they're, they're fascinating until—until you realize that he campaigned on this very point to restore fiscal order, and sanity to the state. You cannot do that—
O'REILLY: But he didn't campaign on limiting—no, no, no! He did not campaign on limiting collective bargaining. He did on fiscal responsibility.
INGRAHAM: Right. But Bill—
O'REILLY: And Ohio Governor John Kasich made a very good—
INGRAHAM: —in two months.
O'REILLY: —case last night. But he didn't campaign on collective bargaining. He did not.
Oof! From Mr. O, we got the straight dope. From columnist Brooks, not so much!</div></div>
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> David Brooks, to the right of O’Reilly: Paul Krugman’s new column is very important. But first:
Consider two letters about his colleague, the fading David Brooks.
For unknown reasons, Brooks’ work has seemed weaker and weaker of late, even as his pique with Krugman’s work has seemed to grow. This morning, two letter-writers flag a groaner from his most recent column.
On Tuesday, Brooks wrote about Scott Walker; he called the governor’s critics “amusingly Orwellian.” According to Brooks, “Whatever you might say about Walker, he and the Republican majorities in Wisconsin were elected, and they are doing exactly what they told voters they would do.”
Governor Walker is doing exactly what he said! Today, two letters correct that claim. If anything, the letters are a tad too kind to Brooks:
LETTER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES (2/25/11): David Brooks repeats a claim that Gov. Scott Walker makes: As governor, he is simply doing what he said he would do.
In fact, while he said repeatedly that he would ask public employees to pay a bigger share of pensions and health care costs, Mr. Walker did not during his long campaign make clear that he would move to take away bargaining rights, essentially putting public employee unions out of business.
Given the strong reaction to his post-election surprise actions, it is not a stretch to say that if he had been honest with the voters about his plans, he might not have been elected.
Sorry, but no—whatever one thinks of Walker’s current proposal, he didn’t campaign on the promise to end collective bargaining. How far off-track has Brooks now gone? Last evening, on the Fox News Channel, Bill O’Reilly was careful to make this point, contradicting Laura Ingraham again and again.
O'REILLY (2/24/11): But according to this poll, Walker has not won the hearts and minds of his citizens in limiting collective bargaining. He has not.
INGRAHAM: Well, but he won the election campaigning on it.
O'REILLY: In everything—everything else he won, he's winning, but not in this.
INGRAHAM: Governing by polls is also quite difficult; as you said it's difficult to measure. I don't—do you know anyone who answers their home phone to even do a poll? So you know, they're, they're fascinating until—until you realize that he campaigned on this very point to restore fiscal order, and sanity to the state. You cannot do that—
O'REILLY: But he didn't campaign on limiting—no, no, no! He did not campaign on limiting collective bargaining. He did on fiscal responsibility.
INGRAHAM: Right. But Bill—
O'REILLY: And Ohio Governor John Kasich made a very good—
INGRAHAM: —in two months.
O'REILLY: —case last night. But he didn't campaign on collective bargaining. He did not.
Oof! From Mr. O, we got the straight dope. From columnist Brooks, not so much!</div></div>