An Awakening?

Is it possible that the Beltway Insiders are finally beginning to see that the current Republican Party is more interested in ideology than the nation's welfare? Jamelle Bouie of The Nation seems to think so. Bouie points to David Brooks' July 4 column as evidence.

In that column, Brooks excoriated the Republican party for refusing to consider tax hikes of any kind, even if it means the country defaults on its debts, thereby throwing the US and world economy into chaos. Brooks maintains that a party willing to do that isn't fit to govern.

Bouie finds this to be a hopeful sign, given the way the press has treated the Republicans for at least the last ten years.

...Simply put, this is the first time in American history that a political party has threatened to default on the nation’s debt and sabotage the global economy on the basis of narrow ideological goals. With that said, it’s refreshing to see Brooks—who is close to the apotheosis of a Beltway pundit—finger the GOP for its extremism and economic brinksmanship, rather than treating the whole affair like a particularly interesting game of polo.

I must admit I was shocked by Brooks' conclusions, and this might in fact be a sign that the ideologues have tacked too far to the right even for the pundits, but I am still not totally convinced. As long as the editors, those who decide what gets reported on the front page, continue the ten-year stenographic tradition of reiterating Republican talking points without comment, we really haven't gained anything.

But I would love to be proved wrong.