Legal Commentary

Brooks: The Era Of Big Government Returns

By Big Tent Democrat

David Brooks predicts the return of big government:

We’re entering an era of epic legislation. There are at least five large problems that will compel the federal government to act in gigantic ways over the next few years.

First, there is the erosion of the social contract. Private sector firms are less likely to provide health benefits, producing a desperate need for health care reform. Second, there is the energy shortage. . . . Third, there is the stagnation in human capital. . . . Fourth, there’s financial market reform. . . . Fifth, there’s infrastructure reform. The U.S. transportation system is in shambles and will require major new projects.

In short, Brooks is saying that Republicanism has failed. And indeed it has. More . .

Brooks acknowledges Democratic dominance and yet finds a silver lining for conservatives:

All of this means that the next few years will be an age of government activism. You may think, therefore, that this situation is ripe for Democratic dominance. The Democrats are the natural party of federal vigor. Voters prefer Democratic approaches to issues like health care and education by as much as 25 percentage points.

Yet, historically, periods of great governmental change have often been periods of conservative rule. It’s as if voters understand that they need big changes, but they want those changes planned and enacted by leaders who will restrain the pace of change and prevent radical excess. Two of the most prominent conservative reformers were Benjamin Disraeli and Theodore Roosevelt. Both reframed the political debate so that it was not change versus the status quo, it was unfamiliar change versus cautious, patriotic change designed to preserve the traditional virtues of the nation.

Now we see where Brooks is going - John McCain as Teddy Roosevelt. Brooks always shows his hand:

John McCain’s challenge is to recreate this model. He will never get as many cheers in Germany as Barack Obama, but for a century his family has embodied American heroism. He will never seem as young and forward-leaning as his opponent, but he did have his values formed in an age that people now look back to with respect. . . . If McCain is going to win this election, it will because he can communicate an essential truth — that people in a great and successful nation do not want change for its own sake. But they do realize that it’s only through careful reform that they can preserve what they and their ancestors have so laboriously built.

Sure, Brooks, sure.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 18, 2008 (boomark / email).