Friday, June 03, 2011

I Would Have Had to Boycott My Own Graduation.

Brandeis awarded an honorary degree to commencement speaker David Brooks. Their article on the graduation ceremonies says that he is "renowned for centrist cultural commentary."

No he is not. He's a total shill for the Republicans and their various so-called values.

(Also pondering what it means that Yo-Yo Ma played a couple of numbers, but fellow honoree Paul Simon evidently did not.)

17 comments:

jodru said...

David Brooks is as centrist as it gets in the pundit class.

Lisa Hirsch said...

I beg to differ. His style is kindler and gentler, but he's just as wrong-headed and right-wing as can be.

Anonymous said...

Maybe it was the other Paul Simon. Oh, wait, he's dead.

Lisa Hirsch said...

I CHECKED, because the list of honorees says "Paul F. Simon." Well, maybe it was some unknown captain of industry, right? But no! It's the songwriter, being honored for his artistic career and philanthropy.

Anonymous said...

In case it wasn't clear, I was trying for a small and insignificant humorous comment.

Lisa Hirsch said...

It was clear and I was sort of attempting the same, but less successfully.

Timothy said...

Ben Stein spoke at my graduation. I only stayed because he's funny.

Lisa Hirsch said...

Okay, Brooks is DEFINITELY preferable to Stein.

Timothy said...

What's funny is I went to a VERY liberal college.

He stayed away from politics, did a Bueller bit, and made a pot-smoking joke. Kinda progressive, actually,

Anonymous said...

You spoke in capital letters. You looked upset.

Lisa Hirsch said...

Imagine a wry smile and some waving of the hands.

Alex said...

Word. How anyone could read that fawning tripe he wrote when the absurd Ryan budget came out and still believe he deserves a place in civilized policy discourse is beyond me (to cite only a recent example in his many years of offenses)...

jodru said...

From his column today:

"the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative."

Still think he's a tool of the right wing mob?

Lisa Hirsch said...

Yes, he is. Getting things right once a year doesn't make up for the other 100 columns of slavishly following the party line.

Lisa Hirsch said...

Not to mention, look at the substance of his column, which includes this:

"If the Republican Party were a normal party, it would take advantage of this amazing moment. It is being offered the deal of the century: trillions of dollars in spending cuts in exchange for a few hundred million dollars of revenue increases."

Trillions of unnecessary cuts. We should be spending more, not making cuts, during the continued economic slump. See Krugman, DeLong, etc. for the details of why.

jodru said...

If the position is that he is a shill for Republicans, then I just don't see how you can stick to that in the face of him writing, "The members of this movement have no sense of moral decency".

Or, the scathing (for him) condemnation he gave of the GOP at AEI a while back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKkCHA2F9kk&feature=player_embedded

Lisa Hirsch said...

Brooks writes about 90 columns a year for the Times. If 85 to 88 of them are Republican party line and 2 to 5 are critical of the party - why, yes, I'll continue to think of him as a shill.