David Brooks, the middle-of-the-road, establishment conservative the NYT believes balances their Op-Ed pages? The guy that marveled at the perfect crease in Obama's slacks?
I would have guessed Brooks has said some very good things about Romney in the past, which makes the "lack of passion about the ideology" look more apology than real criticism.
Everybody has a passion, you just need to figure out what they are passionate about. What is Obama passionate about? I never even hear anything but bland emotionless teleprompter speech, even when he's talking about something as tragic as a terrorist strike or death of service members. I have no idea what he's passionate about. How about Bill Clinton? Well, we know what he was passionate about, and he certainly was convincing about how much he felt your pain.
Romney is definitely passionate. I have seen it when he is talking about his family, and helping other families. If you watched the convention and nothing else, you could take that thought away from it. Very passionate. And that, out of the many interests our presidents have had, seems absolutely a worthy passion.
Brooks doesn't strike me as an especially passionate guy himself... more a slightly above room temperature toast kind of fellow when it comes to a firm opinion , lp, but.... what do they say? That "those who can't do, teach"?
I agree with that, though I would say the trouble is different. And let me put it this way. Several decades ago, I had a chance to have dinner with Tom Clancy, the thriller writer. And he sat down. He had just toured a battleship and he had seen a new weapon system. And was bubbling over with excitement about this new weapon system he thought was very interesting.
And he was just talking about it with great passion. And I remember thinking, you can't fake it. If you don't feel that, you can't write Tom Clancy novels.
And with Mitt Romney, he's faking it. I think he's a non-ideological guy running in an ideological age who is pretending to be way more ideological than he really is. And so he talks like he has this cartoon image of how I'm supposed to be talking.
And, as a result, it is stupid a lot -- half the time -- not half the time, some of the time. It's an impersonation. And, so, if I were -- knowing it's too late to change who he is running as, but just be the more boring manager you are. He is a competent manager. We thought he was."
comment: MR has a handicap, what he (may & really) want to do is not necessarily what the incumbent, Republican MOC, has been doing which is running away from what they did during W's time and to oppose PBO, on all issues, regardless of longterm consequences to their own and National well being.
I know a few LDS. They are kind and caring people. One I know neutered me but is still a very nice guy and I have placed my well being in his skill. The second was a philander. Another is a successful and a very good leader and I would follow him where ever he goes. And another is gentle and caring, whom I have learn a lot from.
We need a third party. The R's need to split. And the centralist R's need to pull in the BlueDog Demos.