Grace at Bargain Basement Prices

found online by Raymond

 
From driftglass:

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Mr. David Brooks of The New York Times refuses the give up on his ridiculous fairy tale that just below the surface of his Republican Party of Bigots and Imbeciles there exists a vast but hidden wellspring of decent, honorable Republican lawmakers.

They are led by Tom Cotton, they are always right on the verge of remaking the Republican Party in David Brooks’ image (David Brooks from November 5, 2014) —

The big Republican accomplishment is that they have detoxified their brand. Four years ago they seemed scary and extreme to a lot of people. They no longer seem that way. The wins in purple states like North Carolina, Iowa and Colorado are clear indications that the party can at least gain a hearing among swing voters. And if the G.O.P. presents a reasonable candidate (and this year’s crop was very good), then Republicans can win anywhere. I think we’ve left the Sarah Palin phase and entered the Tom Cotton phase.

— and their good works are being thwarted by one and only one bad actor named Donald Trump (David Brooks from January 12, 2018)

And there are decent, normal human beings and admirable people like Senator Tom Cotton who wants to sharply cut immigration. And they think they can divide their views on immigration, which are purely policy views, from the white identity, racial undertones that Donald Trump has now permanently — or not permanently — but has taken into this party.

And that is not possible. If you want to restrict immigration, which is a legitimate point of view — I disagree with it, but it is a legitimate point of view — somebody like Tom Cotton has an extra burden to rise up against what Donald Trump said, to show, hey, restricting immigration is not synonymous with bigotry…

Got that?

According to Mr. David Brooks, his Republican Party was doing just fine until Donald Trump took “permanently — or not permanently” white identity, racial “undertones” into it.

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