Conservative columnist David Brooks realized even he was going to miss President Barack Obama in 2017, according to his New York Times column published Tuesday morning.
“I’ve been disappointed by aspects of his presidency. … But over the course of this campaign it feels as if there’s been a decline in behavioral standards across the board,” Brooks wrote in the column titled, “I Miss Barack Obama.”
Brooks wrote that presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle are lacking five character traits that we’ve “taken too much for granted” from Obama: “basic integrity,” “sense of basic humanity,” “soundness” in decision making, “grace under pressure,” and “resilient sense of optimism.”
When detailing how Obama has embodied each trait, Brooks criticized New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, real estate magnate Donald Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
“People are motivated to make wise choices more by hope and opportunity than by fear, cynicism, hatred and despair. Unlike many current candidates, Obama has not appealed to those passions,” he added.
Brooks said he “obviously” disagreed with many of Obama’s decisions, but appreciated the President’s “ethos of integrity.”
“Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance that I’m beginning to miss, and that I suspect we will all miss a bit, regardless of who replaces him,” he concluded.
“Gee thanks, Dave. Hey, where’s yours? Did it go out for a smoke?”
Tell all of us who it was who said this:
‘I’m paid to be a narcissistic blowhard’
All that I’m going to remember from you and your ilk is teaching your nasty followers the word “petulant,” about the worst-fitting descriptor for Obama that one could conjure up. Huge pet peeve of mine how conservative talking heads meme that term while acting like they were making an original observation.
Let’s be clear, David. You are talking about Republican candidates. You might have been more honest and made that clear.
DUH!
Heeeeeere we go! I suspect this is about to become a theme in the press, and I’ve said as much in the past. The press has been cruel to this president, especially over the last couple of years when he refused to become a lame duck long after they’d decided that’s what he should be. They’ve given him almost no credit for his accomplishments, credit that they would undoubtedly be showering upon a Republican. They’ve treated every historic win with a very bored “meh, I could’ve done that”. No matter how outrageous and disgusting the attacks from the other side have been, the press has been all too eager to toss up their hands and say “BOTH SIDES”. They’ve treated blatant racist rhetoric as valid criticism, and parroted the nastiest of lies as if it were gospel. They are as much to blame, even more so, for the sorry state of American politics than the Republicans.
I have long thought there would come a day when the press would decide to give Obama the old nostalgia treatment wherein they look back and start finally giving him credit. I just assumed it would be long after he’s gone from the WH.