Like so many members of the press, "Inside Washington" host Gordon Peterson wrongly thinks New York Times columnist David Brooks is a conservative.
When Peterson depicted Brooks this way on Friday, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer marvelously corrected him with surprising support from Politico's Evan Thomas (video follows with transcript and commentary):
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader’s talking about conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks’ column on July 4th which he says the Republican Party is no longer a normal party. It’s been infected, Brooks says, by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical governing alternative. Its members, Charles, he says don’t accept the logic of compromise. What do you think of that?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Well, forgive me, but I have to correct your copy again. Conservative columnist? He’s a great columnist, but he’s not a conservative.
PETERSON: You don’t consider him a conservative?
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: (Laughing off-camera.)
KRAUTHAMMER: I think he’s a moderate, and he straddles…
TOTENBERG: (Off-camera) He’s a moderate conservative.
EVAN THOMAS, POLITICO: (Off-camera) No, I think he’s a moderate.
KRAUTHAMMER: No, he’s not a conservative. He’s a moderate. He’s open to all views.
For the record, when I interviewed Brooks at the 2008 Republican National Convention, he confirmed that he was just slightly right of center and considered himself a moderate.
Unfortunately, any opinion columnist that's not a liberal is considered a conservative these days.
This, of course, is another one of the reasons the public isn't exposed to close the level of conservative opinion as they are liberal views: those brought on to give the conservative side are oftentimes moderates.
Bravo, Charles. Bravo.
