Weird David Brooks column today. He complains about people who make their party their identity, which is fair enough. But he seems to be faulting the very same people for not putting their party ahead of their beliefs. He complains that conservatives don’t appreciate that moderate “RINOs” keep them in power. He doesn’t really make the case that this lack of appreciation has actually shrunk the party: If Chris Shays loses, it won’t be because conservatives deserted him. And nobody yet has come up with an example where the Club for Growth has cost Republicans a seat.
But the loopiest part of the column is Brooks’s description of Rep. Deborah Pryce as “bright and effective.” 0 for 2, I’d say, and her colleagues are likely to boot her out of the House Republican leadership even if she holds her seat.