David Brooks, "The Party of Work," Versus Charles Krauthammer, "The Way Forward": The Post Mortem

Yes, America's Republican Party has a problem with minorities. In this week's presidential election, African-Americans voted for Obama over Romney by a margin of more than nine to one, Hispanics voted for Obama over Romney by a margin of more than seven to one, and Asian-Americans voted for Obama over Romney by a margin of three to one.

In a Washington Post opinion piece entitled "The way forward" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-the-way-forward/2012/11/08/6592e302-29d8-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_story.html?hpid=z2), Charles Krauthammer postulates that the Republican Party must make overtures to the pro-life Latino population by advocating "full legal normalization (just short of citizenship) in return for full border enforcement."

In a New York Times op-ed entitled "The Party of Work" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/opinion/brooks-the-party-of-work.html?_r=0), David Brooks takes issue with Krauthammer's thesis:

"Some Republicans argue that they can win over these rising groups with a better immigration policy. That’s necessary but insufficient. The real problem is economic values."

Brooks concludes by recommending to Republicans:

"Let Democrats be the party of security, defending the 20th-century welfare state. Be the party that celebrates work and inflames enterprise. Use any tool, public or private, to help people transform their lives."

And what are the thoughts of pro-choice/pro-work Jeffrey, who is taking a break from digging a moat around his house in order to write this blog entry?

"Be the party that celebrates work"? Ah yes, a "work party." Somethin akin to Maureen Dowd's "inspiring politician" (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2012/11/maureen-dowd-loin-king-all-out-of-love.html). Yet another newfangled oxymoron.

Yup, you guessed it: I'm not to keen on narcissistic politicians or political parties.

But more to the point, my outlook is far more gloomy than that of Krauthammer or Brooks. With more than $16 trillion in federal debt and the number expanding by the second, I don't foresee a full US economic recovery during or following a second Obama term in office. America's credit rating will again be downgraded, and its goose will ultimately be cooked.

So why did minorities vote for Obama in these proportions? My answer: Sometimes we act upon short-term pleasure at the expense of long-term benefits. As Dan Ariely wrote in his 2010 book, "The Upside of Irrationality":

"Sadly, most of us often prefer immediately gratifying short-term experinces over our long-term objectives. We routinely behave as if sometime in the future, we will have more time, more money, and feel less tired or stressed."

Well, not me. I see the "downside" of irrationality, and notwithstanding a terrible head cold, I continue to excavate my moat and examine pictures of mail-order crocodiles as I prepare for my future life as a hunter-gatherer.