Brooks: I Still Hope Establishment ‘Will Get Off Their Rear Ends’ and ‘Act Like An Establishment’ In Primary

New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that he is “still hoping the establishment will get off their rear ends and actually do something, and act like an establishment and rally behind one candidate” on Friday’s “PBS NewsHour.”

Brooks said the GOP split is “sort of between people who are more ideologically- or philosophically-minded, and those who are more rogue- and chaos-minded. And so the rogue side is Sarah Palin going with Trump. The people who are more ideologically conservative, whether it’s National Review, or the Wall Street Journal editorial page, are suspicious of Trump because he’s ideologically all over the place. And so it’s sort of breaking down on that line, a little elite, populists, so the talk rad folks are a little more — a lot more pro-Trump than the print folks. And so that’s the breakdown. I happen to think that, in voters’ minds, that the last four years have made Republicans less conservatives. The economic stress and the economic crisis have made them think, ‘I want somebody on my side.’ And they’re a little more willing to tolerate government than they were, say, 10 years ago. And so I think — and they’re willing to tolerate a little more chaos than they were 10 years ago. So, I think, if it’s ideology vs. chaos, I think chaos probably wins.”

He later added, “I’m still hoping the establishment will get off their rear ends and actually do something, and act like an establishment and rally behind one candidate. But you have to say right now, given all the things that have happened this weekend, remember, a lot can still happen between now and the caucuses. The final week is like 70 percent of the campaign. You could see massive swings. And so you’re looking for magic. Who has magic right now? And given all the things that have happened, I don’t think Bob Dole gives Trump a lot of magic, but Sarah Palin gives him a little.”

Brooks later said of Trump’s newest ads, “personally, I find them extremely noxious. They’re extremely anti-immigrant.”

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