Live from the Roasterie: Also a new Grand Heresiarch of the Ancient and Hermetic Order of the Shrill — in need of psychological meds adjustment — is Doug J. of Balloon Juice:

Doug J.: “I am fueled creatively: by my massive hatred of David Brooks…

…not just a right-wing nut.. [but] also exceptionally intellectually dishonest….

Marco Rubio… the most intellectually creative of the presidential contenders… moves beyond the Reagan-era emphasis on top marginal tax rates… the Mitt Romney distinction between makers and takers…

The title… is Marco vs. Larry… and the idea is that Larry Summers also has some kind of a good economic plan but it’s not as good as Rubio’s because it’s not Burkean enough…. Rubio porn… up the spirits of mythical moderate Republicans…

Contrast this with Michael Gerson….

Trump appeals fairly broadly in South Carolina… lots of angry, rural white males… [with] reason to feel disadvantaged in our economy and overlooked in our politics… mixed here…. On racial matters… Trump is using ‘not a dog whistle but a train whistle.’… Republicans who remain unreconciled… comfort themselves with… [the idea that someone will say:] ‘Trump… has a ceiling of support — just 35 percent in the GOP — that dooms him with the national electorate. So, here I am… [to] unite the party and win.’… At that point, the spigots of Republican money will open and the electoral terrain… will dramatically improve. All of which depends on… questionable assumptions….

Gerson… at least he has the decency to write columns about what is actually happening in the GOP primary, rather than mash notes to a pretty robot who probably won’t finish higher than third in the next primary.

Originally published on bradford-delong.com