David Brooks

From dKosopedia

Category: Media figures

David Brooks is a conservative pundit who specializes in Tom Wolfian profiles of affluent America. He is one of the op-ed columnists for The New York Times and a regular contributor to Atlantic Monthly. Books published include Bobos in Paradise.

He is well-known for his pseudosociological analyses of political demographics, claiming a significant cultural divide between "red" and "blue" states. His writing often includes evocative specific details that turn out to be false upon inspection.

Claim: ("Bitter at the Top", The New York Times 6/15/2004):

This educated-class rivalry has muddied the role of economics in shaping the political landscape. Republicans still have an advantage the higher you go up the income scale, but the correlation between income and voting patterns is weaker. There is, for example, this large class of affluent professionals who are solidly Democratic. DataQuick Information Systems recently put out a list of 100 ZIP code areas where the median home price was above $500,000. By my count, at least 90 of these places — from the Upper West Side to Santa Monica — elect liberal Democrats.

Instead, the contest between these elite groups is often about culture, values and, importantly, leadership skills. What sorts of people should run this country? Which virtues are most important for a leader?

See Richest ZIP Codes for a factual analysis.