Don't get me wrong david brooks is the man

but in response to:

david brooks' article, 7-25

I think there's no harm in unbridled optimism. It empowers folks and catalyzes action. obama's campaign speaks for itself, the empowering nature of them has spurred lots of apathetic folks to be local political organizers and such. Sure there's a lack of concreteness and reality to his speeches--and yeah, brooks is right it is a sort of saccharine facade--but the power and optimism it creates is useful too. 

Obama is way more of a cynical realist than those speeches indicate. He's damn smart when he looks at the cold reality of things. (see his q&a in Iraq)

I think obama's got a pretty good balance of cynical realism and optimism. The trick for the public is listening to both sides of him.

I'll try to lay off the Obama posts for a bit. There are other people and other things going on in the world.

Added:

Another thought: I feel like every op-ed piece I read (mostly in the nytimes, but wpost too) and every mid-thirties to sixties person I speak with is hyperbolically close-minded and overwhelmingly cynical. Uninformed, but cynical. All they can find are the evils and stupidities of this administration and the evils and stupidity of the corporations and the private sector unhinged. In most respects there absolutely right. But it seems like everyone's lost sight of optimistic moderation and logical balance.

Nothing is inherently evil and stupid. We're all more alike than we'd like to admit. And, in general, we all want the same thing, just disagree in the ways to obtain it. Snide swipes at people and events are necessary, but that doesn't mean they help anything.

That's why I find Obama's optimism so incredible. And it's great for me, because I know that at the same time he's grounded in the reality of things; yet he pushes people off this cold, sad level that is the mentality of our nation.

Lastly:

For the most part, David Brooks is the one op-ed writer that keeps this balance of moderated criticism and a logical, balanced look at things--not laded in hyperbolic critiques that appeal to the baby-boomers-turned-old masses.