Dear Commons Community,

David Brooks takes a serious look at shifts in the Republican Party that have been occurring since the presidential election in November.  He sees a number of new stars such as Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as trying to change the direction of the GOP to be more moderate and tolerant.  He points to the fact that Rubio won the Jack Kemp Foundation’s Leadership Award earlier this week as indicative that many in the party are listening to him.

He also sees good signs that “extremists from the Tea Party have a tendency to migrate from mainstream politics, which is inevitably messy and impure, to ever more marginal oases of purity”  He uses Senator Jim DeMint who is is leaving the Senate to head the Heritage Foundation as an example.  “DeMint is leaving the center of the action[Senate], where immigration, tax and other reforms will be crafted, for a political advocacy organization known more for ideological purity and fund-raising prowess than for creativity, curiosity or intellectual innovation.”

Brooks surely has the description of the Heritage Foundation right but I am not sure that enough of the Tea Party devotees actually are leaving elected government positions.   In any case, Brooks provides an interesting and insider’s perspective on the GOP and worth a read.

Tony