“Wake Up” — Little Susie [link repaired]

But first . . .

DAVID BROOKS ON CONSERVATISM

Agree with him or not, David Brooks is a thoughtful conservative. He would not sit well with Joe the Plumber. An elitist, an intellectual — all that bad stuff. He concludes his latest column:

. . . Some people blame bad campaign managers for Romney’s underperforming campaign, but the problem is deeper. Conservatism has lost the balance between economic and traditional conservatism. The Republican Party has abandoned half of its intellectual ammunition. It appeals to people as potential business owners, but not as parents, neighbors and citizens.

HERE’S WHAT OBAMA AND ROMNEY WOULD PAY UNDER THEIR TAX PLANS. AND WHAT YOU WOULD.

Interested? Ezra Klein does the math.

Under Romney’s plan, Romney would pay millions less, the typical family would pay a thousand less (and even so, somehow, with everyone paying less, we are supposed to believe the deficit would shrink).

Under Obama’s plan, Romney would pay millions more, the typical family would see no change (and the deficit really would shrink).

WELCOME TO 1936

In this 60-second clip, FDR speaks of the opposition party’s “smooth evasion.” Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose. (Don’t hate me for knowing six phrases in French.)

“WAKE UP” — LITTLE SUSIE

And finally, for your weekend’s entertainment, a tale. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, it begins (to the cadence, roughly, of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”) . . .

In the silvery moonlight that bathes every town, the people lie dreaming — so safe and so sound. They’re warm in their beds, snuggled up in their sheets. But four years before, they were out in the streets. Now, it’s as if they don’t know what’s at stake. All except one girl, wide-eyed and awake.

This, in three-and-a-half minutes, is the story of that one wide-eyed little girl . . .