David Brooks suggests -- and I think he is correct -- that if
Mitt Romney is elected and proposes a middle of the road way to
reduce the deficit by both cutting spending and raising taxes,
similar to what the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles committee
suggested, the radical right-wing talk show fringe would yell at
him, but that Republicans and Democrats would pass the bill.  If
President Obama is reelected and proposes something similar it
would not pass, as all Republicans would oppose it.  That tells
you all you need to know what the Republicans stand for:
whatever brings them power, not what's good for the country.