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Brooks, his talking heads ilk, and GOP simply don't live in the same country as the rest of us.
Their "world" consists purely of region inside US 395, aka "The Beltway". And even then, its limited to the environs of K and M Street and the various (ahem) 'think tanks' both inside and outside the District of Columbia proper.
Looking out from their overpriced, corporate-paid offices, the country certainly seems to be functioning well. Which is probably just as well, as I'm quite sure they're utterly unequipt of living anywhere or under the pressures the rest of us do.
And if I sound a tad bitter, trust me that I'm moderating my comments out of politeness. What I might say, entirely from first-hand experience of living there, simply isn't printable.