Brooks: ‘Unconscious Undertone’ to Tanden Opposition Is That OMB Director Is Usually a White Male

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that part of the “unconscious undertone” to the opposition to Neera Tanden’s nomination as OMB Director is that the OMB Director is usually “a super wonky, dry personality, white male.”

Brooks said, “Republicans have had a come-to-Jesus moment where incivility is completely offensive to them all of a sudden.”

He added, “I know Neera a bit and I follow her Twitter presence. I thought, just as a think tank head, she was a little loose and raucous and inappropriate, frankly. It’s certainly not enough to get rid of — or to not nominate her as OMB director. I think there’s a subtle thing going on here. For the — since I’ve been covering politics, since David Stockman’s days…there’s been a certain sort of person who has been the budget — OMB director, and that person is a super wonky, dry personality, white male. And Neera Tanden fits none of those categories. And so, I think she just doesn’t — people look at her and they don’t see the normal OMB director. And that’s part of the unconscious undertone of this whole thing.”

Brooks concluded, “I think, hopefully, they’ll find another spot in the administration for her. She’s a very talented person.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett