Washington fairy tale of 'responsible' moderates: Like most folklore, this narrative bears no relationship to reality.

◼ Washington fairy tale of 'responsible' moderates - Philip Klein/Washington Examiner

It's an old yarn, and just like a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, it frequently gets updated to suit the times. In the most recent version, President Obama is the noble hero who came to Washington to rescue the country, only to be thwarted at every turn by sinister Tea Party Republicans....

Like most folklore, this narrative bears no relationship to reality. In the real world, Republican members of Congress who scoffed at ideology spent decades cutting corrupt deals, buying votes with pork barrel spending, and expanding government to unsustainable levels while sweeping our nation's long-term problems under the rug.

Traditionally, Republicans would complain about big government while collaborating with Democrats to augment its size and scope. Yet last year, the House of Representatives passed the first serious plan to reform entitlements and balance the long-term budget, with all but four Republicans voting for Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan's proposal.

That historic development would not have been possible were it not for those pesky Tea Party protesters getting principled Republicans elected and demanding action on the debt.

During the debt ceiling debate, Brooks reported that Obama was privately ready to reach a "grand bargain" with Republicans on entitlement reform, only to be thwarted by GOP unwillingness to raise taxes.

But it's hard to take this as sincere given that Obama has never introduced such a plan publicly, even when his party controlled both chambers of Congress.