[Meg] Whitman (above) is representative of an emerging Republican type — what you might call the austerity caucus. Flamboyant performers like Sarah Palin get all the attention, but the governing soul of the party is to be found in statehouses where a loose confederation of über-wonks have become militant budget balancers. Just as welfare reformers of the 1990s presaged compassionate conservatism, so the austerity brigades presage the national party’s next chapter.
Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana who I think is most likely to win the G.O.P. presidential nomination in 2012, is the spiritual leader. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is the rising star. Jeb Bush is the eminence. Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Rob Portman, a Senate candidate in Ohio, also fit the mold.
I think Brooks is on to something, but I wouldn't expect one of these Republicans to get the nomination in 2012. I still think the next nominee will be from the base (like Sarah Palin) and get crushed a la Barry Goldwater. But in 2016 a David Cameron-type candidate could emerge and retake the White House.
What Brooks calls the "austerity caucus," I'll call the RebaRs -- Reality-based Republicans.
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