It would be great if politics were fact-based, but it is not, and it is surely not nuance-based. What works in a classroom or a think tank does not work on Capitol Hill or in the White House. Obama sometimes seems to be running the Brookings Institution, not the country.

Summary

This quote suggests that politics is not purely based on facts or nuanced reasoning. It highlights the contrast between the idealistic environment of classrooms and think tanks, where facts and nuanced debates are emphasized, with the real-world setting of Capitol Hill or the White House. The reference to Obama running the Brookings Institution, a prominent think tank, instead of the country, implies a criticism that he may prioritize academic discourse over practical politics. It underscores the challenges of translating intellectual expertise into effective governance and decision-making in the political realm.