Thursday, June 26, 2008

Oh, The Shame Of It

David Broder begins his column today (against gerrymandering) with a paragraph that is simultaneously rich in irony and wanking.
When Barack Obama decided last week to throw off the constraints on campaign spending that go with the acceptance of public financing, he was rightly criticized for rigging the system in his favor.(emphasis added)

First, he was criticized for going back on a promise to stick to public financing. He wasn't criticized for being "unfair". That's just a straight-up falsehood

Second, what is "unfair" about the situation? Why, Obama has raised and will continue to raise far more money than Sen. McCain. See, that's what's unfair. Obama has more money, will get even more money, and it's always wrong when Democrats get more money than Republicans. For three decades, the Republican Party and its candidates have been able to raise money hand over fist (sometimes illegally; Nixon and the Republicans got in to a bit of trouble for shaking down ITT back in 1972). That's OK, obviously. Reverse the natural order, and it is "unfair". Why, we might even hear about how Democrats have created a special right to take in more money from donors than Republicans, because we all know how fond liberals are of special rights for minorities.

I do so wish Broder would retire. Perhaps an Obama win will provide the incentive for him to find a nice home on a sea island in South Carolina somewhere, where he can ignore how the Democrats are once again trashing the place.

Virtual Tin Cup

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