We All Know What Free Advice is Worth, Right?

TwinSwords pointed me to Ross Douthat's recent post, "Free Advice For Democrats." Here's what I was going to send in response to Twin, but I figured my thoughts were worth sharing. Every little bit helps when it comes to giving the Democrats some spine.

Twin:

Yeah, he makes some good, if unoriginal, points. I know I've said the same things several times already, and I'm sure you have, too -- of course the main thing to do is to attack McCain, along with emphasizing how our side has the new ideas, in direct contrast their plans to change nothing. And yeah, too many personal attacks can backfire, especially given the decades of working the refs that the right has put in. And sure, there is that media reality that we must always place a halo above the head of anyone who lives in a small town; they are, after all, The Only Real Americans^TM.

The thing is, though, part of what drives the media is the blogosphere. If by some magic wand waving, I got every lefty on the planet to say nothing about Palin, you can be sure there would be significantly less investigative reporting going on. It's fear of being scooped that motivates journalists more than anything.

I also have to say that there are any number of legitimate points to raise about her background, her views on issues, and yes, her lack of experience. Who she is and what she stands for speaks to John McCain's lack of judgment and impulsiveness, and it also says something significant about how mavericky he isn't -- when push comes to shove, this pick makes clear, John McCain will kowtow to the religious nutjobs that run the Republican Party.

Finally, given the way the GOP is pushing her "biography," it's a mistake to let the MSM canonize her. I would remind Douthat: that's how we got into this mess that we're in now, where an empty flight suit like John McCain could conceivably become president.