Righteous

Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog on the Palin ad (yeah, that one):

Forget about whether Sarah Palin's new "Mama Grizzlies" ad will really expand her base beyond the current bounds of her cult. It may not matter -- the important thing is that the mainstream media thinks the ad has broad-based appeal. This means that the ad has broad-based appeal to the mainstream media itself. The MSM always projects its beliefs outward onto the rest of us -- when MSM folks like something, they tell us we like it. They think they're reporting our favorable reaction, when in fact they're reporting their own.

What impresses them about the ad by has nothing to do with policy positions or whether Palin would actually be competent as president of the United States. What they're impressed by is her perceived mastery of messaging. They care about media products, and she created a slick one. That means it barely matters whether she's extreme or ill-informed or petulant and childish. She gives good visuals, so she is now a Serious Person.

See also Betty Cracker and an earlier post from Steve.