So now that the dirty, insidious political strategy that has served Republicans so well for so long is finally backfiring, suddenly David Frum and his ilk have decided that we need a more upstanding, honorable political discourse?
Where was Frum's public advocacy for "grown-up, intelligent" politics during the Swift Boat Vets nonsense? (Ironically, even John McCain spoke out against that one.) Now that the GOP is hemorrhaging votes -- in part because of a Democratic candidate who has, whatever else you think of him, epitomized cool-headed, erudite, civil discourse -- suddenly Frum is doing his "little best" to make sure everyone speaks more, uh, substantively?
Give me a break. Rachel is right, of course: in the political arena, there is room, on all sides, for all flavors of communication. Mature adults know what is off-limits. Rachel could have called the segment "Get the Old People" instead of "Grand Old Panic" -- but she didn't, because, well, she's a decent human being. But she also understands that satire and comedy -- you knew I was going to say this, right? -- are absolutely essential components of a healthy political discourse.
What's really going on here: Republicans are cutting their losses, and already planning for 2012. Frum and others are going to blame this defeat -- if McCain is defeated -- on the campaign itself, not on any fundamental ideological crisis in the party. All that blinking is hiding an exquisite capacity for self-delusion.
UPDATE
No shit, Senator McCain? You've heard people say "kill him" and "off with his head," about you, at an Obama rally? Really?
This campaign is absurd. (Note that McCain, like Frum, is a blinker.)
The relevant part is about 6 minutes in.
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