Obamboozled
Kindly consider this pair of excerpts from the blog column written by Mark Mardell, the B.B.C.'s North America editor, on Election Night, after enough races had been called to confirm the defeat suffered by the Democratic Party.

At the root of the defeat for his Democratic Party, undoubtedly, is the painfully slow economic recovery - which means many of those who propelled him to power are disappointed and disgruntled and stayed at home.

Only a fool would say that the economy—including the continued failure of non-stimulative "stimulus" packages to accomplish anything but foster far-fetched, but decreasingly so, concerns about the United States's ability to repay its sovereign debt—did not weigh heavily in Tuesday's election results.

Perhaps the president, and many of the rest of us, over-interpreted what his victory two years ago really meant."

In September 2008, a month after the G.O.P. convention, so long enough that the "convention bounces" had come & gone, Senator McCain's campaign pulled even in the polls with Senator Obama's. The general election was trending Republican. At that moment, though please note that I am absolutely not implying any causal relationship, Lehman Bros. declared bankruptcy & the mounting financial crisis suddenly became a panic.

The conceit is that when Democrats soundly drub Republicans, such as in 2008, it is because the American electorate favors the Democratic political agenda, yet when Republicans soundly drub Democrats, such as in 2010, well, of course it must be simply because the economy is troubled. Why is it so outrageous to believe that '08 was a vote driven by fear about the economic "collapse," a fear reiterated twenty-four hours a day for weeks on end, that unless "somebody" did "something" we'd all find ourselves in a second Great Depression? Why must '08 have been a warm & fuzzy embrace of Mr. Obama's vague ideas for "hope" & "change"? Why isn't more serious consideration given to the economic climate in which that election was held?

For a moment, as evidenced by the second excerpt, Mardell flirts with this idea, but in the remaining majority of his column he anticipated President Obama's explanation for the results of the 2010 general election: the Obama Administration & the Democratic leadership in the Congress had failed, but only in that that had not communicated effectively their ideas & policy accomplishments. That is a reasonable line of argumentation (though, I believe, mistaken) if you then credit '10 to brilliant, bewitching Republican campaign rhetoric. But to say that '10 was all about the economy & '08 was all about Mr. Obama messianic message is to stand exposed as being nakedly partisan (which is supposed to be a cardinal sin for a journo) & intellectually bankrupt.

For myself, I find considerable wisdom in the words of Senator-elect Rubio (R., Florida), spoken on the same night that Mardell wrote his fumbling explanation of the Democrats' defeat:

We make a grave mistake if we believe that tonight these results are somehow an embrace of the Republican Party. What they are is a second chance: A second chance for Republicans to be what they said they were going to be not so long ago.

Both the economy & politics played a part in the Democratic triumph in 2008. Both the economy & politics played a part in the Republican triumph in 2010. Both the economy & politics will play a part, whomever triumphs, in 2012.

Lies, Damned Lies, & the News
It is rare indeed that I have the opportunity to publish anything pleasant about the present state of journalism, which is generally a shambles. So, it is with a slight spring in my step that I report a move by M.S.N.B.C. to uphold what is usually laughingly called journalistic integrity: B.B.C.link & Politicolink. My joy has naught (well, almost naught) to do with the offender being the loathsome Keith Olbermann. Shame on Fox News if no punitive action was taken against the loathsome Sean Hannity & the not-quite-loathsome Neil Cavuto for the past political donations mentioned in the Politico story.

Pun fully intended: Good show, M.S.N.B.C.