Ed Kilgore at Washington Monthly talks about the glossing-over of Ernst's crackpot positions (see, "Agenda 21", nullifying Federal laws):
Now I freely admit I have my own biases here: it infuriates me to see the label “the better candidate” attached to anyone running for high office who has ever, ever promoted the insane John Birch Society conspiracy theory of Agenda 21, as Ernst has—much less to suggest that her “toothy grin” and her cute but substantively idiotic “hog castration” ads offset her extremist record. And I don’t know that what national media types say about this race really matters much at all. But it’s part of an atmosphere whereby there are “no Todd Akins or Sharron Angles” to get in the way of the presumed outcome of a GOP takeover of the Senate in part because candidates with extremist positions and records are being cut an awful lot of slack by the supposedly neutral media. Joni Ernst pretty much is Sharron Angle with a better bio and a greater willingness to weasel out of her prior statements; she pretty much is Todd Akin with a superior ability to avoid a dangerous line of questioning by changing the subject. It’s alarming to think such superficial talents are enough to turn champions of the mad fringe into “breakout stars.” (our emphasis)Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog takes on Goldmacher's strawman of the "Democratic machine" (i.e., get out the vote efforts) thwarting the will of the
This line of argument dovetails nicely with Republican vote trutherism (Democrats win because of massive voter fraud!) and its lite, polite variants (Democrats win because they give so much free stuff to moochers! Republicans lose some elections in the overall vote count, but win the votes of the right people, so, really, the GOP wins!). Either way, America -- or "real Americans," at least -- prefer the GOP no matter what the vote totals say. Democrats don't have a mandate to govern even when they win (because they don't really win), and Republicans have a mandate even when they lose. (our emphasis)Charles Pierce also has a short piece highlighting the contribution of pundit-for-hire and former Obama guru David Axelrod in building the myth of "brave woman versus the Machine:"
Axelrod's latest contribution is to join the chorus summoned up for an almost incomprehensibly hagiographic profile of Joni Ernst, the outright nut whom the voters of Iowa may bestow upon the nation as their next senator.But to Goldmacher, this "Sharron Angle with a better bio" is "the better candidate" and "a rising star!
"She's got momentum. She's got charisma. But Democrats have great organization there," former top Obama strategist David Axelrod said of the race on MSNBC earlier this month. "It's really organization versus momentum and charisma, and we'll see."The fact that her politics are not just retrograde, but completely insane, ought to figure into every assessment of Joni Ernst. At least that's the way I see it. (our emphasis)
Sic transit gloria, America.
BONUS: The Des Moines Register, to their credit, blasts Ernst's paleolithic views on government safety net programs.
