Charles P. Pierce picks apart yet another piece in Politic-ho embedding the myth that the tea party and Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid/ White Man Party are distinct entities, then he moves to the general observation which we heartily, though sadly, endorse:
The persistence of this myth among our elite political press owes its salience to the reluctance of the elite political press to admit that one of our two political parties has gone insane, that the prion disease it acquired when it first ate the monkeybrains 30 years ago finally has eaten away the party's higher functions. It also owes its salience to the reluctance of the elite political press to admit that there is a deep and abiding affection among a huge portion of the American people to vote for the crazy and against its own interests, that the political Id is still the best campaign manager you can find, and that, out in the states, the legislatures are designing a system that will make that situation permanent. It is very hard to admit all this. It shakes the comfort zone. It makes condescending bedtime stories about the greatness of the system and the wisdom of the people sound childish and silly. After a while, it becomes harder and harder to admit that the horse race you so love to cover is fixed from the starter's bell.One of the biggest political story of the past 25 years, if not the biggest, has been the extreme radicalization of the Republican Party. It's a story the mainstream political press has declined to identify, much less cover and analyze. So instead you get the both- sides- do- it, look- the- other- way, "they're being more reasonable now" styles of reportage, because they don't want to get caught having an opinion that might offend the crackpot caucus out there.
BONUS: Maybe "journalists" should take Jorge Ramos' advice.
