Worst Thing That Happened To Journalism - Washingon Post Edition

This morning we have another example in the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle of "political analysis" that's skewed Republican.  In the godawful Chris "Lizard" Cillizza's "The Monday Fix" political racing form, Amber "Waves of Grain" Phillips gives us the "Best Thing That Happened To Republicans" last week (no link):

Democrats listed pretty far to the left in their first presidential debate.  The five candidates onstage Tuesday debated the merits of socialism, and each tried to outdo each other on how tough they would be on the gun lobby and big banks... Skewing to one side in a primary is natural part (sic) of the political process, but Democrats are arguably further away from the center on issues such as gun control and welfare spending than at any time in recent memory."

Ignoring the whole issue of what make the "center" so sacred for now,  Ms. Phillips thinks the Democrats are "far to the left" on gun control?!  Apparently unbeknownst to Ms. Phillips, America has shifted under her feet (or she's just been reading GOP/ NRA press releases).  Here's what a poll conducted by GfK Knowledge Networks for researchers at Johns Hopkins University and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2013 has to say:

Majorities of the respondents supported all but 4 of 31 gun policies (see Table 1).  Public support was particularly high for measures prohibiting certain persons from having guns, enhancing background checks, and instituting greater oversight of gun dealers. Even policies banning the sale of military-style semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines were supported by more than 65% of the general public.

Then there's this most recent poll.  That seems to be in line with the Democratic candidates positions on gun control, don't you think? 

When it comes to "welfare spending" it seems it all depends on how questions are asked, who thinks they're entitled to what (white middle class entitlements vs. programs targeted to the blacks poor), perhaps mixed with some confusion about what constitutes government "welfare" ("Get your government hands off my Medicare!"). But, a Pew poll from February 2013 on government spending on the poor shows that 71 percent of Americans want that spending to either stay the same or increase; only 24 percent (likely including Ms. Phillips) want it to decrease. We'd say that represents a consensus that places the Democratic candidates a whole lot closer to the majority opinion in this country than the drown- it- in- the- bathtub nihilist Republicans occupying their presidential clown car bus.

But what are some pesky facts when you're busy constructing a meme?

Wa Po On Scott Walker: He's Down, He's Up, He's Down!

Our elite political media at the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle can't seem to get its narrative straight when it comes to Koch brothers puppet and empty vessel Gov. Scott "Koch Head" Walker (R-Kochland).  In the course of three pages in today's paper, they either think he's floundered on the "anchor babies" "birthright citizenship" issue or that he's "gotten his groove back."  Here's today's play- by- play:

He's down!  Conventional wisdom faucet Chris "Lizard" Cillizza today:

Scott Walker can't seem to give a straight answer when it comes to the 14th Amendment and whether or not he believes in the idea of birthright citizenship.

In the last seven days he has been opposed to the idea, then revoked that support, then made clear to a donor that he wouldn't seek to end it, then said he has no position on it, then said he opposed repealing the 14th Amendment.

He's up!  Amber "Waves of Grain" Phillips today (no link):

Best Thing That Happened To Republicans
Scott Walker appears to have gotten his groove back.  With polls showing the Wisconsin governor's lead disappearing in key early states in the Republican nominating race, Walker appears to have rebooted his campaign.  He's focusing on his reputation as an anti-establishment governor, telling voters in a hectic three-day swing in New Hampshire how he has taken on establishment figures in the Republican party by defeating the unions in his home state.  If his reboot works, Walker may have helped Republicans figure out a way to surge past Outsider- in- Chief Donald Trump.

He's down! Jenna Johnson today:

GOP presidential hopeful Scott Walker appears to have yet again shifted his stance on allowing the children of illegal immigrants to automatically gain U.S. citizenship.

In an interview on ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday morning, Walker said he does not want to alter the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States… are citizens of the United States." Nearly a week ago, Walker said he wants to end birthright citizenship, and he would not say then whether he agrees with the 14th Amendment.

These Beltway stenographers have their Hillary Clinton narrative written down, thanks to emptiest suit in politics RNC chair cushion Reince Priebus (she's "untrustworthy, secretive, scandal- plagued"), who's only accomplishment in his tenure has been the relatively easy task of spoon- feeding his anti- Clinton talking points to an eager and receptive media.  When it comes to pegging Scott Walker for what he is, a lot of folks have it figured out, including people in Wisconsin.  But for you perfesshunal analysts, it's hard work! So, let us give you some help with this visual:

How's that?!  You're welcome!

BONUS:  Scottie thinks it would be a grand idea to cancel next week's official visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House because….the drop in the stock market!  Why stop there, Scottie?  How about an attack on the mainland?  Scott Walker: Plays. With. Toes.

Insipid Political Analysis, Cont.

Hunter at Daily Kos picks up on a Chuck "Not My Job" Todd line that this is "the strongest Republican party presidential field in 36 years", bolstering the evidence that, when it comes to analyzing Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party politics, our elite media sucks:

And here we have our problem: This notion that the current Republican field is "strong," the strongest in a generation, if it were not for the meddling of sideshow Donald. The current Republican field is numerous. It is not strong. A bag of mice is not stronger than a pit bull, no matter how much it wiggles, and a 16-person presidential field made up almost exclusively of embarrassments is not stronger than two, three, or five candidates who demonstrably might know what the hell they are talking about. Which are the strong candidates, then? The universally despised-by-his-peers senator? The other senator who achieved electoral success bequeathed by his father, and who has accomplished precious little since? The governor turned Christian radio shock jock? The senator who abandoned efforts to get his party to be slightly less racist after polls showing the party didn't think much of the idea? The indicted fellow? The not-indicted one? The one who touts union busting as his ostensible foreign policy credential? The universally acknowledged-as-a-failure last president's brother? If there was any one of these candidates capable of building more than a ramshackle case for leadership of their deeply fractured, ostentatiously paranoid party, they would not have fifteen mostly embarrassing opponents. Even the party financiers are finding themselves flummoxed on which of these three-legged horses to back.

So, step aside, Dan "I Got No" Balz and Amber "Waves of Grain" Phillips, you have some real competition for insipid political analysis by a Beltway "pudnit."

Insipid Political Analysis At The Washington Post

We offer two recent examples of what passes for political analysis by the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle, discussing the Republican presidential field clown car bus.  Note the dogged determination to ignore the biggest political story of the past 40 years:

Dan "I Got No" Balz:

... On the positive side, they control Congress and enjoy political dominance in the states. Their 17-candidate presidential field, with exceptions, is better than four years ago, stocked with talent and plausible party standard bearers.  (our emphasis)

Amber "Waves of Grain" Phillips (The Monday Fix):

... Democrats are all too happy to let the spotlight stay off the field's extraordinary amount of well-qualified Republican candidates and keep shining on the party's laughingstock.  (our emphasis)

Where to start?  How about just letting the names of some of the "well-qualified" "talent" roll off the tongue:  Jindal... Perry... Rubio... Walker... Christie... Huckabee... Carson... Fiorina... Cruz... Jeb!  There's actually many more than "one laughingstock" there, Amber.

Q. What manner of "political analysis" deems this collection of yahoos, sociopaths, grifters, and theocrats to be talented and well-qualified to be President of the United States?

A. It's the kind of "political analysis" that has allowed the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party to careen to the extreme right without paying any political price ("On the positive side, they [Republicans] control Congress...").