The Iseman Cometh

Squeals of outrage greeted the news of possible trafficking between the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and a shadowy, Stepfordesque lobbyist Vicki Iseman. It says much for our current state of journalism that whether or not it is true or relevant is beside the point for many people. It's truth is beside the point because of the long history of Republican politicans have have bedded and lied their way to power. It's relevancy is beside the point because these kind of scandals are old news and have so eroded the credability of politicans generally that it is impossible to take their denials seriously.

Only today, the FBI announced a 35 count indictment against Republican Congressman Rick Renzi, the co-chair of the McCain Arizona presidential campaign. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. And so it's hard to take McCain's protestations of innocence seriously under the circumstances. That said, as a tactical and as an ethical matter, while this is a legitimate news investiation, Democratic candidates should ignore this and stick to expounding on policy differences. Going to the dark side is always tempting, but it only distracts from what drives voter loyalty, which is confidence in their candidate's character.




Influence Peddler