Keller @ Large: Political Junkies Look Silly Now
BOSTON (CBS) - The political chattering class in America – the cable TV shouting heads, the bloggers and columnists, the scores of overly-excitable partisans and would-be pundits on Twitter – are in a tizzy... or should we call it a Twizzy?
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In the past week, their world has been abruptly turned upside down.
President Obama showed up for the first presidential debate seemingly underprepared, and turned in a listless, indifferent performance. Mitt Romney may have been playing loose with the facts - a behavior never before witnessed in a politician – but he was sharp, energetic, and on the offensive.
And since then, poll after poll has shown the same result – four years' worth of spin, image-making, TV attack ads, partisan punditry, and don't forget the obsessive Tweeting, has been seemingly swept away by one debate.
And a presidential race that the chattering class, liberals and conservatives alike, had all but written off as a rout is suddenly a dead heat, with the loser/challenger on a roll and the winner/incumbent looking like a loser.
What happened?
Simple. The chattering class has tunnel vision, no patience, no appreciation of history, and a bad dose of over-caffeination.
Experience tells us – or at least some of us – that undecided voters tend to break late in a national election, usually after the televised debates begin. They tend to be not especially partisan or ideological, instead basing their decision on two simple questions: am I satisfied with the incumbent? And, if not, am I comfortable replacing him with the challenger?
It's been clear for quite awhile that folks were, fairly or not, dissatisfied with Mr. Obama's performance. In that first debate, Gov. Romney appeared competent to succeed him.
That all could change in the final weeks, but it's really not much more complicated than that.
And if that makes all the political junkies look and feel silly – if the shoe fits....
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
