Brad DeLong had six questions for Mann & Ornstein -- the authors of "It's Even Worse than It Looks" -- the theme of which (as most here know) is Let's Just Say It, the Republicans Are the Problem.
As we also know, Mann & Ornstein -- once the very paragons of "civil" and "centrist" opinion on Sunday morning (and very frequent guests there), have been blacklisted from those shows ever since their book appeared -- a powerful example of either or both of the cowardice and "bought and paid for" position of the media.
So now we know that to penetrate the "Emperor's New Clothes" willful blindness of the political and media establishment to the insanity of the Republicans, it is not enough for the most respected names in centrist opinion to call an Elephant a Lunatic.
What will be enough? DeLong posts a question he did not ask of Mann & Ornstein, for some reason channeling Kos to do so. (I'm not sure why!):
A point of view that has not been well-represented here today is that of Markos Moulitsas Zuniga--of Daily Kos. So let me try to channel what Kos would say:
Look. You two are expecting normal politics to rein in a Republican Party gone bonkers extreme. But it will not work. The press corps will continue to say "he said, she said, yadda yadda yadda" either because they are gutless cowards or because they are bought. In a world of low-information voters, the bonkers extremism and sheer total meanness of the Republican Party will not get through. The only way it could get through would be if moderate Republican barons were to announce that they had had enough and were crossing t'he aisle, and if they did so in a way that they brought their affinities with them. But I don't see Brent Scowcroft doing that, I don't see Colin Powell doing that, I don't see Greg Mankiw doing that, I don't see Marty Feldstein doing that, I don't see Gail Wilensky doing that, I don't see Bob Dole doing that, I don't see Jack Danforth doing that, I don't see Richard Lugar doing that--and I don't see you doing that, Mr. Ornstein. I don't see you calling for the defeat of every single Republican candidate this fall and every fall until the party comes back to reality.
And since all of you moderate Republicans are unwilling to take the only step that might fix the situation on your side, we have to take the only step open to us: We have to stop bringing a set of policy proposals and briefing papers to what the Republican Party has made a thermonuclear exchange. We have to oppose their noise, slime, and lie machine with a noise, disinfectant, and truth machine of our own--and at the same intensity.
That means you moderates need to pick a side and fasten your seat belts, rather than wringing your hands about how the Republicans are being so mean, and you wish they would be less so.”
That is exactly the point. The Schieffers, Gregorys the Stephanopolous's, Fred Hiatts, the Charlie Roses are all looking at the nakedness of the Emperor's crazy ideas and/or vile rhetoric of Allen West, Steve King, Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan as though they were clothed in respectability.
Maybe even loud defections by Powell, Scowcroft, etc., would not matter. But if they have any respect they should do the full Spector, Chaffee, Jeffords.
h/t Steve M. at Balloon Juice.