Issa and Christie don't care about Drum!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2013

Public statements don’t have to make sense: In a new post, Kevin Drum marvels at a recent statement by Darrell Issa.

The statement in question was especially absurd. “It takes a special kind of mind to think you can get away with that,” the Drumster remarks.

Here on our sprawling campus, we’re puzzled by Drum’s statement. To state the obvious, Issa will “get away with that.” Issa and all others know this.

The tribalists to whom Issa is appealing won’t care about the absurdity of his statement. And at this point, there is no action or statement so absurd that a consequence will be levied via the press corps, especially if the statement in question has been made on the right.

(One exception: If Obama makes the remark, Glenn Kessler will awake from a coma to color in some Pinocchios. To ponder his growing Ahabism, go ahead—just click this.)

There is no statement or action so absurd that a consequence will be levied by the press. The proof of this point has been delivered by New Hersey's governor, Chris Christie.

Last week, Christie announced his plan for a special Senate election in mid-October, just three weeks before he himself is on the ballot running for governor.

The special election will cost New Jersey $12 million. Presumably, its peculiar date will substantially reduce voter turnout.

On the bright side, the October date increases Christie’s chances for a big blow-out win three weeks later. If the Senate election was held in November, it would bring Democrats to the polls, where they could vote against Christie.

Has there ever been a high-profile proposal which was so baldly absurd? At the time Christie made it, we wondered if it possibly could stand.

One week later, the answer is clear. At this point in our devolution, there is no proposal so absurd that it won’t be allowed to stand.

A few newspapers made half-hearted attempts to protest Christie's absurd proposal. Surely, no one believes the absurd rationale he gave for his ludicrous plan.

It’s $12 million thrown down the drain. Plainly, it's being done for Christie’s benefit and for nothing else.

To tell the truth, no one really made any attempt to say that this nonsense can’t stand. Our conclusion:

Our public discourse has ceased to exist, except for the Standard Group Stories which dominate almost all our discussions. For the most part, those Standard Stories are built upon two kinds of facts—invented and withheld.

Christie’s scam slid down smoothly. We’ve moved light-years beyond the point where things have to make sense.

Things no longer have to make sense. Fellows like Issa know this.

Things no longer have to make sense: For a second example of this principle, watch Al Sharpton any night discussing the Zimmerman trial.

We admired Sharpton for years. His conduct here is remarkable.