The Daily Sandwich

"We have to learn the lesson that intellectual honesty is fundamental for everything we cherish." -Sir Karl Popper

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Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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Monday, November 20, 2006

Time comments on 'Five Election Myths'

One of my very first posts after the elections was sort of a lament-- an anti-ode to the gerrymandering that's taken so much power away from voters, and I suspect prevented a total rout of Republicans. Several other posts were about the irritating slew of stories claiming (wrongly, but in accordance with right-wing talking points) that only conservative Democrats won.

Remarkably, Time has posted a story that mentions both of these issues and a couple more besides. If only it had made the print edition. But it's very well-done (it should be, with three people given writing credit!), full of links, and highly recommended.

MYTH: Joe Lieberman's victory proves the netroots don't matter.
REALITY: The netroots had some key victories.

MYTH: Democrats won because they carefully recruited more conservative candidates.
REALITY: Democrats won because their candidates were conservative about their message.

MYTH: The losses Republicans sufferend [sic] this election were no different than what you usually see in a President's sixth year in office.
REALITY: Redistricting minimized what might have been a truly historic shellacking.

MYTH: The election was all about the war.
REALITY: It's the dishonesty, stupid.

MYTH: Republicans lost their base.
REALITY: The base turned out, they just got beat.