I AM THE FORCE

Good show from Charlie Sykes this morning on Insight 2006, with some enlightening exchanges all around. But let me point out a little weakness -- the pundits and media commentators lack savvy and their insights are regularly off target. These folks have been used to having the only megaphone on the block for so long that they seem to have a systemic estrangement from reality. Knowledgeable bloggers can blow them away, and that's what happened today.

Let me give an example that also caught moderator Sykes off guard. No disrespect, because he is one of the best, but Jeff Mayers comment that Democrats would rather run against Walker than Green is just plain wrong. The Dem independent spending against Green makes that plain, as would any honest conversation with a knowledgeable Dem consultant. So, someone spun Jeff on this one, and he bought it and believes it. An insider would not make the same mistake. And the other pundits made similar errors.

And I think this gets to the heart of the weakness of "pundits". Most of these people are used to getting their information by interviewing those who are actually involved. So they get spun, they miss subtleties, and they lack savvy. Even someone who I like such as McIlhern retains a certain outsider naivete. They just don't have the background or experience to offer the best insights. They are outside observers, and will always be a little off in their observations regardless of how smart they are.

So thank goodness for the blogger revolution. I hadn't even read a blog before late 2005, but I've learned a lot since then and can see that we're getting more substance and insight from Wisconsin bloggers than all of traditional media combined. Media commentators speak for neither regular people or insiders. Bloggers are much more likely to "get it" than the pundits of the world. Charlie Sykes has recognized that reality, and ought to lean more heavily on non-media commentators in the future.