politics: You poor take courage, you rich take care

OK, quoting a Leon Rosselson song in the subject line, and now to quote one of my own songs (in an act of blatant self-aggrandizement), in the name of truth, we're coming for you ...

Yes, it looks like Schmidt is going to Congress, the woman who I indelicately compared last night to "a schoolmarm who performs the Black Mass in her off hours." But if she can win by such a slim margin in a district that hasn't gone Democrat in decades, it's evident that the backlash against neoconservatism, neoimperialism and neofascism is already well underway.

What lessons can we take from Hackett? Being plain-spoken resonates. An anti-war message resonates. Bland and blatant adulation of the president does not resonate particularly well. Slandering veterans and questioning the quality of their service will backfire. But more jobs, protecting Social Security from the rapacious Republican hordes, and better, more accessible and more affordable health care are popular.

I feel certain the Richt will paint this as a sound trouncing of liberal values and a ringing endorsement of the unholy bloodbath in the Middle East. But to go from consistent 75%-25% races to almost a dead heat does indeed indicate a shift in the tide.