So Mark Halperin says John McCain had a better week than Barack Obama...but that's not the stupidest part. No, the stupidest part was Halperin's claim that the candidates are evenly matched on economic issues.
Economy: After a week in which both candidates presented their policies and attacked the other guy’s record and ideas, neither McCain nor Obama has broken out as the leader on this issue. For a question that should give a huge advantage to the Democrats, the answers still sound like “yada, yada, yada”—on both sides.
Need I remind Halperin that McCain did not get off a single shot at Obama all week long on the economy? And meanwhile he dug himself a deep hole on balancing the budget, Social Security, and, last but at all least, Mr. Mental Recession himself reared his ugly head.
So what in the world campaign is Halperin watching? The same campaign in which voters say they prefer Barack Obama by a 20 point margin on economic issues (51%-31%)?
There are three explanations for this analysis. Either (1) Halperin has an agenda, or (2) he wasn't doing his job and just doesn't know what he's talking about, or (3) he is staggeringly, monstrously stupid. I almost hope it is one of the first two, because if he really believes what he wrote...then he might in fact be losing his mind.
Update: Even The Weekly Standard's Dean Barnett doesn't see things the same way as Halperin.
Update 2: Steve Benen and John Cole were on this way earlier in the day. Cole's post is hilarious.
© Jed Lewison