And the Winner and Still Champion

for the title "Most Clueless Pundit Ever" is Megan McArdle.

What I hope is that the Democrats take a beating at the ballot boxand rethink their contempt for those mouth-breathing illiterates in the electorate. I hope Obama gets his wish to be a one-term president who passed health care. Not because I think I will like his opponent--I very much doubt that I will support much of anything Obama's opponent says. But because politicians shouldn't feel that the best route to electoral success is to lie to the voters, and then ignore them.

McArdle seems to be another one who doesn't see the need for the American system of elections and majority rule. I'm sure everyone would be much better off if all the decisions could be made by those as insulated from the realities of life in this country as she is.

I seem to recall that the electorate gave Obama a resounding victory, and the Democrats unbeatable majorities of both Houses, in November, 2008, and that a huge part of Obama's campaign was health-care reform. And that the Republicans, who are past masters at manipulating data, have spent the past year pointing to polls that didn't ask critical questions. (Like the polls that showed "huge majorities" were against the HCR package -- until they found out what was actually in it.)

This "will of the people" mantra is so much bullshit -- McArdle has no more use for the will of the people than George III did.

There comes a point where you just have to finally say it: "This person is not smart. She's not even close to smart. Glib, yes, clever, yes, but not smart." (Actually, even "clever" is stretching a point.)

Sullivan actually published some responses to his "Quote of the Day" from that piece of blather. They're generally much more polite than I am. (Well, maybe not "much more.")

And Scott Lemieux does some admirable parsing of the best bits.