HOW TO UNSPIN: DAILY SHOW DEBUNKING PT. 301312

By the way, let me tell you why, after months of avoiding much election content, I've gotten so geared up this past week or so:

It's one thing if people disagree over political ideology or policy. That's healthy for a society. And in an election, it makes sense to me that part of what you're appealing to within respective constituencies is that shared ideological or at least policy positions and perspectives. And I think it's more than fair to point out what you may see as their shortcomings in that department.

But what angers me is when politicians and pundits treat Americans like they are stupid and that is precisely what I've seen rolled out over the last year, with a fever pitch having been reached this past week with Palin's nomination, the RNC and all the media clusterf--- that has followed.

It's one thing to have overblown rhetoric dumped on you over and over (how many times did Obama say "American dream" in his speech?). It's another thing to insult the collective intelligence of America and that's what's inspiring such focused anger.

Just take two of the most egregious examples (besides the one that Jon Stewart exposes above):

1) Mitt Romeny, trying to call out people for being "East Coast elitists." Mitt: you are a billionaire and former governor of Massachusetts. You are the epitome of an East Coast elitist unless being unfathomably rich, powerful and a Baker Scholar from Harvard some how makes you "one of the working guys."

2) Alaskan proximity to Russia = foreign relations experience. I cannot believe how often this has been trotted out. I live under the flight path of the Santa Monica Airport. Does that give me knowledge of aviation? The fact that people are even pushing this when Palin got her first passport last year is even more insulting to people's intelligence.

This doesn't even address the laundry list of other lies and misrepresentations. I don't have a problem if they want to paint the differences between the candidates and their positions but so long as their spin cycle is going to assume that the rest of us are certifiable morons, I really think this is going to backfire on swing voters (let alone traditionally Democratic voters) who have just a little more sense than what the current GOP strategists are giving them credit for.

--O.W.