“[…] the nerdy, disciplined numbers-cruncher who has turned failing businesses around for a living might have a great palliative effect on the nation’s ills than someone who, by virtue of his own transgressions, feels others’ pain.” This is how Kathleen Parker personifies Mitt Romney versus Newt Gingrich to the world outside Washington D.C. (or the confines of her home office, if we‘re keeping count). When I read this towards the end of yet another of her “Hey guys, seriously Romney” tinged articles, I about tore the newspaper in to fine pieces, and set them ablaze as a glorious sacrifice to the gods of deficient common sense and severely ironic tone deafness. Almost mind blowing enough for me to join the tinfoil hat wearing right-wingers who are still of the belief that Romney is ceaselessly being foisted on them. Almost. And while I will still deny them their conspiracy theory, I will use this piece of Mitt Romney propaganda as a Mr. Mayor’s Exhibit A™ that the D.C. Beltway pundit class is simply out of touch with reality.

This says nothing of the rest of her article, which surmises that Americans are against Romney because he’s just too damn perfect. Her article absolutely flies in the face of any facts, any current shared notions amongst the republicans participating in the primaries and…common sense! If Kathleen Parker had written this MONTHS ago, maybe it would be remotely cogent. But after the last few weeks of the republican presidential primary season which saw Romney lose half of the primaries/caucuses out of the starting gate, the release of his taxes that reveal (unsurprisingly) that he pays less than 15%, his general stiff demeanor, out of touch aloofness and not even counting the years of flip pity floppity goodness and his Joe Biden levels of verbal gaffe-itude…the notion that he’s just too damn easy to relate to because he’s Mr. Perfect is laughably insane.

If what I read is also true, humans are just too damn emotional and not rational enough to relate to Romney. According to Kathleen Parker, it’s not Romney’s fault he can’t connect with republicans. It’s their fault they fail to connect with him, and why it’s so much easier to connect with Gingrich, against all odds. You see, republicans empathize with Gingrich because he’s supposedly human. He’s been professionally disgraced, thrice married, full of ridiculous grandiosity and that’s what endears him so much to Americans, right? He’s what we see when we look in the mirror.

Perhaps she recently repainted her office and is high on paint fumes, but Kathleen Parker just doesn’t connect the dots in order to fool anyone who’s following this GOP Presidential Primary circus. Republican voters are against Romney for a myriad of reasons, and not one of them have to do with Romney being too perfect. You have the evangelicals who think Mormonism is a cult. You have TEA Party patriots who believe he’s the worst kind of republican: a moderate…which might as well be a socialist liberal Muslim in their eyes. You have the establishment, who’s just holding their nose and going with it, buoyed by a more severe hatred of Gingrich than a tacit support of Romney. Independents and moderates see a politician willing to do or say anything for a vote, who at the end of the day isn’t too far removed from the guy we currently have in the Oval Office, so why change horses mid-race? The 99% crowd see’s the guy that comes around on a Friday, to tell you that you have no job to come to on Monday (which is doubtful since the kind of guy Romney is doesn't fire people face to face anyways). Romney is full embodiment of “The Man” to a LOT of people. What no one sees, outside of the D.C. Beltway crowd, is that nerdy, disciplined numbers-cruncher. I think Kathleen Parker may in fact be the only one.

This sort of tone deafness is all over D.C., the GOP and the right-wing support structure. Look at the republican response to the state of the union. Did they even watch/read the presidents speech? From what I gather, it hit them in the face like a soft breeze and they just coughed a little, and turned the echo chamber back on to “Full Power”. Their answer, hidden deep in that rebuttal? “Yea, we got nothing. But here’s what we’ve been saying for the past couple of years.” The idea being that if they keep repeating it, it will come true?

But I think the gap between the political tone deafness is beginning to grow in to a gaping maw with the pundit class that writes and talks about it. The pundit class can’t really get behind the political states inability to do anything meaningful with their time. They have to talk about policy and politics nearly every single day! Then they have a weekly column wherein they have to fall on some sort of opinion, married with talking points and their own convoluted rhetorical consistency, which they largely do not maintain. No one in the media dares call them on their roaring inconsistency, because they need the pundit class to fill up the 24 hour news machine and they might be denied access to the party of politics. Which is insane right? Aren’t the pundits supposed to be “journalists” of sorts, or has the line purposely been blurred to mask convenient rhetorical malfeasance?

I would give props to Kathleen Parker had she couched her article in the idea that maybe there’s some class envy to be had in the sound rejection of Romney. It kind of goes against the GOP mantra that we are a nation of have’s and soon-to-have’s, but it miles better than Romney being too perfect. Only a bonehead pundit, out of touch with current (modern) discourse amongst the public, would fly that bad idea flag all day. Kathleen Parker knows that this article will just float by like the rest of her rhetorically inert turds and she won’t have to answer to anyone. Honestly, she’s only got to really nail one or two strong articles, collect her Pulitzer, and call it another good year for her journalistic bona fides. And so it goes for most of the pundit class.

There’s no disgrace in being wrong, shortsighted, or being a flat out liar. It’s far easier to remember things if your honest and consistent with your writings, but there’s no money or access in it. There’s boatloads of cash in keeping the status quo going, telling everyone to mind their business and move along...nothing to see here. There’s even more treasure for those who actively participate in the echo chamber and blithe fully ignore what’s really happening on the streets and in our society. Point fingers and provide distractions for the troublemakers. Occupy Wall Street tore the veneer just a little, exposing the narrative being peddled by the beltway Pundit Class to everyone as “the way it is”. Come spring time, when it’s warmer, the whole curtain will be torn asunder. And it won’t be because the masses hold Romney’s perfection against him.