Spot on, as usual

Sabutai, of Quriltai on the Shore, once again offers excellent insight on how elections--and the electorate--are often misread both by the media and politicos involved.

Today, a note on how implacably elections are reduced to a single-issue frame so quickly and easily. Many Bay Staters are reasonably irritated that outsiders (especially those in Washington, DC) are taking Brown’s victory last week as a repudiation of the health care reform process underway in the nation’s capital. While health care was an issue in this election, it was not the only issue. Such a view ignores Brown’s skilled campaign, the Coakley implosion, Democratic over-confidence, and a number of other factors in the result. Worse still, it led to a short press to force House passage of the Senate health care bill, almost regardless of the bill’s contents.

It's not just an American problem. He provides other examples of very poorly characterized election results. Well worth the quick read as usual. Visit qontheshort.blogspot.com early and often.