Weisburg sells us all short when he assumes that Obama's superior style, presentation and charisma alone should win an overwhelming majority of voters. Are we that shallow? No.

Weisburg suggests that there is enough anti-Bush sentiment in the country to give Obama a clear majority. Bush disapproval is real, but it's much more mild in the middle than on the left. Are we going to base our vote on Ad Hominem logic? No.

So shallowness and Ad Hominem logic should be piling up the votes for Obama. So why aren't they? Racism!

Weisburg thinks swing voters are either shallow, illogical, or racist. If they were intelligent and rational, they'd already be liberals.

Weisburg thinks swing voters are either shallow, illogical, or racist. If they were intelligent and rational, they'd already be liberals.

He's right. Worse, these "independent swing voters" have no real values, no real interest in affecting the direction of government, no real interest in anything except finding a dude they can trust, because if they're going to do as they're told like good little sheep, trust is everything.

Seriously. There is no comparison between McCain and Obama. There can't possibly be any confusion on the issues, and all you're left with is superficial bullshit.

Weisburg thinks swing voters are either shallow, illogical, or racist.

Or maybe that swing voters sometimes choose candidates for dumb reasons. Nixon by some accounts, lost the 1960 election because he refused to wear makeup in a televised debate, and as a result looked pale and nervouse next to a vigorous JFK. Bush 41 lost the 92 election (according to people smarter than me) when he glanced at his watch during a debate. Kerry lost a lot of votes by windsurfing and with his dopey salute at the beginning of his acceptance speech at the 2004 DNC.

If you accept that some (not all) voters make choose candidates based on "gut" feelings instead of positions or experience, it seems likely that at least some of those voters will reject Obama based solely on his race. This was Weisberg's point, I think, although he was a little over the top about it. Conveniently for him, this dumb choice has a name, racism, which was guaranteed to light up the fray.