January 31, 2010 11:23 PM UTC

Bennet vs. Romanoff: what really matters

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• by: sxp151

I’ve been pissed at Bennet for supporting the bankers in cramdown, and I’m pissed at Romanoff right now for hiring Pat Caddell. At various times I’ve supported one or the other.

But I, and we, have to get beyond that. Democrats on this site need to ultimately get behind the candidate who can beat Jane Norton in November. “Sure,” you say, “that’s what I’ve been doing.”

But I think we’ve been going about this all wrong. The election in Massachusetts was a warning sign. Except if we think about it correctly, we’ll see that Democrats actually have the advantage here.

Think about it: here are the candidates in the Massachusetts race.

On the left you see Martha Coakley, who for the life of her just can’t seem to look into a goddamn camera. Does she know what she’s talking about? Probably. Had she run for statewide office before? Yes, and successfully. On the right you see a guy with an empty smile. If you look closely enough into his eyes, you can see right through to the back of his head. But he’s always looking at the camera. Is that enough to win? Almost.

This race was about personalities, moreso than issues. Massachusetts voters like universal health care, and to the extent many of them were disappointed in the Senate bill, it was because there wasn’t enough in it. Instead people who didn’t care much compared these candidates superficially, and Brown has an advantage there, which almost completely explains the outcome.

Except for one thing. Brown is younger, but not by much (just 6 years). Yet people tend to think the difference is much more substantial. Why?

Because what they really have in mind is this image:

And then they compare it to this:

Because you see there aren’t any public nudie pics of Martha Coakley.

Now we’re on the right side of this. Both Romanoff and Bennet are relatively young, good-looking (in slightly different ways), and theoretically capable of taking off their clothes without assistance.

So right now, I’m promising that I will immediately switch my support to the first Democratic candidate I see naked. Preferably a college-era picture, but anything will do. Who’s with me?