Planet Pundit just doesn't know what is going on. Things just aren't right on Planet Pundit in this election. Maybe there is some new phenomenon, like global warming on Planet Pundit. A detailed explanation to follow.
John King is criticizing his own network's post-debate poll. After all, John McCain surely won tonight's debate on Planet Pundit. McCain addressed trivial issues well, and provided the drama that made watching the debate worth the price of admission on Planet Pundit. But Planet Pundit just can't understand why poll after poll after poll says Obama won overwhelmingly. There's a simple explanation: what flies on Planet Pundit, doesn't fly on Planet Earth.
Planet Pundit is a comfortable place. All resident of Planet Pundit have six and seven figure jobs, great health insurance, and a paid off house (or, in some cases, houses). Planet Pundit's most important place is the cocktail party circuit. There citizens of Planet Pundit bullshit about their make believe trips to Applebee's delicious salad bar.
Then they construct elaborate fictional characters like "Joe the Plumber" and put their worldly assumptions into his brain. Citizens of Planet Earth must like Capital Gains tax cuts because everybody on Planet Pundit would benefit from a Capital Gains tax cut. Surely no one has to worry about health insurance, as everyone on Planet Pundit has first rate health insurance. And even if someone was out of insurance and forced to pay the average of $12,000 a year in premiums, that's no big deal.I mean $12,000 is a mere pittance on Planet Pundit.
Of course, here in Planet Earth, we worry. We worry about our jobs. We worry about our homes. We worry about our health insurance. We worry that our kids are going to get sick and we won't have the money to take the to the doctor. And when that happens, we feel like inadequate parents.
Here on Planet Earth, we'd like to make the kid a birthday cake, but we just can't afford it. We have to explain to our kids that we love them and are still celebrating their lives, but that there will be no cake or party this year. Here on Planet Earth, we worry about finding a new job after we're laid off. We scan the help wanted ads and see nothing. We apply to menial jobs and arrive at job fairs to see hundreds of other individuals pursuing a job which pays nine bucks an hour.
Here on Planet Earth, we'd love to go to Applebee's for our anniversary. But we just can't afford it. We're spending all our money on an adjustable rate mortgage and filling the car with gas to get to work. Instead, we celebrate at home, and if we're lucky, eat a cup of Top Ramen. (Note to Planet Pundit: Ramen used to cost 10 cents a pack, now it's up to 25).
If Planet Pundit actually got outside the D.C. cocktail party circuit, they'd find empty Applebee's, vacant malls, shuttered businesses, and abandoned houses galore. If they started going to Apartment Complexes and knocking on doors, they'd find the real stories--and they real heartbreaks --of America. If they did all this, they would easily understand why Barack Obama won all 3 debates, and why he is leading in the polls. But the cocktail parties are too addictive, and Planet Pundit remains clueless.