Common Wisdom

I'm not sure what's happening this year. Whatever it is, it isn't what happened four years ago, or eight, or more. The things that everyone knows about politics and elections are turning out to be false. This year.

Joe Biden and Sarah Palin had a debate. Everyone knew that the expectations had been lowered so far for Palin that it would be hard for her to lose. She was folksy. Biden spoke in long words and obscure allusions--the kiss of death. Everyone knows that should have cost him.

People ate it up. Biden won the debate.

Locally, Senator Coleman has been running nothing but attack ads against Al Franken. Everybody says they hate them, but everybody knows they work. So he runs them.

Except this time. Coleman is down in the polls and has decided to withdraw the ads. He says it's because we can't afford to be negative with the economy in shreds. It's because the ads are costing him votes.

I'm not sure what's going on. Voters are behaving differently, unprecedentedly--dare I say rationally? I'm completely confused, but I have only one question.

Can we keep it?

Update: As usual Comrade PhysioProf says far more succinctly, even with all the swearing.