For years, I’ve wondered, “What is the extent of Democratic cheating? Does it matter?” I am heavily under the influence of my discerning and learned colleague John Fund, of course. He is one of the foremost experts on the subject. He says that, off the record, some Democrats merrily brag about their cheating prowess.
I’ve talked to some Republican ops over the years. I’ve said, “Level with me now: Do we do it too? Is it sort of even-steven? They do their skullduggery, we do ours?” They swear not.
It doesn’t seem natural that there should be one cheating party and one non-cheating party. Something so big and messy as a political party can’t wear a halo. And cheating is part of “the human condition.” (Oh, how I dislike that phrase.) But I would really and truly like to know the facts of the matter, if those facts could be absolutely determined.
I am sometimes haunted by the title of one of Hugh Hewitt’s books: “If It’s Not Close, They Can’t Cheat: Crushing the Democrats in Every Election and Why Your Life Depends on It.” (Amazon link here.) (For Hugh’s current book, The Brief Against Obama, go here. I spoke of it in an August Impromptus, here.)
Anyway: I am comfortable with comfortable margins.