A couple of weeks ago during one of those Fox TV segments I often do, I threw out what I thought was a pretty good idea for conservative political pundits. I was opposite a radio-pundit type by the name of Mike Gallagher. He was shouting at me as they often do when I say something they disagree with. And while he was shouting, I could swear he started whining. It was a sound not much different from a sound you might expect from a colicky baby.
What he was whining about is that Obama had embroidered "President 2008" onto the back of the seat he occupies on his campaign jet, and he didn't think that was right. I try not to shout back in those talking head segments because you can't think clearly while you're shouting. Instead, I made a simple proposal. I told Gallagher that the fringe lockstep conservative types should consider organizing a support group for chronically whiny conservative pundits.
What I envisioned was a 12-step program designed to help pundits like him become less whiny and more substantive as they approach this November election.
He at one point stopped shouting, and I wasn't certain whether he had become apoplectic or whether he might have actually been taking me seriously.
The conservative pundit list of favorite whines is too long to cover in this short column, but here's the 10,000 foot picture: Obama has too much celebrity-like charisma; the media likes Obama more than they like McCain; Obama went to Harvard and is too educated to be a good president; Obama is not warm and fuzzy enough; Obama isn't black enough.
Okay, we get it... the truth is that it's impossible to talk substance after eight years of an economy meltdown, an Iraqi desert blunder, and a string of scandals ranging from mortgage scams to stock market corruption. Why bring up substance like that when all of that took place during your political party's watch?
Even John McCain sees the writing on the wall. In his latest ad campaign, he openly admits that the country is in bad shape, but also note that he never finishes the thought by reminding us that his pal "W" put us here.
The most positive spin though is that even McCain is not whining. Instead, he's admitting the obvious and talking about issues more important than the cost of Obama's shoes.
An interesting personality study was started in 1960. A Stanford psychology professor by the name of Jack Block began following the personality development of 100 children from kindergarten to adulthood. His team concluded many things about how those children's personalities evolved. But among those many conclusions was this; the whiniest of those whiny kindergartners grew up to become what these psychologists described as rigidly conservative in all aspects of their lives including their politics.
Reading excerpts from that study has given me a good perspective about all those conservative political whiners I confront almost daily. Because I laugh just a little inside when I picture them in toddlers' Oshkosh overalls. Still red-faced and still screaming because life isn't going the way they wish it would.