They Write Letters

An Alterman commenter pens (to use the archaism) thusly:

I have a sneaking suspicion that [Granny Glasses] Gibson has pushed the $200,000 to $250,000 area as a middle class income because he'd been informed of what John McCain's tax return would show as income. It smacks of GOP games in terms of showing what a nice, middle class guy John McCain is, unlike the wealthy author Barack Obama and the Clintons. Apparently Gibson and the GOP think we really are that dumb.

Has there been any indication that we aren't that dumb? Is there some reason they're not supposed to talk to us like we're idiots? Jesus Christ, this is a country that put George W. Bush in charge not once, but twice. (Yes, yes, he stole one if not both; the fact that he was even in the running proves my basic point.)

Gibson, in any case, is not talking to voters, nor even competently managing that pretense. He and Stuffinenvelopes (stole that one from SF Chronicle's Joe Garofoli) are talking to themselves, each other, their colleagues, the people they share appletinis and cocktail weenies with. It's pro wrestling for the Smart Set, and while we've always had the option to repudiate this nonsense and walk away from their game, somehow we never seem able to do so. Why shouldn't they assume we're that dumb?