True Gentleman vs. Uncouth Ruffian: Scarborough and Silver

As the election approaches, it is easy to lose sight of the higher principles of gentlemanly discourse amid the heat and noise of the campaign. It's been tempting for certain individuals to attempt to dominate the public's attention and influence their expectations for the election using the blunt instruments of statistical analysis, evidence, and predictive modeling. Such individuals commit the most egregious offenses against decorum when they use these tools of impertinence to suggest that the election may not, in fact, be a contest of chance, and that one candidate may be predicted with high confidence to emerge victorious.

Nate Silver is the worst of these offenders, with his command of the devil's own mathematics.

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Not only does Silver make others feel foolish and publicly challenge their wisdom and undermine their authority, his predictive methods threaten to destroy the economy as well. If Silver's polls are to be believed (and, dear readers, you may be assured that they are not), then the worthy gentlemen of industry and finance who have exercised their constitutional rights to free speech by the expenditure of money, and the helpful gentlemen of politics who have offered to help manage those funds (for reasonable fees), are all wasting their time and money. Following Nate Silver and his math would throw Karl Rove out of a job. Will no one think of Karl Rove?

Thankfully, True Gentlemen like Joe Scarborough are on alert to preserve the higher truth of the campaign beyond the reach of evidence or arithmetic. It's a tossup, and no amount of applied intellect can demonstrate otherwise.


While Scarborough will certainly be proven correct in his judgment, he was far too polite to accept Silver's boastful proposal of a wager on the subject, reinforcing his credentials as a True Gentleman. And, while I would never stoop to repeat gossip, Joe apparently knows how to treat a lady. Kudos to you, Joe Scarborough. Keep up the good work.

Thankfully There Remain Some Gentlepersons in our Media

Note: Please accept my apologies for failing to publish last week's post. 

Our national news media have not distinguished themselves as tribunes of decency of late, chasing after the cowardly and boorish betrayal of private confidence now known as the "47 Percent" video like so many poorly trained hounds after a rabbit.

Thankfully, some of our journalists have seen fit to explore other issues, and in so doing have provided redemptive models of circumspect and civil discourse on political affairs. 

Take the Times's Ashley Parker. Tasked with covering the political response to the Romney video, Parker refused to accept the idea that the former Governor was indifferent to the interests or even hostile to the very existence of the lower classes, based as it was on the flimsy evidence of words spoken in private by the candidate himself to his closest allies and peers:

But the ad came nine days after the video surfaced, a period in which Democrats have bashed Mr. Romney over the remarks, leaving him on the defensive in swing states like Ohio. The ad reflected a belief among his aides that in addition to trying to move past his “47 percent” comments, Mr. Romney can appeal to voters in an intimate, personal way, bonding over their economic worries.

For those of you lacking the subtle gifts of intellect that characterize elite political discourse, read on and learn something. Parker takes the essential first step of balancing the scales of moral culpability; while some media hooligans have chosen to focus on Romney's remarks, it's important to remember that the Democrats are equally guilty of rudeness--they called attention to unflattering things said by their political opponent--they BASHED him! Poor Romney is indeed on the defensive, and from that vulnerable position--faced with losing his bid for the most powerful office in the universe, he would be left with the petty consolations of his immense wealth--there is little doubt that his empathy is genuine. Some more ignorant members of the punditry might ridicule the very notion of Romney bonding with Ohio steel workers like these (Photo Justin Sullivan/Getty).

But Parker has shown us the error of that churlish interpretation. This young lady is going places. After all, she has worked as a researcher for Maureen Dowd, whose reputation for rigor and thoroughness are unparalleled. My heart is gladdened at the thought that, despite being shy of thirty (and I'd never say exactly how far shy), Ms. Parker might just represent a new generation of polite journalists.

Hall of Uncouth: Joe Biden

The most recent enshrinee in my hall of infamy should surprise no one. Last night's performance was truly disgraceful. Have decades of public life not taught the Vice President the fundamental rules of political civility? The honor system demands that one's opponent's ideas be accepted as true and praised as thoughtful, reasonable, and guided by good faith. It is decidedly uncouth to offer rebuttals, which present the public with the unpleasant dilemma of evaluating evidence and reaching informed conclusions. Far better that we be allowed to decide on the basis of manners; the most gentlemanly candidate is certainly the one most suited to govern us. On that score, the Vice President came short of the mark. To wit:


I can scarcely remember such a show of utter disregard for the seriousness and honesty of one's opponent. Thankfully, it appears that our esteemed news media are rallying to the defense of the honor system. With the exception of fellows like Krugman, who may be angling for his own spot in the Hall of Uncouth, a critical mass of our scribes appear to be abandoning the distractions of verifying claims and evaluating policy proposals in favor of contrasting styles. As Brooks tells us,

What do independents want most? They want people who will practice a more respectful brand of politics, who will behave the way most Americans try to behave in their dealings: respectfully, maybe even pausing to listen for a second. To them, Biden will seem like an off-putting caricature of the worst of old-style politics.
This is not just an issue of manners. It is: How are we going to practice the kind of politics that will help us avert the so-called fiscal cliff? How are we going to balance the crosscutting challenges, like increasing growth while reducing long-term debt?
A lot of people will look at Biden’s performance and see a style of politics that makes complex trade-offs impossible.

It doesn't matter if the policy positions staked out by one campaign are incompatible with those staked out by the other, if, for example, one campaign views a social program as essential and another views its abolition as a top priority. It doesn't even matter if compromise is a logical impossibility. Good manners, as this blog has always contended, make for good government. Always, everywhere, and without fail. When journalists focus on style and manners, the public has the best opportunity to choose the best, most gentlemanly candidate. We're all better off for it.

If anything redeems Joe Biden, it's that he did teach a lesson about respect for one's elders.

No one who upholds that timeless virtue can be all bad. Though I am told that I am using the wrong ring-sport for metaphorical purposes. If I were one of the uncouth sort who watches professional wrestling I could better judge the accuracy of this claim.

I'm Compelled to Offer Comment....

on the recent unpleasantness surrounding the Romney campaign.



I've been so shocked by the breach of decorum that I've been unable to properly assemble my thoughts on the matter, and have hesitated to comment in order to avoid any intemperate remarks made in anger. But the time has come for clear-eyed analysis and dispassionate blame-fixing. This incident has truly marked a low point in our nation's political discourse, and the parties responsible must be held accountable.

And those parties are James Carter IV and the anonymous recorder of the notorious video. Violating the confidence of gentlemen like Mitt Romney and his financial backers by videotaping and publicizing the conversations they hold as part of a combined effort to win the most powerful public office in the world is absolutely unconscionable. If the private confidences of these men continue to be betrayed, then the wellsprings of gratitude and devotion from the masses that inspire both public service and capitalist enterprise will surely dry up. And what horrors would await us then?

Thankfully, it is not too late for Governor Romney to repair the damage done to his reputation and public image by this nefarious conspiracy of ruffians, who employed the most underhanded tactic of using a candidate's own words and deeds against him. This Colbert gentleman has an excellent suggestion:

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Mocking a Candidate's Sincerity after a Tragedy...

even when using pictures of the candidate's own face is uncouth. For all we know Mitt Romney's Temple Garments were riding up on him and causing his uncomfortable grin, though it would also be impolite to express that speculation out loud.

Divisiveness is Rude

It's generally impolite and uncivil to demand attention for oneself, and particularly to do so at the expense of including other people in the limelight. Which is why well-mannered people find celebratory holidays troublesome. If, for example, a holiday is designated to honor the legacy of organized labor's struggles on behalf of American workers, who will honor the feelings of management? Who will recognize their contributions to the body politic and society, contributions which are in no way recognized monetarily?

Eric Cantor will! This True Gentleman insists that on the one day of the year set aside to honor the working man, no one is allowed to forget the superior contributions of business owners.

Today, we celebrate those who have taken a risk, worked hard, built a business and earned their own success.

Cantor's right. After all, there's no risk like borrowing a bank's money for a leveraged buyout, transferring the debt to the acquired company's balance sheet, and paying oneself millions in fees to help that company manage its suddenly backbreaking debt. It's risk worth celebrating to the hilt. 

The risks of other occupations pale in comparison, which is why the market, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that private equity traders are worth more than coal miners. Because of the risk they face in earning their daily bread by the sweat of their brows.

Cantor and some of his brave compatriots have taken this stand for inclusion in the face of fierce mockery from the likes of Roy Edroso and Doghouse Reilly, the latter of whom truly distinguishes himself as a ruffian. Read their posts only for examples of how not to behave.

Cantor joins a proud lineage of heroes who have ensured that holidays are used to unite, and never to divide, the public.

True Gentlemen: Ross Douthat

Although the New York Times has discredited itself by hosting the intemperate Paul Krugman on its opinion pages, the editors truly redeem their paper by the inclusion of Ross Douthat. He alone is willing to stand up for the principle that has made this country great: the rule of The Better Sort.

And The Better Sort, in this election, is Mitt Romney.

We did not need a speech to tell us this, of course. Almost every facet of Romney’s biography and personality fits the stereotypes of the old Main Line/Saint Grottlesex world. There’s the combination of great wealth and private frugality, the ruthless business acumen paired with the quiet works of charity, the personal probity joined to the clear discomfort with ideological fervor. And then there are the verbal tics – his description of Paul Ryan’s budget as “marvelous,” say, or his reference to athletes as being “in sport” – that suggest that Romney would be entirely at home in the works of John P. Marquand or Louis Auchincloss.

Did any of those references make sense to you? Congratulations. Though you are no doubt possessed of a Yankee modesty that would keep you from boasting about your breeding and erudition, you are fit to rule. If not, I suggest that you retreat to Saint Grottlesex for a prep year.

But remember, it's not for himself alone that Romney's doing this. Take his wife's word for it. Douthat does!

But when she pivoted, took ownership of her husband’s throwback qualities and used them to plead his case, her address felt impressive, credible and true. The opening was populist in the style of almost every American political speech today, but the second half was more unusual: It acknowledged her husband’s good fortune, emphasized how hard he would work on behalf of average Americans rather than what he has in common with them, and portrayed the Republican nominee for president, ultimately, as a man forrather than of the people. Her best line evoked generations of reticent, public-spirited Brahmins: “Mitt does not like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point.”

In the final analysis, it doesn't matter if the particular utterances Romney makes are true. Only a churl would insist on verifying the truthfulness of a campaign's rhetorical pillars when the far more reliable (and polite) recourse to pedigree is available.

You don’t have to love him, the more effective parts of her speech implied, or relate to him, or even always necessarily agree with him. But you can trust him with the presidency, because he’s suited to public service, and he was born and raised and trained to do this job.

This Douthat is going places. I've but one complaint: while he clearly possesses the kind of sexual repression required of a true gentleman, but he should really stop commenting on a lady's weight, even if she behaves like a brazen hussy.