Politicians are masters of the innuendo; spinning the facts to their advantage. In the contest for votes, the advantage often goes to the side that can push the limit without crossing the line.
It's the political version of getting a called third strike on a pitch that was really out of the zone – and the pitcher never complains for getting away with one.
Nowhere is the strike zone more generous than in politics where slander and character assassination are not only tolerated; it is almost expected.
Seldom is anyone flagged for an offense, and often they're reward with election wins. However, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee is getting pounded for creating a new low standard.
Elected just last month, as the new pitch person of the DNC, Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz has already been called out by four independent watchdog groups for outrageous mischaracterizations of the House GOP's Medicare reform plan.
Already throwing the flag on the chairman is the Washington Post's Fact Checker blog, the Associated Press, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact.com.
And, that's just the beginning.
In addition, according to Politico.com:
She's accused Republicans of wating to reinstate segregation and of waging a "war on women." She has asserted, somewhat nonsensically, that the GOP wants to make illegal immigration — by definition against the law — "a crime." She's also been mocked for driving a foreign car after pounding Republicans for not supporting the American auto industry.
When former RNC chairman Michael Steele let his mouth get him in trouble, Republican officials were quick to distance themselves from him; even calling for him to step aside.
But, the Democrat with the most at stake in 2012 thinks Wasserman-Schultz is doing a great job.
Barack Obama's top political adviser, David Axelrod, told Politico that the White House was "pleased" with the DNC chairman's job performance.
"The question is on the whole, is she effective? Is she doing a good job? Does she inspire people? Is she an effective spokesperson for the party? I think the answer to that is yes," Axelrod said.
For a White House that consistently misrepresents the truth about the economy, our borders, and even national security, the garbage coming out of the DNC is just more of the same.
Instead of "change you can believe in" the 2012 Democrat slogan should be "Lying for Votes."