Are The Fluffer Types Doin' This Shit On Purpose?

Why, yes they are. Thanks for noticing!  I mean, I get it.  Welfare Academia are the fluffiest of Obama fluffers, the most stalwart water carriers of The Establishment, dun, Dun, DUN, mostly because acceptance by said establishment is their most desired state of grace and the entire purpose of their lives.  Chait's merely a dipshit, so no more about him.  Lemieux does this all the time, though; he pretends to be such a cool, rational skeptic when he is doing nothing but providing the basest rationalization of the status quo.  "Shit's always been this way and so we's doin' a pretty good job and our guy's good and shit" seems to be the extent of his analysis after you sweep away all the bullshit.  One of his confederate apparatchiks gives the grift away, though.  The Democratic Party was not always liberal.  No shit.  BUT THAT'S THE FUCKING POINT FRANK WAS MAKING!  If you are the lesser of the conservative parties, you will never make any inroads with people who support philosophies and policies which might not be so very far right.  As far right as the modern Democratic party.  As far right as the historical Democratic party.  Lemieux understands this and is doing everything he can to be an enthusiastic cheerleader for his intramural politics team; either that or he's a fucking moron.  Frank's mistake was working his argument in the context of the Democrats V. Republicans (sic) instead of abandoning the premise of a possibly vaguely not-quite-so-obviously-right-of-center Democratic party.  Scott Lemieux narrows his personal viewpoint so drastically that he's either a sad, smarmy pissboy or a George W. Bush-level imbecile.  I guess that's the point, but it is still annoying after all this time.  The rock-ribbed political system we enjoy needs legions of barely useful idiots to bulwark the ship of state against the vast majority of the ignorant population, but I sometimes long for a fluffer cadre who are not quite so enthusiastic about their ignoble function.