The Most Dangerous Political Ploy of the Day

I was reading an article in the Politico this morning about a little spat brewing in the Hawkeye State centering around a 527 labor group getting ready to air some Edwards-friendly advertisements.

The problem is, of course, that 527s fall under the Edwards' Screw Anything I Can Remotely Associate with Washington DC in My Effort to Pander (read:Patronize) to Joe Lunchbox campaign strategy.

Obama called him on this hypocrisy and, backed into a corner, John Edwards declared, "I would encourage all the 527s to stay out of the political process."

Now, let's sit back and think about that for a moment.

Sure, if you're stupid enough to buy the argument that the only people who are supposed to talk about politics are those who register to run for office and those who show up at carefully-organized (by the campaigns) town hall meetings...fulfilling some sort of Norman Rockwell fantasy we all have, then he's right.

But if you think that it's dangerous for someone to argue that it should be illegal (or even grounds for an explanation) for some friends or otherwise-ideologically-bound people to get together and make a statement in the pubic square about our beliefs, then you're with me.

Shame on Edwards for treating the American people like idiots...whether he's right or wrong in doing so.