Views Differ on Shape of Planet

So, now that Left Behind is out of the way except once a week, let me walk a little on the lighter side about the Republican primary.

Paul Krugman famously commented that if a Republican candidate said the Earth was flat, the press would duly report, "Views Differ on Shape of Planet." But he has never really explored why this should be true, other than that the press is terrified of seeming biased.

While I believe there is a lot to that, after hearing about Newt Gingrich's secret of appeal to the base, I think there is more to it than that. Simply put, Republicans have a racket they can't lose (at least with the base) and the media are stuck in a role where they can't win.

Consider. A Republican candidate says the earth is flat. The news media duly report that opinions on the shape of the planet differ. Suddenly the shape of the earth has been recognized as a legitimate topic for public debate. Republicans win.

On the other hand, suppose a Republican candidate says the earth is flat and the media challenge him. They point out that this is not true, that the earth is, in fact, round. Suddenly the shape of the earth has become a culture war issue. Republican candidate assumes the role of a martyr, saying look how they persecute conservatives who dare challenge the orthodoxy of the elite liberal media on the shape of the earth. Belief in a flat earth at once becomes a Republican article of faith. To question the flatness of the earth is now a craven capitulation to political correctness. Fox News and talk radio denounce and mock any suggestion that the earth might be round. Any Republican candidate for office stands no chance unless he gives assurance in his belief in a flat earth. Any Republican currently in office who suggests that the earth might be round faces a primary challenge. Republican candidates who have referred to a round earth in the past are forced to renounce their error. All evidence of the roundness of the earth gets written off as an artifact of liberal bias.

Republicans win.