For the sake of argument, let’s agree with Media Matters’ Eric Boehlert for the moment that Peggy Noonan counts as a conservative pundit, albeit one who claimed that conservatives secretly thanked her for consistently slamming the Romney campaign. If that’s the case, Noonan in retrospect is one of the few who got it right, opining back in mid-September:
What should Mitt Romney do now? He should peer deep into the abyss. He should look straight into the heart of darkness where lies a Republican defeat in a year the Republican presidential candidate almost couldn’t lose. He should imagine what it will mean for the country, for a great political philosophy, conservatism, for his party and, last, for himself. He must look down unblinkingly.
And then he needs to snap out of it, and move.
Nevertheless, Boehlert isn’t happy that Noonan isn’t paying the price for being wrong. Her reward, if you can call it that? Being invited back to “Face the Nation” and “This Week.” The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald wonders if a self-imposed time-out isn’t in order.
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/272428198145445888
A two-week humility break sounds wonderful. If Barack “I Won” Obama can do it, certainly Peggy Noonan can as well.
You start to understand why EVERY conserv pundit claimed Romney wound win; they knew they'd pay Zero price professionally for botching call
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) November 24, 2012
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Think abt it: yr ONE job as pundit during election year is to analyze the race. virtually every GOP pundit got it wrong. consequence? none
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) November 24, 2012
We’re not sure what consequences are in order. The networks are free to hire and fire as they please, and some fresh blood might invigorate the debate, much as Tea Party candidates have done for the Republican party. But please, let’s not mistake cheerleading for Obama as serious punditry either. Yes, many conservatives were wrong about Romney’s chances of winning, but the Obama administration has been wrong about, well, just about everything. Will the media step up and cover those consequences during a second Obama term?
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