Yes, they are all cartoon characters

Not sure what Grace's purpose is in writing this Leave Mitt Alooonee!! piece.

This, though, was political commentary run amok, something that seems to be happening more and more in this era in which politics turns candidates into caricatures and media outlets — on both the left and the right — often turn into echo chambers. When these two trends come together, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that even the most ridiculous political figures have good qualities and that their families are not just props in the never-ending show.

Yes, of course, the big celebrity-driven media outlets such as the one Melissa Harris-Perry snickers for make a stupid mockery of our politics. But it doesn't have anything to do with "left" or "right" or "echo chambers."  Instead it has everything to do with corporate media's extremely low opinion of its audience. 

I agree with Grace that it's terrible. But she seems to be giving us yet another version of  her paper's perpetual plea for "civil discourse" as a solution to a problem that is far more about money and power than it is about "civility."  Worse still, in the process she proposes to defend a slimeball like Mitt Romney from de-humanzation.. or something. 

Simply put, the very act of presenting oneself is the most cynical act of self de-humanization a person can undertake.  No person who honestly and rationally decides, "Hey I think I might ought to be President," deserves any quarter from anyone ever.  Not even from the terrible juvenile hacks on cable news.  In essence the are all cartoon characters. They consciously decide to be that the day they qualify to run. Not sure why we need to waste any time defending them.

Then again, a big part of the political columnist's job is buttering these people up so they'll tell you  unverifiable things like this.

And there’s been quiet speculation — made public recently in a column by Gambit editor Clancy DuBos — that some of the same conservative activists who want to dump her might put money behind Bagneris in an effort to tarnish the mayor and his sister in one go.

Bagneris, a Democrat, dismisses those rumors. His campaign manager, Greg Buisson, called them part of a “whisper campaign” aimed at hurting Bagneris’ candidacy and said his financial disclosures prove otherwise. So far, there’s been no evidence of any Republican spending in the campaign.

But that's how civil discourse works, I guess.