TPM Reader DE on whether the "corruption" issue has traction politically ...

Maybe I am being overly simplistic here, but is it possible that both the mainstream media narrative and your narrative on the electoral effect of corruption are right? I.e., corruption has certainly contributed to the trouble that the GOP faces in the November elections. On the other hand, it is difficult for a candidate to run on a "culture of corruption" unless the opponent has some personal involvement in corrupt activities. The rising tide is lifting Democratic votes, but in most races, the Democrats are still going to have to explicitly run on other issues to win.

I think there's a lot of truth to this way of understanding the issue. And, yes, I blame George Lakoff for the fact that I had to use 'understanding' as opposed to being able to use 'framing' in its pre-Lakoffian sense. Okay, I'm done.