Quite often when a conventional wisdom takes hold, it is often an overly simplistic way of looking at things. But there is a value for people in and around politics to have a set of solid assumptions, then build a theory from it, then watch like a hawk for any events or developments that call that theory into question. As an old friend likes to ask me, “Charlie, if you are wrong, where are you wrong.” As long as you are being as intellectually honest, it is not a bad approach to take.
As my colleague Amy Walter said about the presidential election this week, “The conventional wisdom is that Biden can’t win the Democratic nomination and Warren can’t win a general election.” The thing is, she wasn’t certain of either of those things, and neither am I. CONT.
Charlie Cook