Hey, guys:

Stop whining.

Sincerely,

jv

Postscript: I realize that political campaigns can get awfully incestuous and insidery — and that campaign coverage tends to focus on tactics rather than issues — but really, I wish the two Democrats running for Attorney General would stop complaining about each other’s campaigns.

Three reasons. First, if you’re running to be Vermont’s Two-Fisted Attorney General, you’re going to face much tougher fights than this. If you display more toughness than pettiness, it might help convince voters that you can handle the job.

Second, the alleged offenses are trivial compared to the stuff that goes on every day in politics across the country. Sorrell squawks about a “push poll” that manifestly isn’t a push poll, and one of his supporters cries foul over a mistaken absentee-ballot application (which was a mistake, to be sure, but not a scandal). Then Donovan shows the poll questions to reporters on condition that they not reveal the actual questions, which is about as silly as it gets. And today, Donovan holds a news conference to complain about a very measured, not-at-all negative ad being aired by a pro-Sorrell PAC.

And third, the voters don’t give a damn. Much as I’d love to think that negative campaigning will backfire on the attacker, it just doesn’t happen. There are ways to counterattack, but simply complaining about sucker punches or eye gouges doesn’t get you anywhere.

This mutual whinefest might make their campaign staffs feel productive, and it certainly makes the press corps happy — they get to “cover the campaign” without having to figure out the difficult stuff like issues or qualifications. But it does not help the candidates’ images or their efforts to win the primary.