The Fallacy of "Balance"

I've often fallen victim to the notion that in political matters there is equal blame on all sides. But like many, I've now come to the conclusion that that equanimity has been exploited by bullies who don't understand the meaning of democracy and are single-mindedly dedicated to running rough-shod over anyone or group that opposes them. They are not fair or gentlemen, and those of us on the other side should quit accepting some measure of blame for impasses that are clearly not of our making. Paul Krugman had an excellent column on this in today's New York Times.