Cillizza-ism

Chris Cillizza, a popular favorite on washingtonpost.com who also writes for the print edition, can be a fun read. You think you're getting the real deal of what's going on in electoral politics (he covers a lot of upcoming congressional election stuff). But sometimes he writes stuff that is rather ridiculous.

Monday, in one of his periodic round-ups of what to look for in 2010 and 2009 primary races, he drops this:

With so few issues differentiating the candidates, primaries are decided on style and strategy -- things The Fix loves about politics.

Really?

For a perfect example of why it is, of course, not always the case, one needs to look only six paragraphs further in Cillizza's column, where he announces his #1 ranked upcoming primary to look out for: the Pennsylvania Senate contest in 2010 -- where conservative extremist Pat Toomey is challenging incumbent Republican moderate Arlen Specter in a primary.