Henry Farrell has written the definitive Megan McArdle put-down piece. He lists several examples of where she lied or volubly heh-indeeded some other wingers’ lies and failed to correct herself when she was caught out on it. And he makes a good general point:
While I believe that there is an excellent case for intellectual charity when one is dealing with someone whom one does not know, or who usually seems straightforward, intelligent and honest, I also believe that it is positively harmful to intellectual life to extend such charity to people who engage in persistent obfuscation and shoddy argument over a period of years.
If people don’t want to be mocked as pernicious charlatans, they should strive to be more accurate. And I say the same thing about the epic level of VSP whining about the Colbert-Stewart rallies: if media/political elites don’t want to be seen as buffoons, they should stop acting like buffoons.