During a political campaign, the savviest candidates excel at two things. First, they offer a compelling message that differentiates them from their competitors. Second — which demands true skill and sophistry — they ascribe all their own failings to those very same competitors, forcing them to answer for political, policy and social issues for which they are not responsible. To restate: You blame the other guy for things you did and hope it sticks.
While the presidential contest among Democrats (the hoop-jumping is worthy of a summer community pool), and the battle between traditional public schools and public charter schools for which it has become a proxy, may lack much in the form of clear differentiation...