Candidate Sue has no record of illegality or stain of corruption in her years in public life. She announces she is running for president. A breathless “exclusive” story appears: Sue would taste grapes in the supermarket before buying them, insiders say. The story is filled with sources on background attesting to the horror of grape-sampling. “She was warned to stop, you know,” says someone not authorized to speak on the record. Other sources on Capitol Hill, all on background, attest to her grape-tasting. A political scientist from some university opines, “Grape-swiping could be a problem. Now everything comes under scrutiny.” A political consultant (backing another candidate) is quoted as saying, “Sue was foolish not to think the grape-swiping would come out.” Within 24 hours, most mainstream outlets report: Sue swept up in grape scandal. Panels are assembled on cable TV to discuss just how serious the grape scandal is. Supermarket and grape experts become household names. Then, an esteemed political reporter tells us: Grapes threaten to crush Sue’s campaign. When Sue talks about issues, she is trying to distract from “Grapegate.” When she refuses to answer grape questions, she is accused of hiding from the media. No real voters cares about grape-sampling, but that is literally all they can watch and read about Sue. They never really learn if she is a good, bad or indifferent candidate.