Ah, the “wisdom” of the swamp! That repository of dated, derivative, “inside the box” political thought that turns into a campaign’s coffin. Fortunately, for the swamp’s denizens, there’s a sucker—er, campaign—born every cycle, ensuring riches remain to be made.

Pundits earn a handsome living providing free political advice. Rarely does a candidate or their campaign heed it and if they do, it is invariably to their detriment. The reason is simple: it is rarely realistic or right. The only thing rarer is the pundit being held accountable for spewing their inanities to the masses and the consequences that follow. But, hey, that’s entertainment.

Yet, unless one is a talking head in the punditry, in the swamp, free political advice is rare. It is not only because free advice is as good as what you pay for it—nada. It is because political consultants build mansions for providing incrementally better advice to well-heeled candidates and causes. The good news for the pros? The same as it is for pundits: the absence of accountability and the biennial cycle of well-heeled campaigns and candidates, often possessed of more ambition than brains.

This is a major reason why the swamp’s insular political class despises Donald J. Trump. He is his own political consultant, and he has proven adept at identifying an issue, defining an opponent, and messaging with a unique resonance among the electorate—sometimes for the better, sometimes not.