I Don't Think That Word Means What You Think It Means

This is just stupid. The New York Observer (via Political Wire) on Michael Dukakis' activities with the Democratic National Committee:

True to his technocratic roots, Mr. Dukakis has the idea of replicating, on every street, avenue, and rural route in the country, the kind of personal relationships that once powered big-city political machines—with precinct captains calling on their neighbors every few weeks, asking them about their concerns, talking up their candidate and following up on any questions they might have. Mr. Dukakis’ vision is rooted in good government—making sure, for instance, that a neighbor’s concerns about school vouchers are satisfactorily addressed.

"True to his technocratic roots"? What? What could be less technocratic than grass-roots organization? Technocrats are supposed to be in favor of top-down, expert-dominated decision-making, with a focus on policy over politics (Don't be fooled by the voucher aside. The bulk of the article is about fighting smears). Creating a massive precinct organization is the opposite of technocracy. It also happens to be fabulous idea.

Idiots.