But would a breather really help? Are they capable as a group of thinking about anything beyond their own political self interest? So they'll keep doing what they do until most of them get voted out of office.The Dems when in power need a legitimate, loyal opposition to keep them honest, but these guys have zero credibility.
As for the near-term future, It's really hard for me to see how any sensible, public-spirited moderate would be attracted to the Republican Party. I know many if not most Dems operate according to a similar self-interested political calculus, but if Obama shows even the slightest effectiveness in the next two years, why would anybody run as a Republican unless he is a crazy-uncle type?
The GOP's one hope is the Limbaugh Doctrine: Do everything you can to make Obama fail. In Limbaugh-think the success of a so-called Liberal like Obama is by definition bad for the country. Only crazy Republicans, the true Americans, know what's good for the country.
Does that mean that I am optimistic about prospects for the recovery of our democracy? Yes, cautiously so. But we cannot underestimate the resiliency of the hard right and of its appeal to Main Street when some outside threat looms.
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